New wine toasts fertility goddess

Meridiana Wine Estate has launched its third white wine called Astarte, inspired by the Phoenician goddess of fertility worshipped in Malta during the Punic period. Astarte is based on the Vermentino grape, a Mediterranean wine grape variety which is ideal for Malta's climatic conditions.

Meridiana said Astarte's blend yields an easy-to-drink, fresh-tasting, light-coloured, white wine with a citrus/apricot flavour.

Meridiana was established 14 years ago on 19 hectares of land at Ta' Qali. Today its production has grown to 120,000 bottles of wine annually, thanks also to the cooperation of a number of carefully selected farmers.