Celebrating the grape harvest

With less than a week to go before the grape harvest in Malta begins, an annual fiesta celebrating the event gets underway.

The 11th edition of the Delicata Classic Wine Festival kicks off on Thursday.

When award-winning winemaker Emmanuel Delicata embarked on this “solo” project in 2001, few would have predicted the popularity the festival would garner.

With its portfolio of quality wines designed to cater for a wide range of palates, combined with live entertainment, an assortment of both Maltese and international dishes and a venue with views that are hard to beat, what more could the discerning wine enthusiast ask for?

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are an impressive venue, let alone when they they are beautifully lit up.

This year, festival-goers can enjoy the fireworks celebrating the feast of St Lawrence in Vittoriosa, on the opposite side of the Harbour, on Thursday and Friday.

A total of 23 wines will be available to taste. Entrance is free but those wanting to try these wines need to buy a souvenir glass and present it at any stand of their choice.

There will be live entertainment every night with Janvil.

On Thursday, there will be an opening night concert by The Crowns.

The Spiteri Lucas Band will be performing on Friday and the Big Band Brothers will be playing on Saturday.

The ever popular George “il-Pusé” Curmi and his band will wind up the event on Sunday.

For anyone who gets hungry, there will be a number of food stalls offering various delicacies and a fully seated restaurant area downstairs will be set up in the Saluting Battery.

The festival opens each night at 7 p.m.

Live entertainment begins at 8 p.m. and the last wine glasses will be sold at 11 p.m. with the last wines poured at 11.30 p.m. before the festival closes at midnight.

No person under the age of 17 will be able to buy a glass or be served wine from any of the stands and visitors are encouraged to enjoy their wine in moderation and not to drink and drive.

Just as this wine festival was created to inaugurate the beginning of the Maltese grape harvest, another similar Delicata Classic Wine Festival will take place in Nadur between August 31 and September 2,timed to celebrate its end.