Picking grapes with a difference

Tal-Massar winery came up with an innovative idea of how to turn a grape harvest into a fun activity.

A group of foreign residents from Għarb and tourists who were on holiday for two days left their daily routine and joined winery owners Anthony Hili and his wife Marisa to pick grapes at the highly picturesque Tas-Sisien vineyards, outside Għarb.

All participants were later invited to dinner at a 300-year-old farmhouse, courtesy of Peter Wright and John Senior Stern. A Gozitan folk group provided entertainment.

Grape harvesting is a pioneering activity in the field of eco-tourism which is still an emerging concept in Gozo.

The activity will be repeated next year, Mr Hili said, as these foreign residents and tourists intend to come back for the next harvest. Next year they will taste the wine made from the grapes they picked this year, he said.