Malmsey

Malmsey is the term for a Madeira wine created from the Malvasia grape variety. The term Malvazia includes a cluster of grape types that are grown in the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Madeira Islands, and Balearic islands. The terms of wines created with the Malvazia variety are often referred to with a variety of names including Malvasia, Malvazia, and Malmsey. The grape types are used to create white and sometimes red wines, although the red wines are produced very sparingly. The Malvasia term is said to have come from Monemvasia, which is a Venetian fortress that is known in Italian under the term Malvasia. The fortress would have been a center for traders and Venetian traders were so apt at trading the wine that wine shops in the region were called malvasie.  Another suggestion said the wine was named after a district called Malevizi. The red grapes of the variety produce light pink to red color wines. Malvasia wines are typically heavy bodied while young and other wines created from the type, such as fortified wines, contain nutty flavors. Malmsey refers to a sweeter version of the Madeira wine and confused many when the term started to refer to any sweet wine from the region, regardless of variety type.