Wine tasting in Malta
Wine is an integral part of Maltese culture and can be found on most Maltese tables during dinner time.
So you’ve travelled a lot and you’re a little bit jaded. You’ve been to Bordeaux, followed the wine trail in Tuscany, and you can tell a Rioja from a Rhône Valley. How is this tiny nation of just over 300 square kilometres going to produce anything of interest?
How about two indigenous grape varieties (Ġellewża and Girgentina), one sparkling wine produced in the Methode Traditionnelle, dozens of D.O.K. (quality wines produced in specified regions as defined by European Union regulations), and over 2000 years of winemaking history?
Wine is an integral part of the Maltese culture. No meal is complete without a bottle of local wine. Interestingly, while the local wine industry has had new and stiff competition from foreign imports since the removal of levies in 2004 – the industry has quickly modernised and innovated continuously to provide a world-class, competitive product.
Many of Malta’s more prominent wineries offer a cellar tour which normally includes a guide explaining the history of the winery and the different wines on offer, food, and of course, tasting of premium wines.
- Marsovin offers cellar tours and wine tasting. Their cellars are some of the oldest and most interesting, dating back over 400 years to the period of the Knights of St John.
- Delicata’s array of D.O.K. and I.Ġ.T. wines are a staple on Maltese tables. The winery boasts centuries-old cellars with impressive French and American Oak barrels.
- Meridiana is one of Malta’s smaller wine estates, but its meticulous concentration on quality output makes it a contender for top winery. The cellars and vineyards are open for tours and tastings for a nominal fee.
You’re unlikely to see any of these unique Maltese wines on your local wine merchant’s shelves between the Nappa Valleys and the Bordeaux, but then again, the finer things in life are always hard to come by - all the more reason to stock up while you’re here.