Wine Festival ends today

Day four of the Delicata Classic Wine Festival, tonight at the Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, brings the sixth edition of this feast for wine, food and entertainment enthusiasts alike to a close.

The gardens, with their breathtaking views of Grand Harbour and the Three Cities beyond, notably Vittoriosa, which last week celebrated the feast of St Lawrence, has been a hive of activity on each of the first three evenings.

Delicata is also commemorating a century in the wine business, with the event that marks the beginning of the Maltese wine harvest. Over 20 wines can be sampled when you buy the commemorative centenary wine glass to gain entrance to the gardens, or simply pay a nominal fee for entry and just enjoy the atmosphere.

Live entertainment tonight includes George Curmi (Pusè) and his band, the William Dance Company, which will perform the Delicata Harvest Dance routine, and Steve Cole, with Mireille Bonello as festival compere.

The wines, produced entirely from Malta-grown grapes, including Chardonnay, Syrah, Grenache, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and the indigenous Girgentina and Gellewza, can be sampled from no fewer than ten stands.

A selection of international food, including sushi, is available from stalls. For those who also want a formal meal, while enjoying the breathtaking views, The Grand Harbour Grill is offering grills of fish and meat.

Kastilja, a locally grown 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, was bottled especially for the festival and is on sale at the fair. The label of this wine was the result of a competition that Delicata held earlier this year.

The collectible Kastilja will only be available for sale at the Delicata Wine Festival in Valletta and again in Nadur on August 31 and September 1 and 2. Kastilja is available in both 75 cl bottles and 3.0-litre double magnum bottles. Only 300 bottles and 50 double magnums are produced.