Grape Guide
Malvasia Nera Di Brindisi
RedMalvasia Nera di Brindisi is a black-skinned grape of Puglia, grown chiefly in the provinces of Lecce, Brindisi and Taranto. A natural cross of Malvasia Bianca Lunga and Negroamaro, it mostly plays the supporting role to Negroamaro in Salento red and rosé blends, adding colour, body and a soft, dusty, floral fruit profile.
Key characteristics
- Natural cross of Malvasia Bianca Lunga and Negroamaro, confirmed by DNA profiling
- Identical to Malvasia Nera di Lecce, long listed as a separate variety
- Mid to late ripening, with a slightly aromatic character
- Good heat tolerance, but prone to oidium and botrytis
- Usually the minority partner to Negroamaro in southern Puglia appellations
Typical flavors
Major regions
Salento (Puglia) · Salice Salentino DOC · Brindisi DOC · Squinzano DOC · Nardò DOC · Lizzano DOC · Tuscany (Maremma) · Calabria
Also known as
Malvasia Nera di Lecce · Malvasia Nera (Tuscany) · Malvasia Nera di Bari · Malvasia Nera di Bitonto · Malvasia Nera di Trani · Malvasia Negra · Malvasia Niura
Of southern Italy's two black-berried Malvasias, Malvasia Nera di Brindisi is planted more extensively; the second, Malvasia Nera di Basilicata, is regarded as a distinct variety. Brindisi and Lecce were long recorded as separate grapes, and Italian national statistics continue to list them apart, yet DNA analysis has shown that they are a single genotype.
In both vineyard and winery it works as a supporting grape rather than a headliner. Negroamaro brings structure and a bitter-edged depth, while Malvasia Nera di Brindisi adds colour, perfume and a softer, lower-acid fruit. Made on its own, usually under the Puglia or Salento IGT, it yields soft, plummy reds with a dusty, sweet-fruited character, and it is also a dependable source of deeply coloured rosato. The cross took place between two Apulian varieties, so the grape counts as truly native to the region rather than an incomer.
Malvasia Nera di Brindisi was for a long time a puzzle. The Brindisi and Lecce versions were handled as two cultivars from the Salento peninsula, and the Malvasia name suggested a link to the wider family of Mediterranean Malvasias, though that family is not a single genetic group. Microsatellite analysis published in the journal Vitis in 2008 changed the picture: using 42 nuclear markers, researchers found that the two names share one profile and that the variety descends from Malvasia Bianca Lunga (also called Malvasia del Chianti) crossed with Negroamaro. The study could not establish which parent supplied the pollen and which the seed, because the chloroplast markers it used showed no variation.
Both parents have been grown in Puglia for centuries, so the cross is presumed to have occurred there as a spontaneous seedling. Its relationship to Malvasia Nera di Basilicata had not been settled by DNA comparison when last tested, and the two should not be assumed to be the same. Misidentification has also muddied the record: a few old vines in Tuscany and Basilicata sold or labelled as Malvasia Nera, or as Malvasia Nera di Lecce, have proved on analysis to be Tempranillo. The many synonyms that include Bari, Bitonto and Trani reflect local naming across Puglia rather than separate varieties.
The vine ripens mid to late in the season, which suits the long, hot growing period of the Salento, and it tolerates heat well. The variety is prone to powdery mildew (oidium) and to botrytis in damp years, so canopy management and timely treatment matter. The grape is described as slightly aromatic, with a floral lift that carries into rosé. Natural acidity is on the low side, so harvest timing is a balance between ripe fruit and freshness. Most plantings are in warm, dry southern Puglia on calcareous and red clay soils, and the variety is typically trained on bush or on wire and sold into co-operatives and estates focused on Negroamaro-based wines.
Its most common use is as a blending partner. In the red and rosato wines of Salice Salentino, Squinzano, Nardò, Lizzano, Copertino, Leverano and Alezio, it sits behind Negroamaro, which in several of these appellations must make up a clear majority of the blend; some Brindisi DOC reds require at least 70% Negroamaro. Producers often add it for colour and a softer mid-palate, and some co-ferment the two grapes. Rosato from the combination is a regional specialty, ranging from pale copper to deep cherry pink. Varietal bottlings from Salento and Puglia IGT are fuller, rounded and plummy, with dusty tannin, moderate acidity and notes of sweet spice; a few producers also make a dried-grape passito version. Most are drunk young, though structured reds from older vines can hold for several years.
Where it grows
Salento (Puglia)
The heartland, with plantings concentrated in the provinces of Lecce, Brindisi and Taranto. Most varietal wines are labelled IGT Salento or IGT Puglia, and producers include Conti Zecca, Duca Carlo Guarini and Cantine San Marzano (the Talò label).
Salice Salentino DOC
Rosso and rosato are built on Negroamaro with Malvasia Nera di Brindisi or di Lecce as the usual complement. Producers such as Leone de Castris bottle blends with about 10% Malvasia Nera, within the share the DOC rules allow.
Brindisi DOC
The rosso and rosato require at least 70% Negroamaro, with Malvasia Nera di Brindisi among the red varieties allowed to complete the blend; the denomination covered about 394 ha in 2021. Botrugno is one estate that bottles the grape as its own wine.
Other Salento DOCs
It is permitted in Squinzano, Nardò, Lizzano, Copertino, Leverano and Alezio, where it again plays the secondary role to Negroamaro.
Tuscany and Calabria
Small plantings exist in both regions, including the coastal Maremma around Grosseto, where the local name is simply Malvasia Nera. Some old Tuscan vines under this name have turned out to be Tempranillo.
Statistics
Italy's 2000 agricultural census counted 2,238 ha under the Brindisi name and 669 ha under Lecce, about 2,900 ha combined for what is now known to be one variety; no more recent figure was found.