The Malvasia Bianca grape variety belongs to the large family of grape varieties called Malvasie, and it is cultivated in the south of Italy, especially in Puglia. The name Malvasia refers to many grape varieties, most of them white, geographically distributed throughout Italy. Although of different origins, all these varieties share some basic characteristics: they all have, though in varying degrees of intensity, a spicy fragrance of musk and apricot and relatively high residual sugar levels. These characteristics make the Malvasia group of grape varieties particularly suitable for the production of sparkling wines and passiti (dessert wines). The name “Malvasia” derives from a contracted variation of Monembasia, a Byzantine stronghold perched on the rocks of a promontory in the south of the Peloponnese, where sweet wines were produced and then exported throughout Europe by the Venetians under the name of Monemvasia.

The wine made from this variety became extremely popular, so much so that Venice was full of taverns, called Malvase, dedicated to its consumption. The Malvasia Bianca grape variety is mainly found in southern Italy, where it is generally vinified together with other varieties. In Puglia, it is primarily part of the composition of the Leverano DOC, where it is the main grape variety for four distinct types of wine. It makes up 85% of Leverano DOC Malvasia, Leverano DOC Bianco, Leverano DOC Passito, and Leverano DOC Vendemmia Tardiva. In Calabria, Malvasia Bianca is present up to 50% in the Bivongi Bianco DOC of the province of Reggio Calabria, and it is also found in the San Vito di Luzzi DOC Bianco.