Malvasia
Definition - What does Malvasia mean?
Malvasia is a wine which entails many different styles under one name. There are a large variety of grapes with the name Malvasia and they may be red or white. However, the most commonly recognized Malvasia-made wine is made with the red version used to make Madeira. These are fortified wines with intense character, noteworthy acidity and a smokey finish.
WineFrog explains Malvasia
Malvasia is a style of wine which falls under the category of Madeira. They are deep in color both due to the essence of the Malvasia red grape and the process by which Madeira is made, called estufagem. This process is unique to Madeira in which the wine is gradually heated using various techniques depending on the desired outcome and quality.
The Malvasia red grape attributes to the deep color and the richness of the wine making these fortified wines "fat" and "rich". The sweeter versions of Malvasia are called "Malmsey".
