Marsovin has just been awarded a gold medal for its Marnisi Organic vintage 2016. The result has been received with great delight from the Marsovin winery team as news of the results were received only a month after the wine was released on the market. Marsovin’s Marnisi 2016 is the first Maltese wine falling in the premium wine category to be certified and awarded with the official seal of ‘Organic Wine’.
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The medal was awarded at the International Organic Wine Awards 2018, organised by Wine System AG in Germany. Marnisi 2016 competed with another 1,086 wines coming from 28 countries. Marsovin Winery CEO Jeremy Cassar said: “We are very proud of this award in particular as Marnisi has competed with other wines which have been produced as ‘organic’ for a number of years. We are happy that Marnisi has managed to win a gold in its first year of release as an organic wine. We are taking this achievement as an official recognition to the hard work by all involved to convert the vines and wine to organic, while retaining the premium quality standards of this wine.”
The organic conversion process began with the application of organic farming practices at the Marnisi Estate in Marsaxlokk, where an area covering 2.8 hectares makes this the largest expanse of organically-farmed vines anywhere in Malta. In order to have organically-grown grapes, Marsovin’s viticulturists engaged in an entirely different set of practices to maintain their vines.
Following on from the successful vineyard conversion period, the harvested grapes were transferred to the winery, where an alternative winemaking approach was employed to focus on the use of a specific list of ingredients used for organic vinification.
The 2016 vintage was characterised by some warmer-than-normal temperatures and drier weather during the winter months, followed by relatively mild temperatures throughout summer. These elements allowed for excellent grape maturity and, thus, an exceptional vintage year.
The resultant wine, Marnisi 2016, portrays a concentrated, complex and layered wine that is very approachable in its infancy and will keep drinking well in the years to come.
Marnisi is available in all premium wine shops, as well as the Marsovin Cellars in Paola and The Master Cellar in Naxxar. For more information, call 2366 2401 or 2366 2445 or e-mail cellars@marsovinwinery.com.
(Content provided by Cassar Camilleri)