Malvasia made the Tasca d’Almerita way.
From the “Anfiteatro” vineyard, 50 metres above sea level, where the soil is characterized by a loose, sandy texture originating from the degradation of ancient lava sediments. Despite its high porosity, the soil has good water retention. Limestone is absent and the reaction is sub acidic with a pH of 6.5.
The soil is generally poor in nutrients and organic matter and easily degrades due to its porous structure and the warm climate. To remedy this deficiency, leguminous green manuring is practised annually to enrich the soil with organic matter and nitrogen. There is, on the other hand, a healthy presence of micro-elements, fundamental for the quality of the grapes.
In the vineyard we try to ensure there is a large leaf area covering the bunches in order to prevent the grapes from being burned, thereby ensuring an ideal aroma. The espalier cultivation system is used in general, but in a small terrace we also find 240 plants cultivated as bushes. The new plots have intervals of 2 metres between the rows and 1 metre between the plants (5,000 plants/hectare). Guyot pruning is used, with very long shoots (12-14 buds) to favour the production of Malvasia, but also to compensate for the breakage of the shoots caused by the strong sea winds. The grapes generally ripen in the first ten days of September and slowly dehydrate, maintaining good acidity and a moderate alcohol content.
We appreciate the integrity of the fruit and rather than drying the grapes in the sun, we dry them in the shade to carry out the process of dehydration without losing the varietal notes contained in the delicate skin.