Graham

what price level are you interested in - I've tried most Maltese wines !

Any price Mark

I just want to know what people (especially residents) would say was the best Maltese wines and the ones best avoided.

Graham

OK - Maltese wines are changing - alot of what used to be labelled Maltese wine was actually Italian grapes imported into Malta, processed and bottled here. Under EU law, this can no longer be called Maltese wine, so it means 3things 1. alot of new grape vines, and 2. what was good before isn't necessarily so any more 3. some really good (but expensive) local single variety, small vineyard wines. Another thing, the tax on imported wines was eliminated on joining the EU, so wine prices have come down

price ranges (supermarket prices - restaurant prices normally LM2-6 on top)

under LM1 - alot of dodgy wines, but Red Label has improved alot - Green Label not so good. La Vallette also good - not sure of any local white would recommend at this price, but the Villa Tritone, an Argentinian white (and red) is very good at 90c or so

LM1-2 - very good selection - Marsovin used to be best, but gone down hill, while Delicata really improved - their Merlot (from Italian grapes for now) is excellent, but wait and see when switch to local grapes. For white, chardonnay or sauvignon blanc from Marsovin and Delicata good.

LM2-4 - really like Laurenti chardonnay and the Cheval Franc from Marsovin (?)

LM4-6 - the newish Grand Cavalier range (from Marsovin ?) is very good - worth the price ? Maybe no better than the Laureni and Cheval Franc mentioned above

will try to add more

I've added some more wines to my post above

Hi Graham & Mark, fully agree, some of the Maltese wines can be very good indeed I have to say that I have drank even the simplest farmers wines and even they were quite nice, I have even found a couple of places that sell local fruit wines such as, cherry, strawberry, almond, carob, lemon, and some different ports such as white, rose, and red, we often bring a few bottles back with us and very nice they are to, I belive that they are made somewhere in the vicinity of Birzebuggia so will deffinitely be getting some in September, in fact still have a bottle of cherry in the fridge.

Sliema2

didn't know about the fruit wines or port ! Havn't seen in Gozo, so I guess means a trip to the big island sometime...

The only time I have tasted the fruit wines was at a Ta' Cenc wedding reception. They had three flavours, I tried them all, Cherry, Strawberry and a yellow coloured one that I have forgotten now. As Gozo is the only place I had tasted them I thought they might have been Gozitian They were very nice - I am interested to discover the name of them

I like the Merlot and Chardonnay Victoria Heights wines by Delicata.
Served very cold - Gellewza Frizzante, also by Delicata. Both sell at around Lm2

The Meridiana Wines are also very good, they start at around Lm2.25 up to Lm6. Isis is a nice white sells at around Lm4. Their vineyard is just up the road from where I live, they do tours that are quite interesting, for anyone visiting the Ta' Qali/ Mdina area
http://www.meridiana.com.mt/index.htm

ingliza

Ta Cenc is just 10 mins walk from me - I'll do some homework in the bar on the fruit wines ! I'm not saying they aren't from Gozo, so hold your

forgot about Isis - yes very nice - as for Victoria heights - atleast they are proper Gozitan wines, ie not from imported grapes (either from Italy or from Malta !!), and worth trying as have a different character. Gellewza a very pleasant mildly fizzy wine - good for picnics !

just had a look at Meridiana website, and yes brings back happy memories of many of their wines. The Melqart is very good (but pricy)

Gozo mark, with all due respect the process of importing Italian and French grapes and processing in mlata was abolished many years ago. in the late nineties, Maridiana initiated a new process, whereby the vines themselves were imported and planted in Maltese Soil. Most of the wineries followed suite and did the same thing importing the vines and cultivating the grapes in Malta, this was the turning point for Maltese wine. I am a regular drinker of wine and until 4-5 years ago I would always select a foreign wine but wine making in malta has moved ahead in great strides with wine production and I can safely say that MALTESE GRAPES produce some of the finest wines that I have ever tasted, especially red wines and these easily outclass some of the very good French and italian wines (The International Awards speak for themselves) I would like to make it clear that I am in no way linked to any of the wineries on Malta and have no financial interests in any winery so my comments are purely my own opinion on the qualities.
The Best wine would be the Marsovin Grand Maitre which is a limited edition wine produced each year and named after a different grand master that served the Maltese islands. This wine is very difficult to find in the shops as it is a collectors wine and will only be found in a very few select restaurants. Expect to pay Lm18.00 per bottle in a restaurant. Next excellent wine is the Delicata Cheval Franc, available in both red and white. The Syrah and Isis wine collections from Meridiana, Marsovin and Delicata are an excellent uppper range quality wine. Then the middle range wines you will find the victoria heights which is actually produced from grapes grown in Gozo. This is an excellent wine especially with Red Meats. Other wise for a full list of the wines produced with a brief description of each you can visit the respective websites of Marsovin and Delicata as well as Meridiana as follows

