For the first time since it was set up 90 years ago, Marsovin is producing the quantity of grapes required to be totally self-sufficient, going "all Maltese".

Speaking on the first day of harvest of the Merlot grape at the Marnisi estate in Marsaxlokk, its largest, Marsovin's director of marketing and export, Jeremy Cassar said the company was no longer importing foreign wines to bottle as Marsovin, as had been the case for local wineries.

"Before, grape quantities - and quality - were not available in Malta. But this year, following investment in contracting land with farmers, all the fruit is from here," Mr Cassar said.

The situation is a matter of choice as wineries are not prohibited from producing their wines using foreign grapes. In fact, it was more expensive to use Maltese grapes, Mr Cassar explained.

Italian vineyards, such as those in Puglia, could be 20 times the size of Marnisi, plus their grapes would not be handpicked as was the case here, he said.

The Marnisi estate should yield 50 tonnes of grapes that would translate into 50,000 bottles but that is a drop in the ocean of Marsovin's total harvest: 1,300 tonnes and 1.3 million bottles on the shelves.

This year, the winery would be producing less wine but it is a result of the economic climate. Even in the absence of a downturn, Marsovin would be producing all its wines from Maltese grapes, Mr Cassar said, auguring, nonetheless, for a turnaround in tourism next year.

The company was also focusing on exports, particularly to the UK, but every enquiry from other countries was looked into and followed up.

"Malta cannot compete with mass market producers from Italy, France and Spain, so it has to concentrate on one thing alone: producing high-quality grapes and making sure the wine-making process is dealt with expertly," he said.

Harvesting is the most crucial phase. "If you cannot get it right in the vineyard, then you cannot produce a high-quality wine," Mr Cassar said.