See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/235009676

Comparison among different Malvasia varieties from Madeira and Spain

Article · January 2006

CITATION READS

1 103

8 authors, including:

G. Muñoz-Organero Javier Ibáñez

Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario Institute of Grapevine and Wine Sciences (ICVV)
51 PUBLICATIONS   675 CITATIONS    150 PUBLICATIONS   3,171 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Cost action FA1003: East-West Cillaboration for Grapevine Diversity Exploration and Mobilization of Adaptive Traits for Breeding View project

Phenotypic, genetic, and genomic study of grapevine bunch compactness main determining factors View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Javier Ibáñez on 16 December 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Comparison among different Malvasia varieties from Madeira
and Spain
Confronto tra varieta diverse di Malvasia dal/a Madera e dal/a
Spagna

I. Rodriguez-Torres', C. Gonzalez-Guillen', F. Cabello', J. Borrego" G.

Munoz" M. T. de Andres', J. Zerolo', J. Ibanez'
'Instituto Madrilef'lo de Investigaci6n y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (tMIDRA). Finea Et Encln .
Apdo. 127· 28800 Alcala de Henares (Madrid) · Espari a .
2Viveros Agrovolcan, S.l. C/Chinguaro 26. Barrio San Francisco Javier - 38500 GOlmar, Tenerife .

Summary

Results about the comparison between Spanish Malvasia varieties collected

by Instituto Madrilefio de Investigaci6n y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario
in the repository of EI Encin at Alcala de Henares (Spain) and material coming
from grapevine germplasm of Instituto do Vinho of Madeira, are reported. All
accessions have been analysed by isoenzimatic systems (ACP, CO, GOT, SOD)
and nine microsatellite markers. The outcomes have classified these acces-
sions within 6 groups. The identity between tile greater part of vines coming
from Madeira and the EI Encln collection varieties are showed .

Rlassunto

Vengono riportati i risultati di un confronto tra varieta di Malvasia della

Spagna conservate nella collezione EI Encln ad Alcala de Henares (Spagna)
dell' lnstituto Madrilefio de Investigaci6n y Desarrollo Rural Agrario y Alimentario
e il materiale proveniente dal germoplasma di vi te dell 'lnstituto do Vinho di
Madera. Su detto materiale so no state condotte analisi isoenzimatiche (ACP,
CO, GOT, SOD) e del DNA (9 loci microsatellite). I risultati hanno permesso di
classificare Ie accessioni in 6 gruppi evidenziando I'identita tra la maggior parte
delle varieta provenienti da Madera con quelle della collezione di EI Encln.

I<ey word: Malvasias, Madeira Island, isoentimatic analyses, microsatellite.

Parole chiave: Malvasie, Madera, analisi isoenzimatiche, microsatelliti.

Introduction

In this work we carried out a comparison among the different Malvasias cUl-
tivated in Spain and those found in Madeira Islands. A previous historical revi-
sion is necessary, to show how both zones of cultivation got in touch. And for
the understanding, besides the Spain history, the geographical situation of the
Canary Islands, close to Madeira archipelago, must be considered. This revi-

Riv. Vilic. Enol.. N.2-3/2006 57

sion will set up different hypothesis about how the Malvasia reaches Spain
through the Mediterranean Sea, so the Iberian Peninsula as the Canary Islands,
and also how it arrived to Madeira and the possible transference between the
islands.
In the continental Spain, the cultivation of Malvasia is known much time ago,
and Herrera already described it in 1513. Anyway, the oldest reference to the
Malvasia wine in Spain has been found in Sitges (Barcelona), in the "Diccionario
de los nombres de cepas y racimos", by Xavier Fava. It cites a reference by M.
Gual Camarena (Vocabulario del Comercio Medieval, 1968), referring to the
Greek wine or Malvasia that entered Alc ira (Valencia) in 1318. Nevertheless,
until the XVIII century, there is no constancy of the cultivation of Malvasia in
Sitges (Comenge, 1942).
A first hypothesis attributes the arri val of Malvasia to Canary to some Spanish
navigators during their journeys from the peninsula to America, stopping off in
the Canary Islands. Another hypothesis suggests that Sitges would be the ori-
gin in Spain, and from there the Malvasia would have spread to the Canary
Island of Tenerife.
In Madeira, Malvasia is documented in the XVI century. Concretely, "the first
dry Malvasia wines exported from the island only would enter Europe in 1515 for
the cou rt of Francisco the First" (Pereira, 1989). Venetian Cadamosto narrated
the stori es of his journeys and detailed that, under the protection of Henry the
Navigator, he ordered to bring vines from CandIa (Pereira, 1989). Although there
are no data to con firm this affirmation, there is constancy for other crops import-
ed from Sicily by this govern man. It can be expected that, at the same time that
he ordered to bring to Madeira the culture of sugarcane, he did the same with
grap evine.
A high proportion of the Portuguese people established in the Canary
Islands, and of those who navigated and had dealings with these islands, came
from Madeira. Interchanging between both archipelagos was very frequent and
important, but the main stream was from Madeira to Canary. It would not be sur-
priSing that, having these islands a similar climate, there was a flow of cultivat-
ed grapevine vari eties, especially between Tenerife and Madeira islands, at the
end of XV century and beginning of XVI cen tury. It can not be forgotten that in
1520 decade , the exportations of wine from Tenerife are already documented.

