Bottles of Malvazija istarska (Istrian Malvasia) quality wine. Malvazija Istarska got the name after peninsula of Istria shared between Croatia, Slovenia and Italy (see also Slovene and Italian varieties). It represents one of the main white wines of Croatian Istria and the north Dalmatian coast.

In the past, the names Malvasia, Malvazia, and Malmsey have been used interchangeably for Malvasia-based wines; however, in modern oenology, “Malmsey” is now used almost exclusively for a sweet variety of Madeira wine made from the Malvasia grape….

Dry, semi-sweet or sweet
Malvasia/Sweetness of resulting wine

Madeira Malvasia
Madeira Malvasia (or Malmsey) is a kind of fortified wine made from the Malvasia family of grape varieties under Portugal’s Madeira DOC. It is the sweetest, richest form of Madeira, and is typically made in a style that contains more than twice the residual sugar found in Madeira Sercial or Madeira Verdelho.

Malvasia (Italian pronunciation: [malvaˈziːa], also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world.

During the Middle Ages, the Venetians became so prolific in the trading of “Malvasia wine” that merchant wine shops in Venice were known as malvasie. The occasional claim that it might come from the district of Malevizi, near Iraklion, Crete, is not taken seriously by scholars.

Other regions growing Malvasia nera include the Bolzano region of Alto Adige, Sardinia, Basilicata and Calabria. Malvasia nera wines are often noted for their rich chocolate notes with black plums and floral aromas.