I was shopping for a bottle of Freisa d' Asti 2007 Vigna del Forno from Cascina Gilli because I find myself coming back to this wine (find out why). I was at Eataly's pleasantly uncrowded Manhattan wine store, when all of a sudden I wondered if they might have other wines from Cascina Gilli, too.
I asked the shop assistant: "I wonder if you have other wines from Cascina Gilli, too?"
Type of question: spontaneous, polite, beseeching
He wasn't sure, the shop assistant said, he wasn't quite sure but he would check for me. I watched him climbing up a ladder and shortly after a thorough inspection of the topmost shelf of the store I was holding a bottle of the 2009 Malvasia di Castelnuovo don Bosco from Cascina Gilli in my hands.
I always think: white wine! when I hear Malvasia. Although I should know better because Malvasia is rather the name for a group of more or less related grape varieties and there is not only white but also red Malvasia. And both white and red wines made can be either dry, sweet and/or sparkling.
Still, I was thinking white wine but once in the glass the Malvasia di Castelnuovo don Bosco had a completely different appearance.
Type of appearance: red, sweet, slightly bubbly
A frothy pinkish rim had formed on the surface and that was because the winemaking technique differs a bit from the norm: the grapes are gently pressed in order to avoid the release of tannins from the skins and pips. The must then rests on the skins to get some extract through a short and light first fermentation. The actual (second) fermentation, which turns the must into wine happens in a pressure tank with the use of selected yeasts until the wine has the desired alcohol level of about 5.5%. Care must then be taken to avoid refermentation of the residual sugar so the wine is micro-filtered before being bottled.
The wine was sweet on the palate but had lively acidity (intensified by the frothiness). The flavors of freshly picked berries were nicely balanced by a hint of licorice and tannins and lasted through a medium length.
Malvasia is grown all over the world, but mostly Europe: in Italy, Spain and France. In Portugal it is one of the grape varieties used for Madeira. It is even grown in California by winemakers with a taste for the unusual like Randall Grahm. In Italy Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco DOC is a small DOC exclusively for Malvasia di Schierano wines. The total of roughly 65 ha of this DOC are all planted in the region of Montferrat. In Cascina Gilli's case the vines are Guyot-trained and grow in grey-blue clayey marl soil.
This Malvasia's light body and low alcohol level makes it ideal for a brunch or an afternoon picnic. In Italy, I was told, this type of wine is often served at the end of a big meal and accompanies cheese or cookies. The latter, in particular, seems to me a perfect combination. In any case, the Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco should always be served chilled.
And as I pour the last drops of it into my glass I say to myself: I'm glad the shop assistant found that ladder.