Wine has become the most popular drink at weddings, partly reflecting general trends in society, partly reflecting the move towards lower alcohol consumption as awareness rises on the dangers of drinking and driving.
But it is not just the quantity that is changing; it is also the quality. People are getting much more knowledgeable and appreciative of different grapes and vintages. So what happens when you go to a wedding and get offered red or white?
Bernard Muscat realised that the time had come for a different approach and with his partner Charles Agius, founded the SGT mobile wine bar in June 2006.
The concept is simple: SGT provides an oak wine counter, a selection of wines (eight-10 on average) served at the right temperature and a selection of Riedl glasses to match the wines. Mr Muscat even puts up printed tasting notes to guide the guests.
Of course, the bar is not limited to weddings. He has catered for private functions, promotions, wine-tastings and other events.
Mr Muscat's past would not immediately explain his entrepreneurial spirit. He has been an Italian teacher for the past 10 years and never dreamed that he would one day be running his own business.
It all started when the 32-year-old attended a talk by Riedl about matching the right glass to the right wine. He signed up as soon as he could for two courses at the Institute for Tourism Studies, run on behalf of the prestigious Wine and Spirits Education Trust of the UK (WSET). And he does not intend to stop there: He will do a sommelier course in the UK this summer, a qualification that is very rare in Malta as few restaurants could afford to pay the salary due! He then plans to study for diploma with WSET in wines and spirits.
This summer, he is working at the award-winning Essence restaurant at the Radisson Golden Sands Hotel to learn as much as he can.
"I also did a basic food preparation course at ITS and will probably attend the next level. It is not enough to know about wines; you also need to match them to food. And you have to taste the food as the flavours you would expect from a recipe might not be what you actually experience - especially with spicy or acidic food. This is why I like to prepare my own snacks when I organise a tasting! This also means I can include surprises... Did you ever consider chocolate with red wine?" he grinned.
The wines offered depend on the customer's preference and budget but Mr Muscat works with all the importers so the choice is vast. Some customers prefer to purchase the wines themselves.
He is passionate, however, about the glasses, saying that they really do make a difference to the whole experience. He provides six different ones, including one for fortified wines and flutes for sparkling wines.
"I would like to encourage people to drink more sparkling wine. Here we associate it with the cake but a good champagne has so many complex flavours that it can be enjoyed throughout a meal, complementing every course," he said.
The glasses are not cheap and at weddings, breakages are more of a problem than they would be at a seated affair.
"During a wedding for 450 guests, I might expect to break around 30! This is why I have my own staff collecting them as often as possible," he explained.
SGT also cleans them, avoiding another problem: "The first thing I do in a restaurant is smell the glass - before the wine is poured. You should not smell soap! How can you appreciate the full aroma of the wine?"
The glasses are washed with as little soap as possible, rinsed well, and then polished.
The temperature at which wines are served is also a science, especially in Malta. Room temperature is, strictly speaking, 15-18°C, hardly normal for Malta!
"Each wine has its optimum temperature, ranging from 6-12°C for sparkling wines to 12-18°C for reds. In summer, I cool them to a few degrees below this as once they are poured, they warm up so quickly. I do this by mixing water and ice and cooling down a few bottles at a time. This means that the hosts do not get stuck with extra bottles as you cannot return a wine once it has been cooled down," he said.
SGT has been remarkably successful for such a new concept. How does Mr Muscat see the future?
Right now, he has not thought that far ahead. He finds it hard to believe that he would ever entrust someone else with serving wines - and his dedication to teaching makes it hard to imagine switching careers. Having said that, he did over a dozen weddings last year and already has bookings for next year. He is writing regularly for Taste magazine and his love of cooking is growing by the month. Is there a restaurant on the horizon?
"I guess I am not yet business-minded," he smiled. "Maybe I can start by teaching wine appreciation."
But it is not just the quantity that is changing; it is also the quality. People are getting much more knowledgeable and appreciative of different grapes and vintages. So what happens when you go to a wedding and get offered red or white?
Bernard Muscat realised that the time had come for a different approach and with his partner Charles Agius, founded the SGT mobile wine bar in June 2006.
The concept is simple: SGT provides an oak wine counter, a selection of wines (eight-10 on average) served at the right temperature and a selection of Riedl glasses to match the wines. Mr Muscat even puts up printed tasting notes to guide the guests.
Of course, the bar is not limited to weddings. He has catered for private functions, promotions, wine-tastings and other events.
Mr Muscat's past would not immediately explain his entrepreneurial spirit. He has been an Italian teacher for the past 10 years and never dreamed that he would one day be running his own business.
It all started when the 32-year-old attended a talk by Riedl about matching the right glass to the right wine. He signed up as soon as he could for two courses at the Institute for Tourism Studies, run on behalf of the prestigious Wine and Spirits Education Trust of the UK (WSET). And he does not intend to stop there: He will do a sommelier course in the UK this summer, a qualification that is very rare in Malta as few restaurants could afford to pay the salary due! He then plans to study for diploma with WSET in wines and spirits.
This summer, he is working at the award-winning Essence restaurant at the Radisson Golden Sands Hotel to learn as much as he can.
"I also did a basic food preparation course at ITS and will probably attend the next level. It is not enough to know about wines; you also need to match them to food. And you have to taste the food as the flavours you would expect from a recipe might not be what you actually experience - especially with spicy or acidic food. This is why I like to prepare my own snacks when I organise a tasting! This also means I can include surprises... Did you ever consider chocolate with red wine?" he grinned.
The wines offered depend on the customer's preference and budget but Mr Muscat works with all the importers so the choice is vast. Some customers prefer to purchase the wines themselves.
He is passionate, however, about the glasses, saying that they really do make a difference to the whole experience. He provides six different ones, including one for fortified wines and flutes for sparkling wines.
"I would like to encourage people to drink more sparkling wine. Here we associate it with the cake but a good champagne has so many complex flavours that it can be enjoyed throughout a meal, complementing every course," he said.
The glasses are not cheap and at weddings, breakages are more of a problem than they would be at a seated affair.
"During a wedding for 450 guests, I might expect to break around 30! This is why I have my own staff collecting them as often as possible," he explained.
SGT also cleans them, avoiding another problem: "The first thing I do in a restaurant is smell the glass - before the wine is poured. You should not smell soap! How can you appreciate the full aroma of the wine?"
The glasses are washed with as little soap as possible, rinsed well, and then polished.
The temperature at which wines are served is also a science, especially in Malta. Room temperature is, strictly speaking, 15-18°C, hardly normal for Malta!
"Each wine has its optimum temperature, ranging from 6-12°C for sparkling wines to 12-18°C for reds. In summer, I cool them to a few degrees below this as once they are poured, they warm up so quickly. I do this by mixing water and ice and cooling down a few bottles at a time. This means that the hosts do not get stuck with extra bottles as you cannot return a wine once it has been cooled down," he said.
SGT has been remarkably successful for such a new concept. How does Mr Muscat see the future?
Right now, he has not thought that far ahead. He finds it hard to believe that he would ever entrust someone else with serving wines - and his dedication to teaching makes it hard to imagine switching careers. Having said that, he did over a dozen weddings last year and already has bookings for next year. He is writing regularly for Taste magazine and his love of cooking is growing by the month. Is there a restaurant on the horizon?
"I guess I am not yet business-minded," he smiled. "Maybe I can start by teaching wine appreciation."