2017 Malvasia
Borgo San Daniele
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Cividale del Friuli. Photo by Miriadna
During Bravino's Wine Club journey of Italy and it's wines, we must introduce you to Friuli. In the wine world, Friuli is best known for white wines, which are rightfully praised as some of the best. This small, yet mighty region is home to 4 DOCG's and 12 DOC's and a whopping 77% of its wine production is white, which is one of the highest proportions of white wine of any region. But it's no wonder why because they do whites better than anyone else. They're crisp, fresh, fruity and aromatic.
For this shipment we chose two white wines made from the same producer, Borgo San Daniele, because we loved their wines so much it was too hard to choose just one. We chose two wines made from grapes that are native and unique to the area, but also lesser-known and rarely found here in the US: Malvasia & Friulano.
We hope you enjoy discovering a new region, grapes, wines, and Italian recipes to pair alongside!
Photo by Borgo San Daniele
2017 Borgo San Daniele Malvasia
Grape: Malvasia
Tasting Notes: Aromatic wine with scents of peach, mandarin and lime flowers. On the palate you get flavors of apples, apricot, banana, orange peel and a lovely lingering taste of ginger on the finish. This wine is fresh, savory with a soft yet present structure and body.
Recommended Drink Window: Best now-2020
Temperature of Service: 50-53° F
Decanting: Try to open 30 minutes ahead of time. Best served "chilled", but not too cold. Usually most refrigerators are 35-40° F, which is too cold for the wine and you won't get any aromas or flavors. So bring it out and let it warm up slightly (to 50-53°) at room temperature. For a fun experiment, taste the wine when you first bring it out and notice how the smell and taste changes from when it's super cold to slightly less cold.
Port of Monemvasia, Greece. Photo by Travel Zone
The name Malvasia belongs to several grape varieties. The Malvasia family of grapes are of ancient origin, thought to originate in Crete, Greece. The name is derived from the Greek port and trading center Monemvasia, through which wine passed en route for western and northern Europe in the Middle Ages.
In Italy there are at least 10 distinctive forms of Malvasia planted all over the country, but the type of Malvasia for this wine is called Malvasia Istriana. The name comes from the Istria peninsula, which takes in parts of Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. The vine was introduced into the area during the Middle Ages by Venetian merchants who brought cuttings from Greece. The Venetians became so prolific in the trading of “Malvasia wine” that merchant wine shops in Venice were known as malvasie.
Rolling vineyards of Friuli. Photo by: Italian Story Tellers
The region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, usually just called Friuli (pronounced free-ooh-lee), is a powerhouse for white wines. And the style of their wines has much to do with the history of this area. Friuli sits at the northeastern corner of Italy and shares borders with the Veneto region to the west, Austria to the north and Slovenia to the east. It was was once part of the Venetian Republic and it had sections under the influence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for some time, which gives the wines noticeable Slavic and Germanic influences like precision, focus and grip.
In the 1960's, winemakers of Friuli pioneered modern techniques for white winemaking by quickly getting juice off the grape skins and taking extra measures to prevent oxidation. Throughout Italy these techniques came to be known as metodo friulano or the "Friuli method." Most Friuli wines are made in varietal form, with most appellations in the region requiring wines to be made with 100% of one grape. The general philosophy of Friuli winemakers is to emphasize the grape's pure fruitiness and acidity without the masking effects of oak. To this extent, the Friulians more closely resemble the Alsatians and winemakers of the Loire Valley than their counterparts in Burgandy, Spain and other parts of Italy.
Isonzo del Friuli. Photo by Noble Wines
The fairly small DOC where the wine is from is called Isonzo del Friuli, located in the far southeastern part of Friuli along the Isonzo river, (hence its name) bordering Slovenia. The vineyard is located close to the town of Cormons, which is famous for having some of the best vineyards of the area. Isonzo del Friuli enjoys a maritime climate with more rainfall than many other areas in the region. The nearby Adriatic is a constant source of warm daytime wind, and from the mountains to the north there are cool night-time breezes. The diurnal temperature variation and good soils create an ideal environment for growing vines and producing high-quality wines.
The Winery
Entrance to the winery. Photo by Bravino!
We first met Mauro, the owner of Borgo San Daniele, at a wine tasting event that was held right outside of Florence, Italy. When we came to their table and tasted their wines we were instantly blown away. Every single wine we tasted was incredible- Malvasia, Friulano (also included in this shipment), Pinot Grigio, Riesling…wine after wine there wasn't a single one that we didn’t like! We exchanged contacts and quickly became good friends. Mauro invited us for a visit at the winery estate, which they call "The Borgo". The property is absolutely beautiful, surrounded on all sides by vineyards and right at the base of the foothills of the Alps. The Borgo is a winery but it’s also an agriturismo, which is an Italian “farm-stay.” They have 3 sets of room accommodations and guests staying there can enjoy their wines, pool, reading rooms, and bikes if they want to go for a ride out into town. The city center of Cormons is only a short 10 minutes away.
Brother & sister, Mauro and Alessandra Mauri, run Borgo San Daniele
Brother and sister, Mauro and Alessandra Mauri, inherited the land from their grandfather in 1990. Passion and enthusiasm have guided them in their winemaking, and they're always spot on. Today, Mauro follows the production from the vineyard to the cellar, while Alessandra takes care of administration and communications. Their love of this land has led them to create a truly unique winery, with a precise production philosophy: a limited number of labels that speak of a viticulture that respects the environment and a personal way of interpreting the native Friulian grape varieties. In fact, in the 18 hectares (44 acres) of land cultivated by Borgo San Daniele, it was decided to adopt the good practices of biodynamics, by selecting the vineyards to be planted among the most suited and by close attention to the location, the orientation and altitude of each. "The earth is inheritance. We have a duty to preserve it", says Mauro: this is the thought of the cellar, which has made over the years to respect the integrity of the soil its main cornerstone. Mauro wants that in the wines you don't feel the hand of man, for the benefit of the terroir. This means that the wines mutate with the passing of the years, but the quality that Borgo San Daniele is able to maintain is always at the highest level.
As a family who has embraced the best practices of biodynamic viticulture, Borgo San Daniele’s style of winemaking includes green harvesting and crop thinning, long fermentation on the lees (dead yeasts), malolactic fermentation and unfiltered bottling. Being biodynamic also means that they do not use any chemical preparations in their vineyards and they must make sustainable choices. Their grapes are always delicately handpicked at the moment of perfect ripeness to preserve that touch of crunchy freshness which is the hallmark of their wines.
Borgo San Daniele Estate. Photo by Bravino!
Food Pairing
This Malvasia is fresh with great acidity and minerality, which makes it an ideal partner for fish. Local seafood dishes like granzevola all triestina, (baked spider crab with bread seasoned with lemon, garlic and parsley) and risotto di Marano (shrimp, squid, and mussels simmered with rice in fish broth) are commonly enjoyed with this wine.
This Malvasia also makes a great pairing for vegetable soups or antipasti.