White Grape · Lazio
Malvasia Puntinata is the aromatic white grape behind Frascati DOC, Cannellino di Frascati DOCG, and Roma DOC, anchored on the volcanic slopes of the Castelli Romani south of Rome.
Also catalogued as Malvasia del Lazio, this semi-aromatic vitigno is named for the dark spots that dot its golden-green skin at harvest.
1
Bottles
From £10
Starting price
2
Retailers
Acacia
Peach
Apricot
Lemon
Pear
Honey
Almond
Wet stones
Serve
10–12°C
Decant
No
Glass
Tulip Glass
Drink Within
2–3 days
Cellar
1–3 years
1 wine available
Malvasia Puntinata, officially registered in the Italian national catalogue as Malvasia del Lazio, takes its everyday name from the small dark spots that mark its golden-green berries as harvest approaches. The variety is one of the most distinctive of the wide Malvasia family, separate from the neutral Malvasia Bianca Lunga of Tuscany and the perfumed Malvasia Bianca di Candia of Emilia. Its homeland is the volcanic crescent of the Castelli Romani south of Rome, where Frascati, Marino, Grottaferrata, and Monte Porzio Catone have built their wine identity around it.
Already in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Roman wine merchants prized Malvasia del Lazio above the local Trebbiani for its perfumed mosti and richer texture, supplying the osterie of Rome and the pilgrim traffic that crossed the city. The grape thrives on the loose volcanic tuff of the Lazio volcano, where strong diurnal swings preserve natural acidity and amplify the terpenic aromatics. Vine training is typically guyot or cordone speronato, with growers controlling yields to avoid the botrytis pressure that the medium-compact bunches invite in damp years.
In the cellar, vinification stays mostly in stainless steel at cool temperatures to lock in citrus, peach, and white-flower aromas, though some Castelli producers add brief lees ageing or partial wood passage for volume. The dry expression dominates Frascati DOC, Frascati Superiore DOCG, Marino DOC, and Roma DOC, while Cannellino di Frascati DOCG turns the grape into a late-harvest passito of honey, candied citrus, and dried chamomile. Smaller plantings reach Bianco Capena DOC, Velletri DOC, Cori DOC, and the southern hills of Umbria.
Malvasia Puntinata is an aromatic white grape native to Lazio, officially registered as Malvasia del Lazio. It is named for the dark spots that mark its berries at harvest, and it is the principal white variety of Frascati DOC, Cannellino di Frascati DOCG, and Roma DOC.
Yes. Malvasia del Lazio is the official ampelographic name in the Italian national vine catalogue, while Malvasia Puntinata is the everyday trade and grower name, used because of the small dark spots, or puntinature, on the berries.
Most of it is dry. The grape leads dry whites in Frascati DOC, Marino DOC, and Roma DOC. The sweet, late-harvest expression sits inside Cannellino di Frascati DOCG, where the same fruit dries on the vine to become a honeyed passito.
It is semi-aromatic, sitting between the neutral Malvasia Bianca Lunga of Tuscany and the openly perfumed Malvasia Bianca di Candia of Emilia and the herbaceous Malvasia Istriana of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The Lazio version leans on stone fruit, white flowers, and Mediterranean herbs.
Pale gold in the glass, with aromas of acacia blossom, peach, apricot, citrus zest, and a savoury herbal lift. The palate is medium bodied with balanced acidity and a stony volcanic finish that reflects the tuff soils of the Castelli Romani.
Roman classics. Try porchetta di Ariccia, cacio e pepe, abbacchio scottadito, fritto misto di paranza, or carciofi alla giudia. The sweet Cannellino di Frascati version partners crostata di visciole and aged pecorino romano.
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