The Delicata winery got the Maltese grape harvest out of the blocks. The 2020 vintage started on August 6 with the arrival of the first hand-picked Chardonnay bunches at the winery’s state-of-the-art facilities.

The hard work in Delicata’s domaine of family-run vineyards and fermentation hall will run its long course without stopping until the end of September by when the blankness of tired thoughts focused on picking the last tons of grapes will have filled with the hope of great medal-winning wines in the making.

About 20 different green and red-skinned grape varieties including Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Moscato Bianco, Zibibbo, Vermentino, Albariño, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Merlot, Sangiovese, Nero d’Avola, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, as well as the two native Girgentina and Ġellewża will get crushed.

All Delicata grapes are hand-picked.

In 1994, when Delicata formalised their unique viticultural scheme called ‘Vines for Wines’, the winery was a ‘lone voice’ as everyone else was sceptical and did not believe that the wine industry could grow quality grapes together with the Maltese farming community.

Today, Delicata’s realistic plan for cultivating wine grapes in Malta and Gozo has been realised; it is no longer an idea, it is up and running, and running steadily – even in pandemic times.

In fact, although the market for quality wines has decreased due to a hard-hit hotel and restaurant sector, Malta’s foremost winery is not refusing any grapes but honouring their commitment to all the grape growers that are affiliated with Delicata’s Vines for Wines scheme.

So far, the fruit looks very healthy and full of desirable natural sugars and the all-important flavours. While this year’s yield (or the heft of the crop per hectare) appears again low, the quality is high.

Grape picking is a family affair. For the remarkable team of hundreds of Delicata’s vignerons, their many obliging relatives and friends, thousands of pairs of hands with secateurs strong, the grape crush on Malta continues.

Georges Meekers is Delicata’s head of marketing and an award-winning wine writer.