Grown in California, The Canary Islands, Italy and Australia, Malvasia is a white wine group with Greek origins. Although there is some controversy over where the grape originated from and who its ancestors were, it was mostly grown in Greece. The name Malvasia is Italian with the historical importance of the grape becoming evident in Venice wine shops. During the Venetian Republic, Malvasia was called Valvasie. Malvasia is planted all over the world, but performs best when it has good sun exposure and soil drainage. The majority of Malvasia varieties are related to Malvasia Bianca with the notable exception of Malvasia di Candia, this is a distinctly different sub-variety of grapes that are grown throughout Italy, the San Joaquin Valley in California, The Greek Islands of Paros and Syros, and Rioja and Navarra in the Canary Islands. Throughout central Italy, Malvasia is blended with Trevviano. This adds texture and flavor to the wine. In Tioja it is blended with Viura. Known under different synonyms which include Malvasier in Germany and Malvazia in the Eastern part of Europe, the French grape varieties are sometimes referred to as Malvoisie, but are in no way related to the grape of the same name. Other sub-varieties of the grape include Uva Greca, Rojal, Subirat, Blanquirroja, Blancarroga, Tobia, Cagazal, and Blanca-Rioja.