Wines Of Malta and Gozo

Ta Mena Wine Estate.

2010-08-27T12:27:00.006+02:00

I parked the car outside the Ta Mena winery reluctant to leave the comfort of my climate controlled environment as the sun shone and a shimmering heat haze rose from the tarmac outside.
I had been invited to meet with the winery owner Joseph Spiteri, the oenologist from Veneto in Italy Claudio Bortoli, the winery manager Carmelo, and marketing consultant Mario Vella.
My brief was simple, the blends for the 2009 vintage of the '1551' range of wines was about to bottled the blends had been decided and I was to come and give my opinion as an outsider, the man in the streets opinion would perhaps be a good analogy. I was reliably informed that wine expert Oz Clarke was in the winery a few days earlier giving his opinion on this vintage. No pressure then!

I entered the winery and immediately found myself back in a climate controlled environment. (The Ta Mena Estate is in the middle of the 2010 grape harvest at the moment as is every other winery in Malta and Gozo.) The diverse mix of smells that hit you as you enter the tall metal roller shuttered doors, that of alcohol, yeast and grapes.
Introductions over I was presented with a table displaying the wines I was about to try, a spittoon and relevant glasses, I sat down at the table and each wine was poured in turn for me as studied swirled and spat, taking notes as I went. Meanwhile 4 expectant faces watched and waited for my conclusions. You have to understand that I thought I was asked just to offer an opinion, surrounded by these seasoned professionals.

The wines tasted are not yet the finished product, they are coming to the end of their raw state, so the skill (as they say) is in trying to visualise, to see into the future and determine how the wines are likely to taste once filtered, bottled and have had any ageing where required.

Joe Spiteri wine enthusiast and owner of the Ta Mena Estate

Ok Steve less of the waffle, what were the wines like?

• ‘1551’ Gozo D.O.K.Chardonnay. 2009. 12.5% alcohol. Grapes handpicked in the Ramla Valley. A simple clean tasting no nonsense chardonnay. On the nose, buttery, slightly citrus a hint of peach. On the palate very good fruit acid balance with the fruit slightly dominating, a medium length finish.

• ‘1551’ Gozo D.O.K.Chardonnay. 2009. Barrel Fermented 12.5% alcohol. Grapes handpicked in the Ramla Valley. This wine is very much more complex that the standard chardonnay, when poured into the glass it did take a good 10mins for the aromas to start leaving the wine. Slightly toasty, spicy oak (but not over oaked) rich layered and complex but not too heavy, a good food wine.

• ‘1551’ Gozo D.O.K. Merlot, Grenache, Tempranillo, Rose’ 2009 12.5% alcohol. Grapes handpicked in the Marsalforn Valley. A medium red rose’ on the nose slightly sweet soft fruit, on the palate strawberries, slight acidity, nicely rounded light with a good long finish. A good summer lunch time wine.

• ‘1551’ Gozo D.O.K. Serkuzan, Syrah, 2009. 13% alcohol. Blend about 50% of each variety.I here you saying what is serkuzan? Well not enough room here but let’s just say it is a close relative of Nero D’Avola. This wine has an interesting nose, of raspberry, cherry, slightly herby on the palate, not too fat. A medium bodied and easy drinking style.

• ‘1551’ Gozo D.O.K. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, 2009 13% alcohol. 65% merlot 35% cabernet franc. The merlot dominates but you can definitely notice the Cabernet franc. On the nose red berries and pencil shavings with raspberry on the palate A dry finish with raspberry, cranberry, and a hint of tobacco. Will improve with keeping.

• ‘1551’ Gozo D.O.K Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009. 65% cabernet sauvignon 35% merlot. This was my favourite of the reds. On the nose blackberry and raspberry, on the palate red cherry spice notes with tobacco. Soft tannins and good length a nice food wine. Another keeper.

Joseph Spiteri happily admits that he is a new boy in the local wine industry; his aim is recognition as a producer of high quality wines. I am sure with the expert help he employs; with his enthusiasm and dedication and based on the wines I have tasted, he is well on the way to achieving his dream.

Twenty Five Random Things About Wine

2010-02-28T07:36:00.002+01:00

I signed up to Facebook in order to be better "connected." I must have forgotten that I still can't even keep up with my own e-mails Now every time I receive a message on my "Wall," it shows up on my e-mail too, compounding the number of things I have to either delete or answer. Plus, there are other sneaky Face-book things, like being "tagged." No one ever told me about this.

Thanks Face-book. Here are 'Twenty Five Random Things About Wine'

1. Syrah and Shiraz are the exactly the same grape. This grape grows all over the world. But it is the Aussies that are particular to the Shiraz name.

2. Red wine can go with fish (e.g. Pinot noir and grilled tuna).

3. A robust full bodied White wine can go with meat.

4. Very few people know that rosé wine (the pink one), goes with just about anything.

5. Extra dry Champagne is actually a bit sweet. It's the Brut Champagnes that are the dry ones.

6. Most of the world's vineyards fall between the 30 degree and the 50 degree parallels (that's latitude talk). Under 30 is too close to the Equator and too hot. Over 50 is too close to the arctic poles and too cold. Forty is just right, if you ignore global warming.

7. One 750 milliliter bottle of wine contains about 2.8 pounds of grapes, if chemically reconstructed.

8. An adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood was withdrawn from a recommended reading list by the school board in Culver City, Calif., because the heroine had a bottle of wine in the basket she brought to her grandmother.

9. The longest recorded Champagne cork flight was 177 feet and 9 inches, 4 feet from level ground at Woodbury Vineyards in New York state, on June 5, 1988. (Don't do it, it's such a waste).

10. White wine gets darker as it ages, while red wine gets lighter.

11. According to scientist Bill Lembeck, there are about 49 million bubbles in every bottle of Champagne. Give or take a few.

12. The largest cork tree in the world is known as The Whistler Tree. This tree is located in the Alentejo region of Portugal and averages more than 1 ton of raw cork per harvest, which is enough to cork 100,000 bottles of wine.

13. A case of 1982 Le Pin (Bordeaux red) cost $327 upon release. Years later, at a Hong Kong auction, a case was sold for $106,000.

14. America's oldest Zinfandel vineyard is believed to be the Grandpère (meaning "grandfather") vineyard in Amador County, California. It was planted in the 1850s and consists of 20 acres of very wise vines.

15. The corkscrew was invented in 1860.

16. Bag-in-the-box wines were invented in 1960.

17. The wine list at Bern's Steak House in Florida is 2,500 pages. It weighs five pounds and is chained to the table.

18. Marilyn Monroe was said to have once taken a bath in 350 bottles of Champagne. Vintage not confirmed.

19. Claret is the British term for a Bordeaux red wine.

20. In the 1964 movie Gold-finger, James Bond (Sean Connery) drank a 1947 Mouton-Rothschild at dinner with Auric Goldfinger.

