White Venice and the Forgotten Malvasia of Tuscany

Among Italy’s nineteen Malvasia varieties, one grows quietly in the hills of Chianti, yet is rarely bottled on its own. A summer wine, the light of Venice, and a rare Tuscan voice.

In Venice, white begins with stone and light.

It is the colour of Istrian stone, veined marble, and surfaces shaped by water, salt and time. During summer, when the sun strikes the façades more directly, these pale tones become brighter, the veins of the stone emerge, and the city reveals the beauty of its material.

It is within this summer light that I chose to tell the story of another rare Malvasia. Italy is home to nineteen different Malvasia varieties, and telling the story of each one is no small undertaking. Every grape belongs to a different landscape, a different history and a different character. Some are immediately expressive and aromatic; others are discreet, almost forgotten. Every bottle asks you to begin again, without assuming that one Malvasia will resemble the previous one. And in summer, even a rarity can be enjoyed with remarkable ease.

Sassogrosso wine comes from the heart of Chianti Classico and is made entirely from Malvasia Bianca Lunga, an old Tuscan variety also known as Malvasia Toscana, Malvasia del Chianti, or Malvasia di Brolio. For centuries it grew alongside Sangiovese and Trebbiano and formed part of the traditional Chianti blend. When white grapes disappeared from the Chianti Classico regulations, this variety gradually lost its place, surviving mainly through the production of Vin Santo. Today, finding it vinified on its own as a dry white wine is genuinely uncommon.

At Azienda Agricola Monterotondo, in Gaiole in Chianti, this historic grape is preserved in a tiny 0.3-hectare parcel. Set at around 550 metres above sea level and surrounded by woodland, vineyards and olive groves, it offers a very different voice within a landscape famous for its great red wines.

This is where Sassogrosso wine begins. Fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel, it immediately catches the eye with the colour of summer itself. Bright golden yellow rather than pale, it already hints at the wine’s personality. On the nose I find ripe yellow fruit and wild herbs. The aromas are never excessive; instead, they unfold gradually with precision and elegance. The palate is generous, freshness runs through the wine, while a gentle softness gives it breadth and texture. It has substance, presence and volume without ever becoming heavy. That balance is what makes it so compelling. This is not a delicate white wine, nor is it powerful for the sake of power. It simply possesses enough body to remain vivid within the brightness of summer.

Here I find its connection with Venice.

Not because Tuscany and Venice share a direct historical relationship in this story, but because they express a similar quality. The pale stones of Venice reflect light while retaining weight, solidity and endurance. Sassogrosso wine behaves in much the same way, It shines in the glass, yet it never loses its structure or its quiet confidence.

To accompany it, I imagined a summer dish built around the same restrained palette of whites and pale greens, proving that white does not have to mean fragile. I chose freshly caught sea bream, gently poached and served cold to preserve its delicate yet firm texture. It rests on paper-thin slices of crisp early summer Coscia pear, accompanied by an emulsion of fresh ricotta, almond milk, olive oil and lemon, finished with tiny thyme blossoms. The pear echoes the wine’s ripe fruit, while the lemon and herbs follow its freshness and subtle herbal notes. Meanwhile, the creamy ricotta and almond emulsion mirror the generous texture of the wine itself.

The dish remains almost monochromatic, interrupted only by the pale green of the pear and the tiny accents of thyme. Fresh and understated in flavour, yet supported by clear textures - just like the wine. Sassogrosso wine tells the story of a less predictable Tuscany, one that steps away, if only for a moment, from Sangiovese and the region’s celebrated reds. It gives voice to a historic grape that spent decades in the background and finally reveals its own identity when allowed to stand alone.

A Malvasia Bianca Lunga that is generous, luminous, fresh and beautifully textured, carrying within it the colour of the summer sun. And one more voice among Italy’s nineteen Malvasias that deserves to be discovered.

In tasting

Sassogrosso
Malvasia Toscana IGT 2023 - 13% vol
Azienda Agricola Monterotondo - Gaiole in Chianti (Siena)
100% Malvasia Bianca Lunga
Organic wine

Paired with
Coscia pear carpaccio, gilthead seabream from the Venetian Lagoon, goat ricotta and almond milk cream, extra virgin olive oil and fresh thyme.

This story was originally written in Italian → Read in Italian

Portraits by Nicoletta Fornaro, with gratitude for her sensitive eye and for a creative collaboration that has grown over many years.