Predictions are a dangerous business. You start off trying to be like Nostradamus and end up more like Nosferatu, giving the kiss of death. But sometimes a wine’s potential is plain to see, especially when heaps of soul and character jump right at you. Take a glass of Delicata’s 2014 Gran Cavalier Syrah of Malta … Read More
Wine
Malta's Merlot Crus In The Making
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
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
Making Their Marche
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
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