21. Famous wine buyer Angela Mount has her nose and taste buds insured for $18 million.

22. Demi Moore tried to seduce Michael Douglas in the 1994 movie Disclosure with a bottle of the limited edition Pahlmeyer 1991 Chardonnay (Napa Valley, California). She seduced Ashton Kutcher in real life with a case of Red Bull.

23. Horton Norton is a delicious red wine made in Virginia. The winery name is Horton. The Norton is a native Virginia grape (originally grown by the Monticello Wine Co. of Charlottesville in the late 1800s). "Who"?

24. In Fairbanks, Alaska, it's illegal to feed a moose any alcohol beverage, including wine.

25. A jar of red wine was found in Tutankhamen's tomb, inscribed with the winemaker name, Khaa, and the vintage, "Year 5." Those who tasted it remarked that it was "kinda funky."

Well there it is, I could probably find more but my concentration was starting to go.

Malta Wine Labeling Laws

2010-02-17T08:58:00.004+01:00

I published a review last week on a wine I had found being produced here in Gozo (See previous post) I inadvertently stirred up a bit of a storm concerning the recently implemented wine labeling laws here in Malta.

Here is the comment on the post from a reader of my blog, goes by the name anonymous -

Hi, I see at least two problems with this label: 'Cabarnet' should be 'Cabernet', and, more importantly, unless this wine is certified as a D.O.K. Gozo by the powers that be, the mention 'hand-picked Gozo grapes' is illegal. The authorities have no choice but to force this cowboy and his agent in Malta and Gozo to recall all bottles from shelves, restaurants and wine bars that have been ignorant enough to stock it. Yes, let's watch this space...

A bit of research was required on my part to clarify the situation. I contacted a friendly wine consultant here in Malta. And this is his view.

1. The wine in question appears to be of the 2007 vintage. Therefore it has to comply with the Maltese Wine Law and protocols, which apply for all wines made from grapes of the 2007 and consecutive vintages. That's the law.
2. Amongst many things, this means that the words 'Gozo' (clearly visible on the label in this case) or 'Malta', 'Maltese Islands' can only be mentioned on wines that have been officially certified, and only in legally defined combination's with the the terms 'D.O.K.' and 'I.G.T.', written as an abbreviation or written in full as the appellation of the corresponding wine.
3. I do not know if this wine has been certified or not. But, even it it were, its label fails in this respect (as I do not see 'D.O.K.' anywhere near the word 'Gozo') which consequently makes it 'irregular' to say the least. Your blog follower seems to have a valid point, indeed.
4. You are correct that wines made in Malta - and Gozo - do not have to get certified as D.O.K. or I.G.T. per se. However, the law has it that wines which are not certified as such can only be labeled and put on the market as 'table wine' at best (and again, only if these wines comply with the governing rules for the 'table wine' category).
5. One needs to understand, though, that, according to Maltese regulations for 'table wine', none of the terms 'Gozo', 'Malta', 'Maltese Islands' can be used on the label. Neither is the producer allowed to mention the vintage, the vineyard and estate, or the grape variety on the label of a 'table wine'.
6. Thus, even if this wine in question were to be a correctly made 'table wine', still it seems to obstruct labelling regulations. Judging by the picture on your blog, it appears not to be labelled correctly as a 'table wine' either since it does in fact mention vintage and vineyard/estate. This once more favours your blog follower's argument that it needs to be recalled.
7. Since I'm not an authority on such legal matters, I suggest you contact the ministry concerned (MMRA) for further clarification (forgive the pun).

So there you have it, anonymous was completely right, you learn something new every day. Legalities aside still a very nice wine.

A Great Wine on My Doorstep.

2010-02-07T10:33:00.003+01:00

I pulled a bottle of wine from my cellar the other day whilst looking for a red wine just a little different from my usual everyday quaffing wines to accompany my roast beef dinner. I found Marsamena 2007, not being familiar with this particular wine I thought lets give it a try. I could not remember where I had bought it from, I could see that I had payed €12.00 for it.

After checking the label I could see that it was produced less than 1 mile from my front door at the Ta Mena Estate famous for being the first agrotourism project in the Maltese Islands, I knew that wine was made their and being the cynic that I am expected to be trying a rather harsh country style wine made in the kitchen with whatever equipment could be found, how wrong I was.

Let me give the little information I have been able to find about this wine, it is a Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon blend, is made from grapes grown on the estate, is barrel aged in new oak and unfiltered, (filtering a wine can strip some of the original character).

Deep purple to look at, spice, vanilla and red berry fruits on the nose and the all important tasting gave me - spice, oak and cherry had a long finish it reminded me of a well made red wine from the Nappa valley. This wine is not at all what I expected and has certainly not been produced by granny in her kitchen. I can not recommend this wine highly enough, at €12.00 a bottle it's not an every day drinking wine but for that special dinner, superb.

I guess I should go and check out this estate and find out more.
Watch this space.

International wine trade to help Haiti.

2010-01-28T11:51:00.003+01:00

The wine trade has been working together to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake tragedy.
Wine experts Jancis Robinson MW, Matthew Jukes and Gary Vaynerchuk have been active in using social media to promote the Wines for Haiti fund-raising project, started by US wine network.

The campaign has drawn in support from social networking sites across the globe to encourage people to donate something special from their cellar to be auctioned online. The Wines for Haiti auction has raised over $30,000 to date. Australian social networking site Booze Monkey is hoping to raise $100,000 by asking for wine donations.

Booze Monkey CEO Marc Jardine said: 'I don't care if it's a bottle of Blue Nun or a case of Grange, if you can spare some wine to help save a life, we want to hear from you.' Dale Williams, founder of the website Wine Lovers Discussion Group has also become involved, offering his collection of fine Bordeaux as prizes in a wine raffle, including a 1979 Domaine de Chevalier.

Further initiatives include a dedicated Oxfam appeal asking wine lovers to substitute buying their favorite bottles for donating money to the appeal.

A Sommelier for your Smart Phone.

2010-01-13T09:22:00.002+01:00

The sudden popularity of the smart-phone (and I don't just mean the i phone) has given rise to the smart-phone application or 'app' in geek talk. The subject of wine has been included in a selection of apps now available, I thought I would list a selection here, I have not tried them all so some of the information is second hand. I have covered the i-Phone and Blackberry here.

