A white grape variety typical of the D.O. Vinos de Madrid

Malvar is a Spanish variety of white grape. It is mainly found in the D.O. Vinos de Madrid and also in the nearby D.O. Vinos de Mondejar.

It is the predominant white grape variety in the Arganda and Navalcarnero subzones, where the Vinícola de Arganda winery is located.

The first reference to this grape was made in 1905 by Victor Cruz Manso de Zúñiga of the Haro Biological Station (La Rioja, Spain).

The bunch is elongated and has grapes that are not tight together. It is a variety of early ripening, with the harvest taking place in late August or early September.

It is currently only grown in the south of Madrid and, to a lesser extent, in the bordering provinces of Castilla – La Mancha, Toledo, Cuenca and Guadalajara.

It is important to note that in 2001 only 12 hectares of this variety were preserved, and thanks to the effort of a number  of winegrowers committed to biodiversity, is being saved from extinction.

According to the well-known British wine critic Jancis Robinson, the Malvar grape produces slightly "rustic" wines with a medium body, which tends to exhibit more aromas and flavors than the Airén grape, better known and also planted in the D.O. Madrid and D.O. La Mancha.

It produces young aromatic wines of greenish color, which pass to wax tones over time.

It has the potential for aging and fermentation in barrels.