[Sca-cooks] Malvasia (Malmsey) and Rheinfal

[wheezul at canby.com]

I come from a culture that doesn't drink alcohol, so my education in the
finer aspects of vino is sorely lacking.  I tried the florilegium but
didn't seem to find exactly what I wanted to know about "Malvasier"
[Malvasia] and "Rheinfal" in the German cookbooks I have been reading. 
I'm sure someone here has thought about this before me!

Thank you for the "Grapes" thread which pro.  A little internet searching
has revealed that Malvasia is also called Malmsey.  Does anyone know if
this is just a specific name in English?  What might the wine have been in
period?

I'm guessing that Rheinfal is a type of wine that comes from the
Rheinland-Pfalz region of Germany.  Google-fu revealed many types of wine
originate there, and that there is surprisingly a near Mediterranean micro
climate as well in the area.  But, I still don't know what that might have
meant in the 16th century.  Cluebats?

Is there a Creative Anachronist or some very good reference book on the
subject of historical wines that might yield further details? I could go
fishing in Worldcat, but it seems that picking wine books is like picking
out a good cookbook from a title.  Recommendations appreciated.

Thank you,

Katherine