For the i-Phone

Wine Enthusiasts Guide, £2.99 from Mobile-age Imagine having a team of experts with you every time you select a bottle of wine. A few taps and you can access up-to-date details, reviews, ratings and retail prices for over 64,000 wines worldwide.
Wine Chap, £2.99 from Wine Chap This app looks at restaurant wine lists rather than the individual wines and advises what is best value. At the moment it only covers restaurants in the UK (mainly London) Hong Kong and New York.
Wine Quiz, £1.19 from Berry Brothers & Rudd. Does what it says on the tin, it's a wine quiz app. Test your wine knowledge.
Pair It, $2.99 from Pair It. Yes you guessed it this app helps you match food with wine and wine with food includes more than 20000 options. Take it to the supermarket with you.

For the Blackberry.

Wine of the Day, £2.79 from Enigma Games. Offers you a new and interesting wine each day to try. Good descriptions of the wines but strangely does not tell you where to buy them from nor how much they cost.
Cellar Rat, $2.99 from Telltale Social Media For the novice or expert covers 60 wine regions around the globe. Not a great deal of detail.
R-Vintage Lookup £2.79 from Regard Solutions Corp. I am told this has a nice interface and is easy to use and is one of the best apps for the Blackberry.

So if you want a sommelier in your pocket one of these apps could fulfill your needs, trouble is they all seem to fall short in one or two areas.

Meridiana's Fenici Vermentino / Viognier

2010-01-07T10:07:00.005+01:00

The wine was Meridiana's Fenici Vermentino / Viognier the place was my lounge and the time was New Years eve. I had seen this wine on the shelf in the store and did not recognize the label so had to try it.

Now the first port of call for me when I spot an unfamiliar wine is the wine makers website to find out interesting information on a particular wine, in this case it was Meridiana, nothing, not a thing could I find about this particular wine.

Fenici Vermentino / Viognier was served straight from my wine fridge -

To the eye was bright, clear and quite pale yellow / green in colour.
On the nose apricots with a hint of spice, Jasmin, very aromatic.

The taste medium to full body quite high acidity that complements this full bodied wine, also notes of peach, with a long finish.

This wine would complement a pasta dish, Chinese and Thai food, roast pork or roast chicken.
It is priced around €7.75 a bottle and is good value.
It is a bit different and I very much enjoyed this wine. So Meridiana how about a mention of this wine on your website?

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book.

2009-12-26T09:47:00.004+01:00

My wife has been buying me Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book for Christmas for the last 20 years.

For those that don't know this small book has been described as "a Micro encyclopedia of wine for novices and experts alike", it is updated and published each year and includes short descriptions of the major wine brands from around the globe and has sold 10 million copies.

This year I note that the wines of Malta get more than just a passing mention and even goes as far as to mention specific wines. I have met Hugh Johnson (OBE) on a number of occasions in the past at wine tastings in London, unfortunately not since becoming aware of Malta's great leap forward in recent quality and standards.

It briefly talks about the new classifications of DOK & IGT, producers of note are Delicata, Marsovin and Camilleri. The wines described as outstanding Meridiana's Bel Syrah & Celsius.
I agree that the two wines mentioned are both very good wines indeed, but I feel that Mr Hugh Johnson (OBE) really should taste the full range of high end wines that are being made from all producers here in Malta. An invitation is in order I think.

Marsovin Gold Medal Wine.

2009-12-20T08:02:00.004+01:00

Antonin red 2007 from Marsovin has just won a gold medal at Emozioni dal Mondo (emotions from the world) in Italy. Marsovin were up against 200 other quality wines, all wines had to be made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grape varieties.

Antonin red has been a favorite of mine since moving here to Malta and sets a high standard in quality wine production, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes from the Marnisi estate in Marsaxlokk.

I have a bottle of 2006 in my cellar to drink on Christmas day.

Congratulations to Marsovin.

Merry Christmas to you all.

When is Champagne not Champagne?

2009-11-29T15:45:00.005+01:00

Answer - when it is a cheap Italian spumante.

Whilst shopping in a supermarket here in Gozo I noticed a promotion for what can only be described as the bargain of the year, on display bearing the sign for this wonderful promotion a pile of boxes advertising a nice festive Italian Panettone and a bottle of champagne, all in a nice presentation box for €6.95. Sound to good to be true?
Of course closer inspection revealed not champagne, but a bottle of the cheapest Italian Spumante money can buy, not so much of a bargain after all.

Most Italian spumante is made using the Charmat Method or ‘closed tank’ method, compared to the traditional method or Champenoise Method as used to produce Champagne, of course Champagne must come from the Champagne region in France as well. I am sure that this was not meant to be deceptive in any way at all, and was a genuine mistake on behalf of the store manager.

The Charmat Method, invented in the early 1900’s by Eugene Charmat, involves putting bubbles in wine by adding sugar to a sealed tank, letting a second fermentation take place and then transferring it to a bottle under pressure.

In the Champenoise Method, or Methode Traditionnelle invented by the French monk Dom Perignon around 1640, the wine is re-fermented in the same bottle in which it will eventually be served and as such is far more labour intensive, hence part of the reason you pay a premium price for champagne.

Now lets not assume that all Italian sparkling wine is cheap because this is simply not the case, Premium Italian Prosseco is now out selling champagne in many countries around the world, including the USA and is also a favorite of mine.

Here in Malta we have Marsovin's own Cassar de Malte a good quality sparkling wine created using the Methode Traditionnelle. It owes its character and finesse to the Chardonnay grapes harvested in the Wardija Valley Estate. The production method is of course the same as used for champagne, but we can not call it champagne because it does not come from the champagne region of France.

If it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is.

Emmanuel Delicata Rewards Clients.

2009-11-20T06:30:00.005+01:00

Malta wine maker Emmanuel Delicata has started it's own anniversary scheme to reward the loyalty of it's clients responsible for providing us the consumers with it's wines.
These long standing customers will be rewarded with either a bronze. silver, gold or platinum award depending on the number of years that they have been supplying Delicata wines. The award will be a certificate and a one off double magnum (equivalent to 4 bottles), the anniversary will then be celebrated at the venue along with the commemorative presentation.

The first award has gone to Tal-Familja in Marsascala at it's 13th anniversary and was honored with a gold award. The bottle contained 3 litres of Delicata Superior Syrah with anniversary label. I am not to sure if the bottles contents were drunk or it was put on display.
Congratulations to Tal-Familja.

Aussie Wine Glut.

2009-11-12T21:38:00.004+01:00

Australia has accumulated a surplus of 100 million cases of wine that could double over the next two years if current trends continue, according to a report. The annual wine surplus is huge and there is no clear prospect of finding additional demand, either domestic or foreign, to fill this gap.

