How Surprising a Malvasia Can Still Be
A honey-infused expression that finds its place in a simple gesture
Spring has never really been my season. And yet, there are moments when it becomes difficult to resist, especially when ingredients come into play. The scent of a freshly opened raw scampo. The beauty of strawberries from Basilicata, with their vibrant, almost luminous sweetness. A glass of honey-infused Malvasia di Candia.
And suddenly, all of this becomes an aperitif. A moment that holds together sweetness, acidity, color, aroma, and texture, without ever becoming excessive. There is an immediate, almost instinctive beauty in this combination.
Who said Malvasia couldn’t be the right wine for an aperitivo like this? Unconventional, certainly, but remarkably precise, and this is exactly why Malvasia continues to surprise me.
Essentia
Malvasia di Candia is one of the 19 Italian Malvasia varieties, a large and complex family, often difficult to define within a single framework. This particular expression comes from the hills of the Marche region, from Tenuta Piano di Rustano. It is not a classical Malvasia. It is a wine rooted in an ancient gesture, the addition of honey to the fermenting must. A step that changes everything, not only the aromatic profile, but the very idea of what the wine becomes.
It is not sweet, as one might expect. It remains dry, yet crossed by a subtle trace of honey, never dominant, always lingering in the background, like a quiet memory.
On the nose, it opens slowly, with notes of flowers, wildflower honey, and a warmer undertone that never weighs it down. On the palate, what surprises most is the balance: between softness and freshness, between enveloping texture and a tension that keeps it alive. Served chilled with raw scampi, it becomes extraordinary.
The honey does not add sweetness, it accompanies it, gently amplifying it. At the same time, it leaves space for salinity, for texture, for the clarity of the dish. The strawberry is not decorative, it shifts the balance, introducing acidity and opening the aromatic profile.
What is striking is not the idea of a flavored wine, but the way it remains in equilibrium, without ever losing its identity as Malvasia.
The Place
Tenuta Piano di Rustano is located in the upper hills of the Macerata area, in a part of the Marche that remains relatively secluded, from more exposed routes. Here, the landscape is shaped by vineyards, fields, and woods, with an agricultural rhythm that has not accelerated over time. The Lebboroni family has worked this land for generations, maintaining a rare continuity, one that is reflected in both vineyard and cellar decisions. It is within this context that Malvasia di Candia continues to be cultivated and interpreted, without being adapted to external models. A historical presence that has never disappeared here, but has evolved over time while maintaining its coherence.
Essentia emerges from this line, a wine that takes an ancient gesture, the addition of honey, and brings it into a contemporary context.
How surprising a Malvasia can still be.
A wine that sits outside conventions, yet finds its place in a simple gesture, an aperitif. A raw scampo, a few strawberries, a freshly poured glass, perhaps in a vintage Venetian glass.
In Tasting
Essentia
Malvasia di Candia aromatizzata al miele, 2024
Tenuta Piano di Rustano, Castelraimondo (Macerata)
13% vol.
Laura Riolfatto
Wine storyteller & sommelier
🔗 laurariolfatto.com
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