http://www.marsovin.com
http://www.delicata.com
http://www.meridiana.com.mt

Hope this information helps

Hi BugibbaHC

I agree with most of what you say, but the process of importing Italian grapes was not abolished many years ago. I have in front of me a bottle of Delicata merlot (part of the classic collection) - its 2003, and says on the back "produced from Merlot grapes harvested in... North East Italy" Perhaps what you mean is the labelling of such as Maltese wines ? This bottle has no country of origin on the front, and has "wine made in Malta from grapes harvested in Italy" I believe the 2004 vintage says the same, but don't have one to hand
Also I didn't know Delicata produced a cheval franc (and can it be in white ??) - do you mean the Marsovin, in which case one of my favourites

all the best

I think it must be a case of the way the label is worded. It does in fact state on the Delicata site that the entire classics range is made from imported grapes. I had a look while I was out shopping, there were some 2003 vintage and some 2004 vintage on the shelves. Yes, the 2004 vintage does say the same, you are correct on that Gozomark. There was a bottle of Donato Chardonnay that according to the number printed on the back was actually bottled less than a month ago. I expect it is now a legal requirement to state on the label if the grapes are Malta grown or not.
While I am on the subject, a friend of my son had a summer job in 2003 at the Bay Point as a waiter. Part of his training involved learning which wines were actually made from Malta grown grapes rather than imported. Prosit (well done) Bay Point.

AFAIK its an EU rule - cannot be called Maltese (or any other EU country) wine unless grapes grown and proccessed in Malta (or France, Italian...) - its still OK to grow in one, and process in another country, but cannot put a country of origin on the front label, but have to put details on the back. I think thats right, but happy to be proven wrong !

the best ive ever tested is homemade cherry wine in malta , my friends make it and i love it the bring me soem bottles whenthey come here, my hubby hates all wine and was reluctant to try it but at a malteze family bbq he was persuaded and he couldnt get enough lol
they sell it at all the bars and is very nice and refreshing x

Hi all

I seemed to have started a bit of an International / EU incident
Perhaps I should re-phrase my question to what is the best wine I can buy in Malta

Seriously thanks for the replies, I have got some ideas for wines to look out for and Marsovin Grand Maitre & Delicata Cheval Franc will be on my list to find on my next visit.

Rutherglen rosie I haven't noticed the cherry wine but I will make a point of having some on my next visit, which hopefully will not be to far away.

Gozomark, ingliza or BugibbaHC if you want to ship me some (full) bottles of wine I will examine the labels and contents and try to give you a definitive answer on the quality of the contents
Sliema2 well that is a new one on me - port, I have GOT to find that, I must admit to being partial to the odd glass of port.

Graham

spotted today - Gozo fruit wines are sold at It Tokk grocery shop, in It Tokk Square, Victoria, Gozo - don't know which types as the shop was shut, but mentions them in its signage above the entrance

Hi,
I am Glen a resident in Gozo,

It-Tokk Grocery is a shop in Gozo, that sells wines and traditional food typical of the Maltese islands. It has about 7 varitiets of fruit wines and much more tradiotnal food. For more information visit:

they can be contacted on

+356 21566191
+356 99440362

Have a nioce holiday at our beautiful island Gozo

Hi Glen,

whereabouts is that?

Judging by the name of the shop my guess is that it is in Rabat Ghawdex.

as per my post just above Glen's

It Tokk grocery shop, in It Tokk Square, Victoria, Gozo

It Tokk is the market Square in Victoria, where Cafe Jubilee is