Wine exports have fallen by 8 million cases or more than 20 percent in the last two years, with the largest declines in the high value premium wines that Aussie winemakers hoped would be their future. Inexpensive and bulk wine sales have grown, but at prices that are unsustainable.

Delicata Hauteville Vendange Tardive

2009-11-06T13:37:00.004+01:00

Delicata Hauteville Vendange Tardive is about to be released for the first time, in case you were wondering Vendange Tardive means that the grapes were left on the vine to partly dry and shrivel, and when the grapes are picked they have lost some of the water within the fruit, this leaves a higher concentration of fruit and sugar flavours, this in turn leads to intensified flavours in the finished wine. Just imagine a bottle of fruit squash before the water has been added and I think you get the idea. This process is often used to produce sweet or desert wines, a favorite of mine are the Alsace wines of France that have been treated in this way, but on this occasion it has been used to simply intensify the flavours to produce a more concentrated wine.

Matured in French oak barriques I read that the wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, leading to a full bodied red wine with soft mellow tannins and a long finish. Would complement red meats, game and stews, and should improve for up to 8 years if correctly stored.

I am looking forward to finding it in the shops in the near future.

Fine Food, Fine Wine, Fine Hotel.

2009-11-01T12:02:00.005+01:00

I achieved the landmark that is my 52nd birthday on Halloween and by way of celebration decided to stay overnight at The Palace Hotel in Sliema, Malta.

The staff were wonderful and the room and views were great and I would highly recommend it. The main reason for going was to try the TemptAsian restaurant and lounge bar situated on the 9th floor of the hotel, with fantastic Panoramic views of the Grand Harbour, all the tables offer a great view.
The restaurant offers food from China, India Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, India and Thailand. We decided to opt for one of the set menus, this offered a selection of starters a selection of main courses and desert for the price of just €35.00 a head, given the high standard of food this offers outstanding value for money, and no we could not finish this veritable feast and believe me when I say I can put away some food.

Now the wine I decided to drink with this meal was a favorite of mine since moving to the Islands to live, Marsovin's Marnisi 2006, not an obvious choice to complement spicy food but it worked well, a more obvious choice might have been the Cassar De Malte, (methode traditionelle) that I was pleased to see on the wine list. I often feel that a good sparkling wine complements spicy food well.

The waiter that served us did not profess to be an expert on matching food and wine and when asked by me, explained what he liked to drink with the food that was being offered and I thought that this is a great way for restaurant staff to advise customers without being at all pretentious.

We had a superb meal and superb evening, a big thank you to all the staff.

The Coolest Job.

2009-10-20T06:57:00.005+02:00

This job puts a new spin on the saying 'like a kid in a sweet shop'. The Murphy Goode Winery in California recently pulled this publicity stunt, by word of mouth and via the Internet they let it be known that they were looking for a person to earn money by drinking the winemakers wine and talking about it on social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

How's this for a job offer, Wanted for a 6 month position working around the Murphy Goode winery and to Blog, Vlog, Twitter and Facebook about your experience, salary $10,000 dollars per month, free house and all the wine you can drink with flexible working hours.

I thought I might apply but the position has already been filled by a lucky fellow called Hardy, you can follow Murphy-Goode's first Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent here.

Champagne With Roots in Malta.

2009-10-06T09:53:00.004+02:00

So a famous Champagne house has a connection with Malta, how so?
Lanson have launched a new Extra Age Brut cuvée at the Wimbledon Championships in London and VinExpo in Bordeaux earlier this year.

To be released just ahead of the company’s 250th anniversary in 2010, the new blend is a re-creation of the style of Champagnes produced by Lanson during the 19th century and made by the traditional method of suppressing malo-lactic fermentation to give a fresh style and should age well.

The company crest, a red Maltese cross, is given great prominence on the bottle and packaging includes a smart, black label and neck foil featuring the Royal Warrant which Champagne Lanson has held since the 19th Century. The symbol has been used by Champagne Lanson since 1798 when the founder was succeeded by his son, Nicolas-Louis Delamotte, a knight of the Order of Malta.

The wine is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards.

Marsovin Grand Maitre 2007

2009-09-27T07:27:00.007+02:00

I received an email from Malta's Marsovin winery the other day offering what I guess is Marsovin's equivalent to the French pre release wines.

Grand Maitre 2007 is Marsovin's flagship wine made from hand picked cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc grapes, the wine has spent 12 months in new French Oak barriques before bottling and should age well. Only 5466 bottles have been produced so quality should be high.

The wine is being released in small batches throughout October and you have to register your interest prior to collection, the wine can be bought in 6, 3 or single bottles, and at €32.00 a bottle is not cheap but if the quality is there I don't mind spending the money, temptation has encouraged me to spend more on a bottle of vintage French wine in the past ,so in the interest of research for this blog I feel I should make this important purchase.

Delicata Classic Wine festival 09

2009-09-14T14:13:00.005+02:00

I attended the wine festival in Nadur Gozo on Sunday for the first time. I purchased my glass for €10.00, picked up the festival program that told you where to find the 24 wines that Delicata were showing. They also provided a string of side shows, music from a variety of local artists and a wide and varied selection of food from Chinese to local rabbit.

It is not a serious wine tasting more a festival with the main theme being wine although you are at liberty to enjoy a serious wine tasting session if you should wish to.

The best wine for me was the Gran Cavalier Syrah, almost inky black in colour, with soft red fruits on the nose, medium to long spicy, vanilla finish.

I still think that an enjoyable drink from Delicata and personal summer favorite of mine, is the Rose Frizzante Gellewza (pronounced jellowza) a Maltese variety of grape. A vivid pink colour with a pleasant stream of bubbles rather than a full Champagne, mousse, in the mouth strawberries, without being completely dry this wine is light, simple and well made and does not pretend to be anything different. A great BBQ wine for those hot summer evenings.

So what would I do if I was running this event? I would add a formal tasting (for an additional fee of course) with one of Delicata's wine experts leading the tasting, comparing perhaps the different vintages of some of Delicata's high end wines, for the wine geeks like myself.

Looking forward to the 2010 wine festival.

Wine and Technology

2009-09-04T07:35:00.006+02:00

If you check out my earlier post on wine additives you will notice an additive used often in the wine making process is sulphur dioxide or (SO2), let me explain. SO2 is a preservative which is added to many wines to protect them from oxidation, prevent re-fermentation after the wine has been bottled, and is generally used as a harmless disinfectant for wine, which when used correctly will not be recognised in the finished product. Good winemakers keep the level of SO2 at the minimum necessary to protect the wine, its distinctive smell (similar to the smell of striking a match) should not be detected in any finished wine.

