Grape Variety: Malvasia bianca

Variety Name	Malvasia bianca
TTB Approved Name(s)	Malvasia bianca (Moscato greco)
Common Synonyms	Moscato greco
All Synonyms	Alicante Espagnol du Dao, Blanca-roja, Blancarroga, Blanco Fino, Blanquirroja, Cagazal, Dona Branca, Früher Roter Malvasier, Iuvarella, Lavarela Verdana, Malmsey, Malvasia, Malvasia bianca del Chianti, Malvasia bianca piemonte, Malvasia Comun, Malvasia de Colares, Malvasia de la Rioja, Malvasia de Rioja, Malvasia del Lazio, Malvasia di Candia, Malvasia fina, Malvasia Puntinta, Malvasia Riojana, Malvasia Rosso, Malvasier, Malvazija, Malvazija Bela, Malvoisie, Masovy Hrozon, Monemvasia, Monemvassia, Moscato greco, Rojal, Sarga Malvazia, Suavidad, Subirat, Subirat Parent, Tobia, Toloca, Uva de Arroba, Uva Greca, Verdana, Verdana, Verdeja
Countries of Origin	Greece or Italy
Species	Vitis vinifera
References	Show 6 references Hide references Christensen, L et al. 2003. Wine Grape Varieties in California. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 3419. Robinson, J. 2006. The Oxford Companion to Wine. Third edition. Oxford University Press. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network – (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Link Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC). Federal Centre for Breeding Research on Cultivated Plants (BAZ). Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof (IRZ). August, 2007. Link The former National Grape Registry (NGR) was initially compiled and annotated using the earlier version of the Vitis database. The VIVC underwent a significant update beginning in 2007. Corresponding updates to this Registry will be made as necessary. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Code of Federal Regulations Title 27 Part 4.91 List of approved prime names. Link Lacombe, T., J-M Boursiquot, V. Laucou, F. Dechesne, D. Vares, and P. This. 2007. Relationships and Genetic Diversity within the Accessions Related to Malvasia Held in the Domaine de Vassal Grape Germplasm Repository, Am.J.Enol.Vitic.58:1, page 124.
Berry Color	White
Uses	Table,Wine
Comments	There is ambiguity about the origin of this variety. The book Wine Grape Varieties in California (reference no. 2) indicates that 'Malvasia bianca is understood to be from the northwest coast of Italy where it is an obscure variety known there as Malvasia bianca piemonte or Moscato greco. Its origin within Italy and beyond is unknown.' Jancis Robinson (reference no.6) states that 'Malvasia is a name used widely especially in Iberia and Italy for a complex web of grape varieties, typically ancient and of Greek origin and producing characterful wines high in alcohol and often residual sugar'. She notes that the name 'Malvasia is the Italian corruption of Monemvasia, the southern Greek port which, in the Middle Ages, was a busy port' through which passed the highly-regarded dessert wines of the eastern Mediterranean.

Malvasia bianca PhotosClick photo to enlarge

Malvasia bianca Selections

Information about: Selection Numbers | Registration Status

How Selection Numbers are Created

Questions are often asked as to how Foundation Plant Services (FPS) decides which number to assign to the grape selections in the foundation vineyard and whether those numbers relate to particular clones that may be the sources of the FPS selections.

The answer for most selections in the FPS foundation vineyard is that selection numbers are assigned by the next available (unused) number in sequence for that variety. There is nothing magical about it. For example, the first Sauvignon blanc selection that came to FPS in 1958 was named Sauvignon blanc FPS 01. The next Sauvignon blanc arrival received the name Sauvignon blanc FPS 02. Gaps in the numbering system in the current list of available selections mean that the omitted number was taken out of circulation for some reason, such as death from disease.

FPS intentionally chose the word "selection" rather than "clone" when referring to the products offered in the foundation vineyard. The word "clone" can be confusing and ambiguous. The major European collections have formal evaluation protocols for grape material to qualify material for release as an official "clone". Evaluation criteria includes field performance and wine making characteristics.

FPS does not perform formal clonal evaluations on the grapevine materials accepted for the foundation vineyard. The word "selection" at FPS simply means the material was collected from a single source vine from the vineyard of origin, whether within the United States or from a foreign vineyard. Some of our numbered selections have been through trials here in California but FPS does not conduct those trials or evaluations.

Having said that, there is a subgroup of selections at FPS that are official numbered clones from the formal clonal development programs in Europe. Those official clones are imported and sold by the owners as proprietary (trademarked) clonal material in the United States. The owners are large government or nursery entities in Europe, such as the ENTAV-INRA® clonal material from the IFV program in France. In order to preserve the identity of those clones, FPS agreed to assign them the same official clone number that the program in Europe gave them when released there. Cabernet Sauvignon 685 from France received the name Cabernet Sauvignon ENTAV-INRA® 685 at FPS. The owners of those proprietary clones are the ones who vouch for or affirm the authenticity of their trademarked clones.

Lastly, there is a small subset of "clones" that came to FPS in the 1980's prior to the establishment of the trademark programs for the European clones. Those clones also came to the United States associated with clone numbers assigned when the clones were developed in Europe. Many of the French clones in that group were developed at Dijon in France and the material has been known as the "Dijon clones". Those French clones were not protected by an official trademark program at the time they came to the United States. Some of those clones are no longer used in France and some were incorporated into the ENTAV-INRA trademark program.

FPS refers to this subset of clones as "generic clonal material". FPS agreed that we would assign those non-proprietary clones a new number at FPS rather than the European clonal number. They received their FPS numbers using the "next in order" rule. We may have a note on the plant description that the selection is "reported to be a certain French clone number". FPS cannot guarantee that such a selection is the official French clone number that it was formally associated with in France.

	Malvasia bianca 03
Registration Status	Registered Registered is the ultimate status in the California Department of Food & Agricultures Grapevine Registration & Certification Program. Registered selections have successfully completed all disease testing required by the regulations. Registered selections have also been confirmed as true to variety by experts using visual observations, DNA-based testing or both.
Source	California vineyard (Sonoma County)
Treatments	None , Tissue Culture Excision
Comments	This selection came to Foundation Plant Services in the early 1960's from a vineyard in Sonoma County, California. It underwent basic index testing and was planted in the FPS foundation vineyard in 1964. A comment in the FPS database indicates that Italian ampelographer Anna Schneider believed that this selection is 'the ancient Malvasia from the Piedmont region of Italy'. Malvasia bianca 03 underwent microshoot tip tissue culture therapy in 2011 in order to qualify for planting in the Russell Ranch Foundation Vineyard. The treated material successfully completed disease testing in 2013 and will be planted at Russell Ranch as Malvasia bianca 03.1.
	Malvasia bianca 04
Treatments	Tissue Culture Excision