A Winter Scallop and Malvasia in Venice

Pairing Northern Adriatic flavours with the mineral clarity of Malvasia Istriana.

In Venice, winter begins with a colder, sharper light — a white blade slipping through the windows and settling on dark surfaces, reflecting itself in the quiet water of the canal at San Pietro di Castello.

A light that shapes silence and announces the flavours of the season.

Among them, the scallop is one of the most precious gifts of the Northern Adriatic.

It arrives in Venice mostly in winter, when the cold sea makes its flesh firmer, sweeter and brighter — and for centuries it has appeared on the festive tables of the city.

I prepare it simply, in the oven: herb-scented breadcrumbs, a gentle hint of anchovy, and lemon zest that lifts the bite.

Simplicity, sea, and an aromatic note that belongs entirely to this season.

As I photographed the dish, the December light entered the room with the same clarity found in the wine beside it.

The Malvasia Istriana by Caneva Canaregio — fresh, saline, citrus-driven and elegantly restrained — feels like a natural extension of this landscape.

It is born between Caorle and Lison Pramaggiore, in territories shaped by the Renaissance hydraulic works of the Serenissima, where ancient marshlands became fertile, mineral-rich soils.The same Northern Adriatic waters that nurture the scallops also define the character of this wine.

Its label recalls the ninzioèti, the small scroll-like signs of old Venetian taverns where Malvasia was once poured: a reminder that wine here is not only taste, but history, trade, and memory.

Scallops and Malvasia Istriana: an essential and deeply local pairing — where land and sea, past and present, recognise each other without effort.

In the end, this dish and this wine tell the same story.

A story written by water, light and time.

A winter story from Venice, where simplicity becomes depth, and tradition finds its most refined form.