A few individuals are allergic to sulphites, but they would discover this long before they are old enough to drink wine: a bag of prepared salad contains more sulphites than a bottle of wine. A small proportion of SO2 is present even in organic wine, even though it would not have been added during the wine making process as it occurs to a degree naturally.

So what does this have to do with technology? South Africa has become the first country to approve a new hi-tech process which uses ultra violet light to purify wine, and claims to dramatically reduce the need to add sulphur. Franschhoek wine estate L'Ormarins has selectively employed the technology in wine making during the 2009 vintage, and has been approved for use by the South African Wine & Spirit Board.
SurePure have said that they have the opportunity to change the wine world, once the food industry politics have been sorted out.

Would this process ever be accepted in mainstream wine making, or would tradition encourage rejection. I seem to remember a similar attitude to screwcaps and synthetic corks when they were introduced.

Is Nero d'Avola Grown in Malta?

2009-08-24T07:43:00.008+02:00

The humidity hit 94% here today in Malta and the local grape harvest should be getting underway in the Maltese vineyards, have a thought for the grape pickers out their working hard so that you and I can enjoy another superb glass of Maltese wine in the future.

Thank you for all of your suggestions of wines to add to my soon to be announced Bordeaux verses Malta wine tasting, the top recommendations so far have been -

MERIDIANA MELQART.
CAMILLERI LAURENTI MERLOT-CABERNET SAUVIGNON.
MARSOVIN MARNISI SINGLE ESTATE RED.

Thank you for all your suggestions, if you have any more let me know, remember to keep things fair, value should be as close to €10.00 as possible.

I received an email from Mike whom reads my blog below is his email and my reply, if any readers have anything to add please go ahead.

Hi Steve, Great start to a blog I find fascinating. I just returned from holiday in Gozo. Most yanks haven't heard of the place, but I'm a half Gozitan New Yorker that's been going back for years. I tasted some wonderful wines this last trip, even enjoyed the very reasonably priced Antonin Noir. One observation that has me puzzled; why no wines made from Nero D'Avola, a Sicilian grape gaining popularity here in the States. I figured with similar climates it would be grown, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Hi Mike, I am sure that Nero d’Avola is grown on Malta and used in small quantities in blends, I agree the grape does produce some great wine in Sicily so no reason why it should not do the same here in the Maltese Islands. I am sure you have noticed the new DOK and IGT classifications that have now been applied to the local wines this should weed out some of the second rate homemade rubbish being sold commercially in some places, I have a copy of the new wine classifications, and it states that Nero grapes are allowed to be grown and used in wine making here, but it is forbidden to state the grape variety on the bottle, this is a strange one that I can offer no answer too.

Any Comments?

The Wine Judgment of Malta.

2009-08-16T07:46:00.010+02:00

I need your help.

I have yet to try all of the premium Maltese wines, by premium I mean wines costing €8.00 or more. My favorite reds to date have been those that are made in the French style of the Bordeaux region, particularly that area commonly known as the 'left bank'.
The Gironde River and its tributaries, the Dordogne and Garonne, divide the Bordeaux region, creating two distinct wine production zones - the Left Bank and the Right Bank. These two banks differ in soil composition. On the Right Bank, clay, limestone and sand, all of which are more suited to Merlot. On the Left Bank, gravel predominates, allowing Cabernet Sauvignon to thrive.

The Left Bank generally produces big tannic Cabernet-based wines with pronounced blackcurrant and cassis flavors. There are five major districts on the Left Bank and located within these esteemed wine producing areas are the five First Growth Chateaux: Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Haut-Brion.

Now to the point, in the near future I would like to carry out a blind tasting of 2 of Malta's premium wines and pitch them against 2 French wines from the left bank area of Bordeaux. I don't mean Latour or Margaux but wines from the region of similar value and vintage I would like to suggest around €10.00 a bottle. The major red grape varieties have prevailed in this prestigious region of France: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Petit Verdot and Malbec are also permitted, so I am looking for suggestions of Maltese wines using similar or grapes the same with Cabernet being the main grape in the blend. So I am looking for big and tannic Cabernet-based wines with pronounced blackcurrant and cassis flavors.

For those readers familier with Maltese wines, please Could you Make your Suggestions to me either by email or via comments on this blog - what Maltese wines using some or all of the above grapes would you like to see in this blind tasting, remember Cabernet Sauvignon should be the dominant grape.

Malta and World Wine News 3

2009-08-08T10:51:00.005+02:00

Delicata have just taken delivery of €1.2 million of state of the art, temperature controlled red wine tanks and will be in place in time for the 2009 grape harvest. Further development has taken place throughout the winery increasing it's size by about one third.

Marsovin are looking for grape pickers for the imminent 2009 grape harvest, if you are interested check out the website for further details.

The European Union's new wine regulations have come into force, bringing in a new era for the European wine industry. Agreed by agriculture ministers in December 2007 the aim to modernise the European wine trade and improve its competitiveness in the face of a growing challenge from the New World. The reform will bring in new simpler labelling laws. From August 1, all wine labels are allowed to mention grape variety and vintage on the label. The French AOC becomes AOP (Appellation d'Origin Protegée) and the equivalent of vin de pays wines will now be known as IGPs (Indication Geographique Protegée).

Reports are coming in about the expected quality of the 2008 vintage, having had favorable weather conditions and careful control of grape yields, the wines should be better than ever, with more wines expected to benefit from ageing, moving the Maltese wine industry a further step up the quality ladder.

Wine Additives

2009-08-03T07:22:00.008+02:00

I am supporter of the EU and feel there will be both a downside and upside to Malta joining; I feel that the positives will far out way the negatives however, accountabiity and health and safety are two that come to mind. There have been recent rumblings in Brussels that wine may have to list all the ingredients found within a bottle of wine, (er grapes).

Hands up all those who thought a bottle wine is a completely natural product containing only grapes and no additives, I’ll bet plenty of you thought that this is the case, OK you can put your hands down now, this is simply not the case.

Some wines, I understand do not contain additives the vast majority however do, now is this a good or bad thing. If you check out the ‘Australian Wine Research Institute’ you will find that they have some 236 additives that may be added to aussie wine, The list is not quite so long here in the EU member states.

I often study produce that I pick up in the supermarket to check out the ingredients that can be found inside a tin of peas or bottle of soft drink, yet what do you find on the label of a wine bottle? Normally something along the lines of ‘may contain sulphur’. European food regulations require that all ingredients including additives be listed on the packet, so how has the wine trade got away with this for so long.

