Malvasia companies occasionally use the name "Malvasia" or "Malvazia" for non-vintage Madeiras, especially those primarily marketed to Portuguese-speaking countries. English historical tradition associates Malmsey wine with the death of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, brother of King Edward IV of England. Following his conviction for treason, he was "privately executed" at the Tower on 18 February 1478, by tradition in the Bowyer Tower, and soon after the event, the rumour gained ground that he was drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine. Malvasia Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the
Malvasia of Malvasia and other "noble grape" varieties on Madeira for the next century. As a result, most non-vintage-dated "Malmsey" was made from the widely grown Tinta Negra Mole or even from fox grape varieties. This changed when Portugal entered the European Union (EU) in 1986; EU regulations required that any wine bearing the name "Malmsey" contain at least 85% Malvasia grapes. Even further confusion results from the fact that vintage-dated Malmseys are often labeled "Malvasia" or "Malvazia", probably because the relatively rare vintage Malvasias were always made with Malvasia grapes even when most non-vintage "Malmsey" came from lesser varieties. Some