white grape · regional specialty

Malvasia di Candia

Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Say it

mal·vah·zee·ahdeekan·dee·ahah·roh·mah·tee·kah

/malˈvaːzja di ˈkandja aroˈmaːtika/Italian

"Candia" is the medieval Venetian name for Crete (Heraklion); the name reflects historical sweet-wine trade routes, not genetic origin from Greece.

On the palate

orange peellemonapricotwhite peachlycheeorange blossom

How you spot it blind: orange blossom and lychee perfume — the hallmark of the aromatica distinction

The story

First written down · 19th century, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

DNA analysis (2021) confirmed parentage as Malvasia Aromatica di Parma × unknown; forensic genomics tentatively matched root traces from Leonardo da Vinci's Milan vineyard (1498–1519) to this variety.

Family tree: MALVASIA AROMATICA DI PARMA × unknown

Where it lives

Colli Piacentini, Emilia-Romagna · Colli di Parma, Emilia-Romagna · Colli di Scandiano e Canossa, Emilia-Romagna · Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardy

Shows up as

still whitefrizzantespumantepassitoorange wineColli Piacentini

If you like this, try

Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains →Gewürztraminer →Viognier →

Shop our Malvasia di Candia bottles