Seventeen wines by five Maltese producers have been given DOK certification in what Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino described as a milestone in the long history of Maltese wine-making.He said this certification would continue to strengthen Malta’s position as a producer of fine wines.

Mr Pullicino said the process towards certification had not been easy but Malta had achieved good conditions during the EU accession talks and as a result areas under vine had risen considerably. Maltese wines had also been improved and had managed to hold their own in the face of increased imports. It was important, however, for Maltese quality wines to be better marketed and the ministry was helping in this regard, Mr Pullicino said.

The latest form of assistance would be a new website hosted by the Agriculture Department on www.maltaqualitywines.com due to be launched shortly.