I think it is important to know if a wine contains added acid or contains wild yeast or added tannins, whether the oak mentioned on the label has come from the oak barrels used or oak chippings have been added, it is not important, but from my point of view it would be nice to know and is a sign of openness and trust.

Are Maltese Wines Made to Age?

2009-07-30T18:25:00.005+02:00

This is a question that was put before me recently, and it took me back to a wine tasting that I attended around this time last year. I had the opportunity to try Marsovin Marnisi Single Estate red from the Marsaxlokk vineyard, both the 2001 and 2006 side by side, (also known as a vertical tasting). I remember that the 2001 was my favorite wine of the evening.
This is a definite food wine and would complement any strong flavoured meat dishes, according to my notes I had tortelloni filled with Maltese sausage and asparagus, and flavours don't come much stronger than that.

The 2001 was dominated by dark red fruits that come from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, a classic left bank Bordeaux blend, this is the blend often used by the Bordeaux greats and works very well here in Malta as well. The 2006 having aged less was a bit fuller in the mouth and a little more tannic but will also age well, a good long finish could be found from both wines. The 2001 was more the more complex of the 2 wines and for me the more satisfying, alas I think the 2001 can no longer be found. This is not a cheap wine but if you want a big red for a special occasion and you like the big French reds this could be a good alternative.

My favorite Maltese red wine to date, I have not tried them all yet.
Yes, some Maltese wines age very well.

Tasting Notes from Malta

2009-07-26T13:16:00.005+02:00

Earlier in the month we had our first blind tasting of Maltese white wines using the Chardonnay grape variety. (see earlier post ).

I did not include the tasting notes because I thought it would be to much information, well I have had 2 requests from interested persons to see the tasting notes, so here they are.
Remember neither of the tasters are expert wine tasters nor knew what they were drinking, they new they were tasting white wine, that's all.

Wine 1. Marsovin Carravagio Chardonay DOK 2007. The nose - was described as lime and melon, with perhaps vanilla, and very fresh. The taste - was described as grapefruit or citrus fruit flavours, very sharp, perhaps a bit too sharp.

Wine 2. Delicata Medina DOK Chardonnay 2008. The nose - Pineapple, floral, slightly smokey. The taste - Apple, fruity, rich and buttery with a nice long finish.

Wine 3. Camilleri Palatino DOK Chardonnay 2007. The nose - Apples and melon with some cinnamon or cloves. The taste - Pineapples, oaky, nutty perhaps, medium length finish.

Wine 2 and wine 3 were each the favorite of our 2 tasters whilst wine 1 was found to be not well balanced slightly to much on the acidic side. All wines were good value at the price being asked (around €5.00). Wine 2 won on the points system over wine 3 but only by one point.

Tinto Pesquera Crianza 1985

2009-07-17T07:07:00.009+02:00

An old Spanish wine and not Maltese, but has been tasted here in Malta by my wine tasting buddy Phil and I. The story is worth telling.

When you are lucky enough to taste a large variety of wines as we are, for our own private consumption we often look for something different, something unusual. So when Phil arrived here from the UK accompanying him here was a bottle of Tinto Pesquera Crianza 1985. We are both members of the well known The Wine Society in the UK and have been for many years. Phil will often ask one of the staff their for something a little unusual. You have to take into consideration that the Wine Society is one of the largest and oldest wine societies in the world with massive buying power and a reputation that is legendary within the trade.

The young lady came back a few minutes later with a bottle of Tinto Pesquera Crinza 1985 explaining that a case of this wine had been found lurking at the back of an old store room and had been forgotten about, so it was purchased as a bin end with the parting comment 'I think you will find this wine interesting'.
On opening we thought that the wine may have been corked, as we got a whiff of corkiness that you sometimes get from an old cork, this quickly subsided and we poured the wine.

To the eye - A deep garnet colour from the Tempranillo grape used to make the wine, disguising the real age of the wine.

To the nose - Vegetal and slightly earthy with a hint of fruit.

To the mouth - Good acid tannin balance, with vanilla flavours, slight fruit with good length.

This is clearly a well made wine, a bit of Google research is showing me that small quantity's of the Reserva version of this wine are still available, but not so the Crianza. I feel this wine has seen better days and was at it's best a few years ago, it is still a very nice glass of red wine and when at it's best was probably astounding value for money.
I am astonished that a Spanish wine like this, 24 years old, that (lets face it) has been made to be drunk fairly young, can age so well. At the same time because the wine is maybe not made to be aged it, offers a unique drinking experience that is difficult to find in a regular bottle of wine.
So next time you see bin ends on offer in your wine store take a look for those forgotten about hidden gems.

Malta and World Wine News 2

2009-07-11T07:24:00.005+02:00

Sweden has been given the pleasure of drinking Malta's and Delicata's very own Gellewza Frizzante, it is available in some of the local wine bars wof sweden where it is being drunk by non other than tennis ace Bjorn Borg.

Italian wine Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadine DOC zone will become a DOCG from 1 August. The name of the new DOCG will be Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and the sparkling wines will have the words 'DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore' on the label. In recent years the wine makers of Prosecco have been working hard to raise the quality and profile of this very enjoyable sparkling wine.

Spring hail has demolished vineyards in Slovenia and Hungary. This is the second time in as many years that the two eastern European countries have been hit by the freak weather. 'Roofing was demolished, windows were broken, and believe it or not they discovered one dead chicken as a result of the hail. The situation is described as terrible. The extent of the devastation depends on where the vineyard was located but, on the average, 70% of all of the vines were destroyed.

First Blind Tasting

2009-07-03T07:15:00.007+02:00

Our first wine tasting commenced this week, it was a blind tasting, that means the bottles were disguised from those tasting so as not to be influenced by the packaging, label or name of the wine, the wine is judged on just the quality of the liquid in the glass and no more.

Our first victims were 2 university students from the UK, one studying law at Oxford the other studying medicine at Leeds whom admit know nothing about wine other than what they like or don't like, my wife took part as well. All wines tasted were in the €4.80 - €5.25 price bracket, and all wines were Maltese.

They were simply told that all the wines tasted are made from Chardonnay grapes. I provided a list of smells and tastes normally associated with the chardonnay grape, they simply had to highlight what they could smell and taste, then mark the wines out of ten. I then asked what they liked or did not like about the wines. It is amazing to listen to the discussion that takes place between the tasters, debating the different characteristics of the various wines, and they said they knew nothing about wine.

Marsovin Caravaggio Chardonnay 2007 DOK. - Grapefruit, Lime, Cloves. Most suggested it was very sharp, perhaps a bit too sharp.
Medina Chardonnay 2008 DOK. - Pineapple, Apple, Peach, Floral, buttery. Fresh fruity and well balanced.
Camilleri Palatino Chardonnay 2007 DOK. - Melon, Oak, Cinnamon, Buttery, Smoky, Cloves. A well balanced, well liked wine.