Materials and methods

Spanish material come from the Colecci6n de Variedades de Vid of EI Encfn

in Alcala de Henares (Spain), belonging to IMIDRA (Instituto Madrileno de
Investigaci6n y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario). Grapevine at EI Encln
are grown on the second terrace of the Henares river. The soi l has franca tex-
ture with hig h levels of active calcium carbonate, being classified as belonging
to the Order "Alfisol" within the group "haploxeralfs" following the USDA
edaphological classification. The average rainfall is 469 annual mm and the
average temperature is 13.1 °C, correspond ing to dry Mediterranean climate.

58 Riv. Vitic. Enol. , N.2-3I2006

The plantation is about 40 years old and there are four plants of eacll accession.
Grapevines are prunes in vessel, with three to four fingers per plant.
Material (wood) from Madeira was taken from the Campo de Experimentac;:ao
de Estreito da Calheta (Instituto do Vinho da Madeira), and brought to Spain.
Table 1 shows local names, codes and place of origin of the different
accessions studied.
DNA analysis was performed on all varieties wi th a total of 9 microsatellite
loci: VVS2 , VVMD5, VVMD27, VVMD28, VrZAG29, VrZAG62, VrZAG67,
VrZAG83 and VrZAGl 12, as described (Ibanez ef al., 2003).
Isozyme characterization was performed through electrophoresis in poly-
acril am ide gels, from wood and specific stains carried out, following the method
described by Rodriguez-Torres (2001). Isozymatic systems studied were acid
phosphatase (ACP), catechol oxidase (CO), glutamate oxalacetate transami-
nase (GOT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD).
The material brought from Madeira to Spain was studied, and the microsatel-
lite and isozyme analyses were compared with those obtained for the varieties
existing in the Grapevine Varieties Collection of EI Encin.

Tab.: 1: Groups of synonyms found between Madeira varieties and accessions of EI

Encln Collection.
Tab. 1: Gruppi di sinonimi trovati Ira vi/igni di Madeira ed accessioni della collezione di
EI Encln.
Local Name Code Origin of sample Country
Group I Boal Madeira Portugal
Malvasia Fina Madeira Portugal
Boal Cachudo 15F04 Portugal
Tarantey de Nerga 22N46 Pontevedra Spain
Gual Gran Canaria Spain
Torrontes de Galicia Oranse Spain
Group II Malvasia Bianca Madeira Portugal
Malvasia del Chianti 14A16 Italy
Malvasla Blanca 22F02 Gran Canaria Spain
Group III Malvasia Candida Madeira Portugal
Malvasla de Sitges 22G21 Silges, Barcelona Spain
Malvasla de La Palma 22F13 Tenerife Spain
Group IV Malvasia Babosa Madeira Portugal
Malmsey 14811 Davis USA
Group V Malvasla de Candia
Group VI Malvasfa de Lanzarote 22E54 Gran Canaria Spain

Riv. Vitie. Enol.. N2-312006 59

Results and discussions

Microsalellile and isozyme analysis allowed classifying all the accessions

into 6 different groups (Table 1). Table 2 shows the 6 different genotypes
obtained for 9 microsatellites. Isozyme profiles representing any of the 6 groups
are shown in Figure 1 and summarized in Table 3.

Tab. 2: Genotypes for 9 microsatellite loci.

Tab. 2: Genotipi a 9 loci microsatellite.
I· zAG6?
MI'l27 '. MD5; ZAG29 I' ZAGS·2· I ZAGllQ I~ vS21,,'I·ZAG83i ·1"· MD26Co I
Group I 13.3 ~~~ , ~~ ! 237 109 1QB _ 187 1187 . 2p 1238 : 140 ! 142 192'-195 i 234 234
Group II129137 176 176222 , 237109 111 i 195 1199 , 227 1232 1142 1142 192 195~46 252
Group .lj1I ~1_ 1.76 180 222 1222 109 -f09 i 187 1.20\ 227 1240'140142 195 195 , i34 ~
III
Group IV149 149 176 178 222 237 109 109 11871 201 227 1227 140 142 192 195 ~32 ~2 1
Group V 129 ' 147 182 191 222 235 109 111 1199 1201l 232 ! 240 130 140 192 195 244 246
Group VI _151 151 , 176 , 180 1, 222 _233 ~ ~ 18~ ~ 227 1227 142 142 195 195 234 262

Group II Group III

Group IV Group V Group V I

Fig. 1: Zymogram of the different obtained groups.

