Winemaking may not be rocket science, but the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, or HACCP, originally designed to protect astronauts from food poisoning, has slowly become an important safety standard for the wine industry. In the past, it could be said that attention to detail, cleanliness and experience were enough for most wineries [...]
The festive season is that time of year when some people get to try wine for the first time, especially when dining out. That’s when they come to realise that wine drunk at the restaurant table is a unique beverage having a set of manners all its own. Take the ritual of approval. Once you’ve [...]
Since 2007, Malta’s quality wines are subject to an appellation system controlled by the national regulator in accordance with EU law which nowadays categorises wines in two rungs, namely PDO (protected designation of origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication), replacing the QWPSR (quality wine produced in a specified region) framework. Each EU country may use [...]
Listing bottles on wine lists according to the soil type the grapevines grow in instead of by wine style, grape variety or winemaking region is the latest fad. I’m all for novelty but is this really a helpful way? It’s easy to see where this trend is coming from. Wine professionals and aficionados alike are [...]