Malvasia di Bosa is an Italian wine DOC of western Sardinia, covering white wines made almost exclusively from the Malvasia di Sardegna grape variety. It was introduced as a DOC in July 1972, just one month after its southern counterpart Malvasia di Cagliari.
Malvasia is the name for several wine grape varieties, both red and white, that are used all over Italy. They are also found in France under the guise of Malvoisie. Although the etymology has not been confirmed, the name has been traced back to the Peloponnese port of Monemvasia in Greece. In the case of Malvasia di Cagliari wines, the Malvasia in question is Malvasia di Sardegna.
A Malvasia di Bosa wine must be made from at least 95% Malvasia di Sardegna grapes. This is one of the strictest conditions placed on any of the Sardinian wine DOCs, leaving only 5% leeway for vine variations in vineyards. The Disciplinare di Produzione (the legal document outlining the requirements for all DOCs) states that this is "per favorire l'impollinazione" and is allowed "purche le uve da essi provenienti non siano utilizzate nella preparazione dei vini". Roughly translated, this means the 5% allowance is made only to permit cross-pollination in vineyards, and on the condition that the winemakers attempt to exclude these grapes when making Malvasia di Bosa wines. Compared to the otherwise relaxed production restrictions imposed by Sardinia's DOCs (exemplified by incredibly high yields), this stands out as being very tightly controlled.
Like several other Sardinian wines, there are liquoroso (fortified) and dolce naturale (naturally sweet, much like vin doux naturel) variants of Malvasia di Bosa. The former, whether sweet or dry, has a required minimum of 17.5% alcohol by volume, while the latter must reach at least 15%.