Fig. 1: Zimogramma ottenuto da gruppi diversi.

60 Riv. Vitic. Enol" N.2-3/2006

Tab. 3: Isozyme profiles found in the different groups of varieties.
Tab. 3: Profili isoenzimatici trovati nei diversi gruppi di vitigni.

Group ACP CO GOT SOD

Group I C B A A
Group II C N C C
Group III 0 B A A
Group IV C 0 A B
Group V C H A A
Group VI C B C A

Results showed that most of the varieties coming from Madeira matched with
some varie ties of the Colecci6n de Variedades de Vid EI Encin . Only in the case
of Malvasla de Candia no match could be found.
Group I is constituted by Boal and Malvasia Fi"na, from the Madeira Islands,
Boal Cachudo, from continental Portugal, zone of Ribatejo, and Gual, from Gran
Can aria Island (Canary). It is a variety cultivated in the Iberian Peninsula, from
Galicia (northwest Spain) to Ribatejo (Portugal). It is also cultivated in both cited
archipelagos Madeira and Canary. It can be though firstly in a plant materi al
interchange through land within continental areas, and afterward s each country
could independently bring it to their respecti ve insular territories.
Group II is composed by Malvasla Bianca from Madeira, Malvasia del Chianti
(Italy), and Malvasia Blanca from the Canary Islands. The latest come from
Lanzarote Island and does not present the particular fl avou r that characterizes
other Malvasias. This variety could have come from Greece, advanced through
the Mediterranean basin , as its spread presence in Italy suggest, and reached
Madeira and Lanzarote islands.
Group III consists in Malvasla Candida from Madeira, Malvasla de Sitges
from northeast Spain , and Malvasla de La Palma from the Canary Islands. It is
the most spread Malvasia along the Mediterranean basin, cultivated under dif-
ferent names in different countries: Croatia, Italy, France, Spain (even it has
been found in Balear Islands) (Crespan et al., this number). It presents a rem ar-
kable particular flavour.
Groupo IV includes Malvasla Babosa from Madeira and Malmsey, found in
the Colecci6n de Variedades de Vid de EI Enc[n from Davis, EEUu". Malmsey is
a common English name for "Malvasia" (Galet, 2000). It does not be confound-
ed witll another Malmsey considered a synonym for Furmint.
Malvasia de Candia, from Madeira, did not match to any of the accessions
studied in the Colecci6n de Variedades de Vid de EI Enc[n, and does not show
the above mentioned particular flavour, that should be necessary to be consid-
ered a Malvasia.
There is another variety, named Malvasla de Lanzarote, in the Colecci6n de
Variedades de Vid de EI Encin, that did not match to any of the samples brought
from Madeira, neither any of those found in the Canary Islands, but it presents

Riv. Vi/ie. Enol., N.2-3/2006 61

 the special flavour. It has been suggested that this variety could be a progeny
lrom Malvasia de Sitges (group III), or even that both could constitute a poly-
clonal vari ety (Borrego et al., 2002). The results obtained here using microsatel-
lites support the relationship found between them.

References

1. BORREGO J., DE ANDRES M.T., G6MEZ J.L., IBANEZ J. (2002). Genetic Study of Malvasia
and Torrontes Groups through Molecular Markers.
2. CO MENGE M. (194 2). La Vid y tos Vinas Espanoles. Vol. I. Talleres GrAlicos Marsiega. Madrid.
3. GALET P. (2000). Oictionnaire encyclopedique des cepages. Hachelte. Paris.
4. HERRERA A. DE. (1513). Agricultura general que trata de /a labranza del campo y sus particu-
faridades, crianza de animafes, propiedades de las plantas que en elias se contienen y virtu-
des provec/losas a la sa/ud humana Madrid, 1° edici6n, 1513; Ed. Madrid, 1645. Edici6n facsl-
mil, Madrid 1994.
5. IBANEZ, J., DE ANDRES, M.T., MOLINO, A. Y BORREGO, J. (2003). Genetic study of key
Spanish varieties using microsatellite analysis. Am. J. Enol. Vitie., (54,1): 22-30.
6. MARTiNEZ P.M. ( 1998). La Vid y el Vino en Teneri/e en la primer8 mitad del siglo XVI. Tesis
Doc toral. Instituto de Estudios Canarios. La Laguna, Tenerife.
7. PEREIRA P. (1989). lIilas de Zargo, vol 1. FUnchal.
8. RODRIGUEZ· TORRES I. (2001). Caracterizaci6n de variedades de vid mediante metodos
ampefogrc1ficos y bioqu{micos. Resoluci6n de homonimias y sinonimias. Tesis doctoral.
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid .

62 Riv. Vttic. EnOl., N.2-3/2006

View publication stats