Malvasia bianca
happy canyon ava (2024)
$38
The malvasia bianca varietal
Malvasia (pronounced mall-vah-see-uh) Bianca is a white grape varietal tracing its roots back to Greece and Italy. The name Malvasia is thought to come from the Greek port of Monemvasia, although we originally discovered Malvasia through the wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in northern Italy.
Malvasia is a distinctly aromatic varietal. The moment you pour a glass of VOON Malvasia Bianca, aromas of apricot and lemon leap out of the glass.
Malvasia Bianca is a versatile grape that can produce a wide variety of wines, from sweet, concentrated wines to bright, acid-forward wines, and even sparkling wines! It’s quickly become one of our favorite grapes to work with, and we know you’ll love it, too. Introducing wine drinkers to lesser known varietals like Malvasia Bianca is one of the raisons d’être of VOON, and we can’t wait for you to discover the beauty of Malvasia Bianca with us.
the winemaking
VOON’s 2024 Malvasia Bianca is our first foray into “orange” or skin-contact winemaking!
In this case, we pressed the grapes into juice and let the juice ferment with the skins for four days. Typically, white wines are pressed to juice and the juice is fermented without the skins.
Leaving the skins on for four days imbues the wine with color, texture, and really boosts the aromatics. After fermentation, we aged the wine in stainless steel barrels to keep the wine taught & precise, before bottling without any filtering or fining. There are no additives other than sulfur, which we use exceedingly sparingly (our free sulfur is <30 ppm, far less than the threshold for natural wine).
Please serve VOON’s Happy Canyon Malvasia Bianca chilled in a stemmed wine glass with a large bowl for the optimal nose, taste, and overall enjoyment.
happy canyon of santa barbara ava
The Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA (American Viticulture Area) is one of the youngest regions to get AVA status in the Central Coast, established only in 2009. A little further inland than the Sta Rita Hills, the Happy Canyon AVA benefits from the warm California sun that burns off the Pacific Ocean fog every morning.
The Happy Canyon AVA benefits from a true diurnal shift, with day temps north of 90 degrees in the growing season mellowed out to the 50s every night. The soils are rocky mixtures of sand, gravel, and clay that are rich with minerals and tend to yield concentrated wines. We find they impart our wines with a mineral flavor that adds an extra dimension we love. While it’s becoming known for Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, we find it is the perfect climate for Malvasia Bianca, which beckons to Malvasia’s roots in the mediterranean climates of Greece and Italy.
The Happy Canyon AVA is one of the smallest AVAs in Southern California, and we’re so excited to share this gem of California’s Central Coast with you.