Winery: Set d'Oli

D.O.: No D.O.

Vintage: 2020

Variety: 100% Malvasía de Sitges

Alcohol content: 13.5 % vol.

Tasting notes:

Appearance: a golden yellow color, quite intense, very bright and clean, with movement in the glass showing glyceric touches and a beautiful, well-defined tear.

Nose: offers intense aromas of ripe stone fruit (peach, apricot) and tropical notes.

Palate: Costenc is dry and fresh, with balanced acidity on the palate.

Serving temperature: 10-12º C

Winemaking: This is a truly different and perhaps unique wine, as it is made as a single-varietal wine from a recovered white grape: Malvasía de Sitges. A grape revived by this project, Set & Ros, made outside any D.O., and aged in barrels for 6 months, giving it great complexity. A limited production of 3,400 bottles of this estate wine.

Pairing: at Made in Spain Gourmet we recommend it with fish, seafood, white meats, poultry, soups, creams and vegetables. And of course with vegan semi-cured cheeses from Veggie Karma and semi-cured sheep’s cheeses from Calaveruela.

Costenc, a wine for design-loving winelovers

As if emerging from the sea, its “coastal” wine Costenc captivates inside and out… It is made with grapes “weathered by the sea” from the forgotten Malvasía de Sitges variety, whose essence is reflected in the bottle itself, which appears to have half its body damaged by sea salt, like a buoy. It is a wine with character: fresh, aromatically complex, with ripe fruit and floral notes, of which only 3,400 numbered bottles are produced. The marine erosion of the vineyards shapes its flavor and is reflected in packaging that speaks for itself.

A masterpiece that has just received one of the sector’s most prestigious awards: Gold for packaging design at the Best of European Design & Advertising Awards. So if your partner loves design and wine, it is a sure hit.

Main characteristics of the Malvasía grape

Before describing this grape variety, you should know that we are talking about one of the oldest grapes in the country. There are not many regions with this grape, as its production is low due to its sensitivity. It tends to be highly susceptible to various diseases, so little by little it has been replaced by stronger varieties.

Its bunch is medium-sized and not very compact; it is extremely sensitive to rot, a serious drawback in winemaking. The sensitivity of this grape means that not many producers take a chance on it, and therefore wines made with Malvasía are unique and very special.

It is an international variety, as it can be found in Portugal, where it plays a leading role in the production of Madeira wine, as well as in France, Croatia, Slovenia and even Brazil; however, Italy is the main producer of this variety. In Spain, there is also a wide area under vine. The autonomous communities of Castile and León and the Valencian Community are its clear representatives, although Aragón, the Balearic Islands, Castile-La Mancha, Cantabria, Rioja and Murcia also grow it.

Origins of the Malvasía grape

Depending on the expert you ask, they will tell you that this variety comes from Asia or Greece. Its exact place of origin is not clear, nor are the grape varieties that preceded it, but its Greek origin is considered significant. It is said that those responsible for introducing it to Spain in the 14th century were the Almogavars. Organized into guerrilla troops, they were under the command of the kings of the Crown of Aragón and settled on the coasts of Valencia on their return from expeditions to Byzantium.

Several subvarieties have emerged from this variety due to its great international spread: Alarije, Chasselas, aromatic Malvasía, Castilian Malvasía, pink Malvasía, volcanic Malvasía and black Malvasía. Depending on the production area where it is made, you may find one variety or another.

Characteristics of wines made with Malvasía grapes

Within this group, we can find everything from the youngest wines made 100% with Malvasía grapes to crianza or reserva wines, where in most cases the wines are made with more than one variety. Young wines made with these grapes show greenish-yellow tones, while crianza wines are closer to golden hues. The grape has a high sugar content, making it perfect for producing sweet wines; as a result, wines made with Malvasía withstand aging well.

These are some of the wines made from the Malvasía variety that, if you are a fan of sweet wine, you simply must try.