Wine producers in Malta say they are desperate for more rain to help grow their crops this summer.
Vineyards across the islands are suffering after the country experienced a drought in the last four months.
While early March saw a few showers, some farmers say they will need more water to get through this year’s harvest.
“We are definitely concerned,” says Anthony Hili, owner of Tal-Massar Winery in Għarb.
“What we are seeing now are buds opening too early because they think it is spring. The soil is very dry and we’ve lost thousands of vines because the ground is so arid.”
Hili believes his trees are stressed by climate change and are not living as long as usual. In the past, his vines would last for 25 years, now they are dying after 15.
“We are trying to use irrigation to get around it, but it’s not the same. If we had EU funding or there was better research done in the past, we would have been able to plant more indigenous vines that could survive our hot weather and dry soil.”
Juanito Camilleri from Ta’ Betta Wine Estates in Siġġiewi agrees that more needs to be done.
“We’ve had a concession from the ministry of agriculture to be allowed to plough the land, but what we need is rain. Irrigation is never a replacement.
“Hopefully, March and April will bring us more water, but even then, it can’t be torrential showers. If it falls like this, the land is too dry to absorb it.”
And Malta’s 800 grape-growers are not alone. Vineyards across Europe are having to adapt to the continent’s changing climate, with the south being the worst affected.
Scientists predict things will get worse due to global warming and the weakening of the North Atlantic jet stream, which is the atmospheric current that controls European weather patterns.
Wine producers in France and Spain are already trying to adapt their model by moving vineyards to higher, cooler ground or switching the grape they grow.
Hopefully March and April will bring us more water, but even then, it can’t be torrential showers
But not everyone in Malta is worried, including Mark Cassar, of Mar Casar Vineyards in Siġġiewi.
He believes it isimply a matter of working with nature, rather than trying to control it.
“My fields are located at one of the highest points in Malta, but they used to be at the bottom of the ocean.
“The world is constantly changing so it’s just a question of following the moon and not a man-made schedule.
“I believe the vines will adapt and the roots will grow deeper to tap into another water source.”
Cassar also uses what he calls a ‘dirty field policy’ which centres around not removing weeds from his fields. “The weeds attract insects and they in turn protect the vines from bugs.”
However, he admits that he has noticed changes this year too, because of the lack of rain.
“There are more insects than normal, and the bees have started feeding early. Even if it does rain now, it’s a bit late in the season. But I’m not worried. I’m expecting the best harvest of the century.”