Malvasia di Cagliari is a wine DOC of southern Sardinia, based around the town of Cagliari and the eponymous province of which it is the administrative center. It was introduced as a DOC in June 1972, just one month before its northern counterpart Malvasia di Bosa.
Malvasia is a 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. In the case of Malvasia di Cagliari wines, the Malvasia in question is Malvasia di Sardegna.
Although Cagliari's name is borne by this DOC, the catchment area from which the grapes may come extends into the Oristano province, more famously associated with Vernaccia di Oristano. This makes for quite a large production zone, covering a substantial portion of the island's southern half.
Like their Giro di Cagliari equivalents, these wines come in both a standard secco (dry) form and also the sweeter, more potent liquoroso variant. After an affinamento obbligatorio (obligatory ageing period) of nine months, wine destined to be riserva is aged in barrels for a required minimum of two years. This creates intensely sweet, flavorful wine best matched to desserts, particularly those involving baked fruits, coffee or dark chocolate.
Malvasia di Cagliari is one of several DOCs covering specific varietal wine styles from Cagliari. There is no single Cagliari DOC, but several varietal DOCs for which the grapes come exclusively from the Cagliari province: Giro di Cagliari, Malvasia di Cagliari, Monica di Cagliari, Moscato di Cagliari, Nasco di Cagliari and Nuragus di Cagliari.
