Eco-friendly wine-maker celebrates first harvest

The first harvest at Tas-Sisien Vineyards in Gozo yesterday marked the start-up of a new wine-making enterprise called Tal-Massar.

The enterprise is run by Anthony and Marisa Hili, who are promoting the tradition of wine-making which has been handed down to them since 1936.

The process involves the use of grapes grown in an eco-friendly manner at their private estate in Għarb. Their efforts were backed by EU financial aid through various schemes connected with agriculture and conservation of rural areas.

The Ministry of Gozo underlined the importance of agriculture in the conservation and maintenance of the island's rural environment, taking into account the eco-Gozo concept.

The eco-Gozo concept is a plan envisaged by the government aimed at "transforming Gozo and Gozitan society into a sustainable reality in its wider sense - not only environmentally but also socially and economically".