Malta's Merlot Crus In The Making

November 14, 2015By Georges MeekersMalta, Wine

I’m neither a fool nor a dead man, and yet I’m unlikely to change my mind: presently Malta doesn’t have one lone grape variety but fortunately possesses a posse of many grape varieties that could be signed off as Malta’s vinous mark on the world map of wine. Malta’s wine industry can gain attention with … Read More

Malta's Signature Wines

November 8, 2015By Georges MeekersMalta, Wine

Many wine countries and regions are known for a particular grape variety or wine which conveniently serves as its vinous signature, luring customers to the wider national wine category on overcrowded retail shelves. Classic examples are champagne from France, Riesling from Germany, Pinot Grigio from Italy, Rioja from Spain. More recently, other portmanteau varieties have … Read More

Not Your Orthodox Way Of Learning About Wine?

September 6, 2015By Georges MeekersNews

Nowadays young people who have the foresight to actually plan a career in wine can choose from a plethora of study programmes that focus on different academic aspects of wine. Not so long ago, however, there was hardly any professional wine education available. It is thanks to unorthodox devotees like Alan Robb Hickinbotham, for example, … Read More

Making Their Marche

April 26, 2015By Georges MeekersTravel, Wine

Wine, part of our tangible cultural heritage, is our history, and in Italy, as in most parts of the world, conserving it is considered a matter of crucial importance. Change, therefore, is often regarded as deadly, like a venomous snake bite – a common sentiment felt especially in smaller rural regions. It’s what winemakers in pursuit … Read More

The Black Beauty of Grapes

January 3, 2015By Georges MeekersTravel, Wine

The colour black is intimidating, unfriendly and unapproachable because of the power it exudes. But nothing could be less inappropriate when describing a classy bottle of Vranac, one of over 400 grape varieties grown in the Balkan. Maybe you haven’t heard of it yet. But this curious grape is the most important red variety native … Read More