The wines were marked out of ten by three people so marks out of a total of 30.

First with a total of 21 out of 30 was Medina Chardonnay 2008 DOK.
Second with 20 out of 30 was Camilleri Palatino Chardonnay 2007 DOK
Third with 12 out of 30 was Marsovin Caravaggio Chardonnay 2007 DOK

All of these wines are available from any wine store or supermarket on the Maltese Islands and represent good value for money and they are popular with university students.

Red Wine Serving Temperatures.

2009-06-25T12:30:00.007+02:00

A well known saying that is often quoted is that "red wine should be served at room temperature", so what is room temperature? here in my office at the moment, at mid day in June it is 28 degrees. In the same room at the same time in December the temperature could be 15 degrees, they can't both be correct.

Well 12 to 15 degrees would be about right for red wine, a light bodied red would be served a bit cooler than a full bodied red. In the heat of the day here in Malta it would be quite reasonable to put a red wine in the fridge 20 - 30 minutes prior to pulling the cork, that is unless you have the luxury of either a wine cellar or a duel temperature wine fridge to store your wine in. It really is worth making the effort to get wine somewhere near the correct temperature before serving.

Chill a white wine to fridge temperature before consumption may mean that you miss out on some of those subtle flavours. To drink a red wine at room temperature on a day like today is....well, just not a nice drink at all.
Consider it Small scale climate change with added benefits.

White Wine Serving Temperatures.

2009-06-15T12:12:00.006+02:00

Take a trip to the refrigerator and get that bottle of white wine out that has been sitting in there chilling, we all know that a white wine should be chilled before drinking and we know that sparkling wine should served having been on ice. So what does this tell us? White wine should be cold but some white wine should be served colder than others, so why ,and does it matter. Well yes with a little care it could turn a routine wine drinking experience into a great one.

Serving a good white wine too cold results in some of those subtle flavours that you have paid the extra money for being suppressed, on the positive side if it's a nasty bottle of wine it will help suppress any imbalance or flabbiness in the wine.

Serving temperatures are a much discussed subject in the world of wine, exactly how much trouble should you go to to make sure your wine is at the right serving temperature, after all it's just a drink. Believe me if you have bought yourself an expensive (perhaps I should say a good wine, because expensive does not always mean good) for a special occasion it really is worth the extra effort.

If you feel inclined put it to the test. My choice and a favorite for me would be 2 bottles of Antonin Blanc from Marsovins Single estate collection, a well made subtly oaked Chardonnay with many delicate flavours, allow them both to spend 12 hours or more in the fridge. Remove one of the bottles from the fridge and allow it to stand for 20 to 30 minutes, then remove the second bottle from the fridge and serve a glass of each, hold each wine in your mouth for around 30 seconds and try to recognise the various subtle flavours, you should find that you recognise more of the subtle flavours that the wine offers from the warmer bottle than the colder one.

So when serving a white wine, if it has been chilled in the fridge remove it about 20 minutes prior to serving, it should then be around the correct temperature to appreciate all of those subtle flavours.
Champagne or Sparkling wines can be served straight from the fridge.
Enjoy.

How to Choose a Wine from a Restaurant Wine List.

2009-06-08T16:24:00.012+02:00

You arrive at the restaurant with a hot date on your arm or a client that you are trying to impress, you sit down at the table and you are handed the restaurants very comprehensive wine list. What to do, run from the restaurant screaming, order a couple of beers to play it safe, or choose one of the few wines that you recognise the name of, not Chablis again.

Restaurant wine lists are all organised in different ways, it depends on the restauranter or sommelier how they choose to lay it out. So do I go for country or grape variety, to make matters worse your dinning companion seems to know a bit about wine.

Lets see if I can offer you a simple process for selecting the right wine:

First you need to decide what you and your companion are eating, the waiter should not be seeking your wine order until you have selected your food.

If the restaurant has a sommelier use his or her expertise, let the sommelier know if you would prefer white or red wine and let them know what style of wine you normally drink, do you like a big powerful red or soft and fruity, and trust his or her judgement, they are not there to offload the stuff they can't get rid of in the cellar.

Make it clear to the sommelier what your price bracket is, this can be done by pointing to something on the wine list and they should pick up on your hint.

As a general rule if you have a steak or something with a rich sauce you will need a wine that is heavier or fuller bodied like a Cabernet Sauvignon, or if you are having a light fish dish plain grilled maybe you can have a light or medium bodied wine, and yes you can have a light bodied red with fish. A Chardonnay (white) or a Merlot (red) can be good with fish.

Local wines are often made to go with local foods, so if you are in Malta look at the Maltese wines on the list, if you are in Burgundy France, check out the local wines here.

If you ask 10 experts the best wine to serve with a certain dish you may get 10 different answers, some wines however will go with almost anything, try a dry Riesling from Alsace or if you want red, maybe a Burgundy from France will do the trick.

I am often asked what goes with a good Indian curry, my first choice would be a good beer but if you want wine, Guwertztraminer again from Alsace, or a nice sparkling wine, (better value than Champagne) I have become a big fan of Italian Prosecco.

But whatever you choose you don't need to panic, and certainly don't let it spoil your evening. Wine and food matching are a much discussed subject, try to experiment a bit and see if you can form your own opinion.

How to know your getting a quality Maltese wine.

2009-06-03T18:27:00.008+02:00

DOK and IGT in a nutshell.

I mentioned in my previous post that I would explain the DOK & IGT wine classifications; the full explanation is in two hefty documents so to prevent you falling asleep, here is the nutshell version.
Wines sold in the EU area (of which Malta is now a proud member) must put wines into one of two classifications, these classifications as set by the EU represent either 'table wine' or 'QWPSR' (Quality wines produced in a specific region). A table wine generally represents the lowest level of classification in any particular country.
The quality wines (QWPSR), the EU does not set exact criteria for each member state, but general rules. The wine growing areas are so different from say a wine made in Germany to a wine made in Spain, so it is up to the member state to set its own criteria within the boundaries of the EU regulations.

Malta's criteria are IGT (table wine) and DOK (QWPSR).

I.G.T. (Indikazzjoni Geografika Tipika) or table wine must - be made from grapes grown within the Maltese islands,

There is a maximum production of grapes per hectare permitted. (The fewer grapes grown per vine or per area of land, the better the quality of the finished wine).

The complete process of wine making from vine to bottle must be carried out within the Maltese islands.

Grape varieties must guarantee a minimum natural alcoholic strength; this varies depending on grape variety .

