TNWG Wine Times: Ep 41: Wines of Malta
- aplofthouse
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
After speaking to a number of people who all seem to be heading to Malta in the coming months, I thought it would be useful to create a 'Maltese Weekly' for those looking at wines in the region too.
As ever though, a quick recap of events past and future before we head into the Wines of Malta.
A great week this week with a range of activities showcasing The Northern Wine Guy services, as Wednesday saw the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Showcase B2B Expo back after a number of years of absence and The Northern Wine Guy took up Stand 31 for the event. Followed up by our third Wine and Cheese Network event - which was again full with enthusiastic conversation, great presentations from Chloe Lowe on AI Marketing and Faye Mellors of the work that The Suit Works does, alongside great wine and cheeses.
Yesterday I guest lectured at Sheffield University Management School for the 3rd Year Small Venture module which is one of my favourite past times (lecturing not studying!) before I am going to end the week at the newly opened (today in fact) Play Padel in Sheffield! (I'm hooked!)
But what is upcoming...well a number of projects are in discussions BUT the good news is that you can now book on the APRIL Wine and Cheese Network - so get BOOKING!
Thursday April 24th 6pm - 8.30pm @ The Yard Gallery in Leah's Yard, in Sheffield City Centre.
Wines of Malta
As with most winemaking regions, the wine scene in Malta dates back over 2000 years to the Phoenician period. However, it wasn't until the start of the 20th century that we saw some of the leading wine producers of today established, such as Marsovin.
🤔 So with all this rich history that dates back so long, why do we not hear about it in the UK?
Well, think about the size of Malta and the amount of wine that they produce, there is little need to export their wine goods when their supply is quite small (versus other European nations) - in fact Malta is the smallest independent wine making country in the world! That being said, it is one of Europe's hidden gems, and is fast becoming an 'emerging talent' in the wine world.
Curiosity is bringing wine tourism to the country and the fact that the Mediterranean soils and climate can produce such outstanding wines is drawing the attention of many, especially as they have such a diverse array of wines made too.
Malta has a wonderful balance of indigenous grape varietals - the most prominent and award winning are GIRGENTINA (for white wine production) and GELLEWZA (for red and rose wine production). These vines are often dry farmed, often over 50 years of age and are resistant to the pest that is phylloxera.
🍇GIRGENTINA - grapes produce a typically light bodied, refreshing, bright acidity white wine with green apple and citrus fruit type notes to the wine.
🍇GELLEWZA - a high acidity grape which is quite light and has fine tannins but with distinctive cherry and liquorice aromas to it.
However, this is merely the native varietals, there are many grape varietals that are more well known and grown on this island - namely Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carignan, Grenache, Syrah to name but a few.
Ok so great indigenous and international grape varietals, but where do I go to taste them?
👉 Best Vineyards to Visit
San Niklaw - SE Malta near the village of Zejtun, it has a stunning 17th century chapel. Four wines are produced each year - 1 x Syrah based, 1 x Sangiovese based, 1 x Mourvedre based and 1 x Vermentino based wines.
Delicata Winery - an award winning vineyard established in 1907. The wine tasting vaults date back to the 1700s - a must for all, they also specialise in the indigenous grape varietals too.
Meridana Wine Estate - set in the heart of Maltese agriculture, it has an array of wines from grapes of international acclaim, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah as well as more recently Moscato too.
Marsolan Ramla Estate - set on the hills of Gozo, perfect for Chardonnay production and known by its award winning wine name - Antonin Blanc.
Marnisi Estate - the story of this vineyard dates back to 1919 - they made the first premium wine from indigenous varietals and are also well known for their red wines with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc all playing their parts.
Marsovin Cellars - one of the oldest current estates, spanning 4 generations. Originally built in the 17th century, they are now actually made up of 5 estates producing upwards of 100,000 bottles.
🚨 TNWG HOT TIPS 🚨
Make sure that you try the indigenous grape varietals - these will only be seen in Malta and you are very unlikely to ever see them in the UK (unless they are a lot more expensive with duty attached).
Try and taste the international grape varietals like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon and assess them versus others that you have tried from around the world. Which do you prefer and why?
🗞️ LATEST DRINKS INDUSTRY ARTICLES 🗞️
The Spring Statement as per below, is something which sadly is only going to have a deepening worry on for the drinks industry as a whole. More jobs will undoubtedly be affected and stalled growth in the sector is the result of the missed opportunities of the Spring Statement this week.
OTHER ARTICLES OF NOTE THAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEK:
📈 MARKETS IN BRIEF 📉
On the week (as at 28th March 12:30 LDN) changes:
EQUITIES: ⬆️ FTSE 100 up 0.3%; ⬇️ DAX down 0.9%; ⬆️ S&P 500 up 1.4%; ⬇️ Nikkei 225 down 1.48%; ⬆️ Dow Jones up 1.7%;
COMMODITIES: ⬆️ Brent Oil up 2.4% ; ⬆️ Crude Oil up 3.2% ; ⬆️ Gold up 3.3%; ⬆️ Silver up 5.9%; ⬆️ Copper up 1.5%
BONDS (in yield terms): ⬇️ UK 2yrs lower 0.037%; ⬆️ UK 10yrs higher 0.041%; ⬇️ German 10yrs lower 0.0165%, ⬆️ US 2yrs higher 0.059%; ⬆️ US 10yrs higher 0.109.
It's been an interesting week in markets once more. The Spring Statement came out and as expected, didn't include at tax changes but saw spending cuts brought in further to stay in line with the government targets, despite higher inflation and interest rates than expected. The UK only grew 0.1% in the final quarter of 2024 and SMEs are struggling, with 40% in the UK said to have paused operations due to lack of funding.
In the US, investors appear to have turned more risk adverse ahead of the deadline of Trump's for further tariffs with Gold, as indicated above, on the rise once more per ounce, cryptocurrencies falling and 10yr US Treasuries going higher. It also appears the messaging from the FED is quite muddled too on the back of Trump's actions, with Powell clearly not on the same page as Bostic within the FOMC which brings less conviction to the markets on future moves.
The key questions now are how quickly growth will slow and how long inflation will remain elevated and 'sticky'. Also questions that are aligned with the UK too !
The fine wine industry is now immune to the Trump tariff talk too, with the threats of 200% tariffs on imports of EU wines a definite consideration. It does suggest that those investors who are keen to hold US names such s Screaming Eagle, Opus One and Scarecrow vintages could certainly see increased value over the coming years.
The end of the tax year, Trump's tariff talk and inflation being higher is bringing new interest to the fine wine market as it should too. Markets have remained at recent year lows and this is seen as an opportunistic time to venture into the asset class if you haven't already done so. For me, adding here is tempting although I am still quite overweight so a hold maybe the best policy near term.
However, it certainly should be considered if you are looking at alternative assets!
That's all from me this week folks!
Enjoy your weekend!🙌
🍷Andy a.k.a. The Northern Wine Guy🍷
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