Dry, semi-sweet, sweet. Always sparkling, with a straw-yellow color and an intensely aromatic scent. In its three versions, Malvasia dei Colli di Parma is able to accompany every course of a typical Parmesan meal.
Obtained from Malvasia di Candia Aromatica grapes in purity or with the addition of white Muscat (up to a maximum of 15%), in its dry version the Malvasia dei Colli di Parma looks like a dry wine, with a slightly bitter aftertaste, and it goes perfectly with the typical cold cuts of the territory as well as with our first typical courses, while in the semi-sweet or sweet version it enhances the desserts, the fruit, the dry cakes.
The Malvasia grape is born in the Mediterranean, especially in a small Greek island, Monemvasia. Imported by the Venetians in the thirteenth century and spread in various parts of Europe, the Malvasia wine also arrives in the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, in a particular version, the Malvasia Aromatica di Candia from which, until the 60s since it began the production of dry Malvasia, a sweet and sparkling wine was obtained. Malvasia dei Colli boasts well-known admirers: the Duchess Maria Luigia kept several barrels in her cellars, while Garibaldi, passing through the Parma area, tasted it and wanted to take some seedlings with him to Caprera to transplant them. Even the maestro Giuseppe Verdi loved Malvasia very much and used it, together with a fresh egg, to recover in moments of sadness.
A Festival to celebrate Malvasia
For twenty-three years the Malvasia is celebrated in Sala Baganza where the best vines are found, with a Malvasia Festival- Cosèta d’Or Prize, a weekend entirely dedicated to the “queen of Parma wines” with producers of salami and belonging to the Consortium for the Protection of the Wines of the Parma Hills, events, tastings, cultural and fun moments related to Malvasia, its history, its best combinations in the kitchen. Each year the Cosèta d’Or award is presented to the winery producing the best Malvasia dei Colli di Parma, evaluated by a jury of experts. What is the cosèta? Carved into a wooden block, the cosèta is a bowl in which in the taverns, in the past, wine was drunk but not only, it was also used by the winemakers to taste the wine tapped directly from the barrel. Today the cosèta is still handmade and decorated with a gold medal, award for the best Malvasia.
An unmissable opportunity, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 May in Sala Baganza, to try and taste the best Malvasia of Parma territory but also from neighboring territories, Piacenza and Veneto, and foreign countries: Croatia, France, Spain and Greece, from the island of Monemvasia. Discover the complete Malvasia Festival program!
And for those who can not take part in the 23rd edition of the Malvasia Festival, do not despair: Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th May Cantine Aperte is back. The cellars of Parma City of Gastronomy open the doors to enthusiasts and curious: you will discover the secrets of wine production, why not the Malvasia, its refinement and finally you will buy it and taste it while admiring the vineyards from which it was born: Monte delle Vigne, Azienda Agricola Lamoretti, Oinoe Vini, Vigna Cunial.