Strict labelling rules apply.

Single grape variety wines must contain a minimum of 85% of the specified grape, (I know it sounds strange but those are the rules). This rule is different outside of the EU.

D.O.K.. Denominazzjoni ta Origini Kontrollata must be made from grapes grown within the Maltese islands.

Maximum production of grapes per hectare or area allowed for wine. (The fewer grapes grown per vine or per area of land, the better the quality of the finished wine)This will be less than required under IGT.

The varieties grown are specified and if the wine is to be classified D.O.K. must be one of those on the approved list.

Very Strict labelling rules apply.

The planting density, pruning methods and vine training is specified, these methods vary depending on grape varieties grown.

The processing of the grapes and wine making methods are strictly controlled.

If white wines are labelled 'Superior' or 'Rizerva' they must have aged for a minimum of 24 months, 6 months of which must be in bottle before sale. Minimum alcohol content applies, for 'Superior' wines 12% for White and Rose' 12.5% for Red.

For red wines they must be aged for 24 months a minimum of which 12 months in barrique and 6 months in bottle before sale.

If the wine is labelled as a single estate wine, the estate in question must have been registered as such.

The above conditions vary slightly for wines made from grapes grown in Gozo.

As I have said this is a simple in a nutshell version of the regulations, I have left a lot out but I think I have included the most important areas. And all this to make sure that you and I get a well made, good quality bottle of wine. So remember read the label if the label says IGT it should offer a good quality and well made basic wine. If the label says DOK then the wine in the bottle should be a premium quality bottle of wine. One other word of caution, these regulations have only been applied since 2007 so wines older than this will not have been labeled in this way.

Malta & World Wine News.

2009-05-28T11:09:00.006+02:00

The first of our regular, latest wine news briefs from Malta and the rest of the world.

Delicata have launched a new Malta Sauvignon Blanc under the Medina range of wines, just in time for the summer BBQ season. No oak used in it's production so should be clean, natural and fresh tasting. I will let you know as soon as I have had the opportunity to try it.

French wine makers are not happy about proposals by the EU to allow Rose' wines to be made by blending red and white grapes varieties together, this is not currently permitted under EU regulations. This is however permitted outside the EU in countries such as Australia & South Africa. France are leading the challenge to block the move and have the support of a number of other EU countries. We should know more about this next month.

Marsovin have produced a record breaking 1.1 million bottles of D.O.K. and I.G.T. wines. The 2008 vintage yielded an estimated 2200 tons of Maltese grapes for D.O.K. and I.G.T. wines.

More than AUS$8m of fruit have been lost during the 2009 heatwave and bushfire's in the Yarra Valley. The Yarra Valley Winegrowers Association, estimates the region lost around 4000 tonnes of fruit, valued at $2000 per tonne. Only 30 vineyards suffered fire damage. Some Vineyards did get burned but 85% of the all the vines hit should recover within 2 years. Three small wineries have been destroyed by fire.

Wine Talk by Georges Meekers.

2009-05-25T07:26:00.005+02:00

On our sunny little Island here in Gozo we have, once a year, a festival of Arts, Culture and entertainment, one important event this weekend, was a talk by Georges Meekers at the Maldonado Bistro in Victoria, Gozo’s capital. The Maldonado Bistro is a charming old bistro situated in the basement of a very old building in the streets to the rear of the market square.

Georges is a widely recognised expert on the Maltese wine industry and so the perfect person to offer this small gathering of like minded individuals an insight into the industry here. The talk was absolutely free, gratis; nothing to pay at all and you got to taste a few samples. To give you an idea of Georges infectious enthusiasm on the subject, he was due to speak for around 30 minutes but did not finish for one hour, by which time everyone’s questions had been fully answered, now that’s enthusiasm.

The main focus of Georges talk was the indigenous grapes of Malta, Gellewza (red) and Girgentina (white) and how they are being blended with international grape varieties and Delicata, one of the local wineries here on the islands are leading the way. Blending the lesser known local grapes with international varieties should encourage people to try these wines where they may otherwise pass them by because of unfamiliarity of the name, missing the opportunity to try a new and potentially exciting wine.

Most of the wine produced here is consumed by the local population and around 1 million visitors to the islands each year. Only around 900 hectares of vines are used for the commercial wine making, which is tiny by international standards.
The Gellewza and Girgentina vines are not on grafted rootstock as (most vines across the world are) and are phylloxera resistant (a beetle that wiped out many of the vines in the world in the late 19th century with a few exceptions).

The wines tasted were both from Delicata, from the popular Medina range of wines and if my memory serves me they are both in the region of €5.00 a bottle.

First wine was Delicata Girgentina, Chardonnay 50% of each in the blend, this wine is classified as IGT (more of the Maltese wine classifications in a later post) the complexity of the chardonnay is complemented by the Girgentina, adding a little crispness or freshness to the wine, it is a light and an easy drinking summer wine.

Second wine was a Vermentino, Zibbibio, these two grapes are not just grown in Malta as in the previous wine, but are native to this area of the Mediterranean areas such as Sardinia and Panteleria, Vermentino is grown mainly in Italy and used in the wines of the Liguria area. I am not sure of the grape blend proportions in this wine. The classification of this wine is DOK (to be covered in a later post) light and fruity with floral aromas (reminding me a bit of an Alsatian Gewurztraminer). The second wine would be my choice of the 2 wines; they were both good quality wines.

Thank you to Georges Meekers and thank you to Maldonado Bistro.

Welcome to the Wines of Malta and Gozo.

2009-05-21T18:02:00.011+02:00

Welcome everyone to our brand new blog, which will I hope will become a wealthy source of information about the wines and winemakers of Malta and Gozo. This blog has been at the back of my mind for the last 6 months and at last here it is, I hope I can do the wines of Malta and Gozo some justice through this method of communication. This blog is a work in progress, so will develop over the coming months and years based on the feedback I receive. Let me know if you would like to learn or discuss anything at all about the wines or winemakers of this region and together I hope we can learn more about this unique and exciting wine region of Europe.

I am a bit of a wine geek as anyone who knows me will tell you, and I consider myself fairly knowledgeable on the subject, particularly when it comes to the famous wine regions of the world, France, Italy, Australia etc. Many blogs exist on the subject of wine but non covering the wines of this region. If you enjoy wine as I do, and enjoy the Maltese Islands as I do.
If you look to the left of this page you will find a brief description of my background, and look to the right of the page you will get an idea of what I will include here. I am sure that you will find something of interest for everyone, novice or expert.

If you would like something included just let me know and I will do my best to accommodate you.

If you would like to know more subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Cheers!