Vin rouge La Valette de la cave Marsovin et bruschetta maltese

Maltese wine dates back over two thousand years to the time of the Phoenicians. In the beginning of the 20th century Marsovin and Emmanuel Delicata wineries were established. In the 1970s wine production became more serious and international

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

varieties began to be planted. After joining the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

in 2004 protective levies were lifted. Locally produced wines with a "DOK" designation are protected designations of origin within the European Union. Some of the wineries resort to using imported grapes because agricultural areas are severely limited on the islands by the growth of settlements and tourism. A wine festival is held in

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

. In 2005, 630 tonnes of wine were produced on the islands.

Wine styles

Today grape varieties grown on the Maltese islands include the two indigenous varieties named Ġellewża (red) and Girgentina (white), as well as several international varieties. Marsovin's Cassar de Malte is the traditional

sparkling wine Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne ( ...

of Malta, which is made using the same method as

champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

"methode traditionelle".

Quality designations

In Malta, the designationas DOK and IĠT are used, which form part of the EU system of geographical indications. Gozo DOK

Three wines have received a DOK or IĠT designation. As of 2021, they are the only geographical indications from Malta registered within the EU. *Malta or "of Malta" is a DOK wine from the island of Malta, which is produced and packaged there. The maximum yield is 84-91 hectoliter/

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

. *Gozo or "of Gozo" (Maltese: Għawdex or "Ta' Għawdex") is a DOK wine from the island of

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

, with very similar requirement to those of "Malta". *Maltese Islands or "of the Maltese Islands" is an IĠT wine from any of the islands for which higher yields are allowed than the DOK wines of 120-125 hectoliter/hectare.

Wineries

There are five major wine producers on the island: Marsovin, Emmanuel Delicata, Camilleri Wines, Montekristo and Meridiana. Delicata and Marsovin were established in 1907 and 1919 respectively and both are based near Paola. Meridiana was established in 1987. The other two wineries were planted in the 2000s when Maltese

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

experienced a growth in quality production. In Gozo, Malta's sister island one finds two other wineries. These are Ta' Mena Winery which produces a range of IĠT and DOK wines and Tal-Massar Winery.

Qormi Wine Festival

Qormi Wine Festival is an event organized in

Qormi Qormi (, , ), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 (as of March 2018), making it Malta's fifth-la ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

in the first week of September (since September 2005) by Kumitat Festi Esterni. This festival is organized in the streets of Qormi, in front of St. George's Parish Church. The two-day free event includes promotional events from all over the island. Five exhibitions, ranging from wine, paintings, photo, floral and another of historical and cultural treasures found in Qormi, are concurrently held during the Qormi Wine Festival.

References

External links