A group of three Mcast agribusiness students, accompanied by their lecturer, have completed an introductory pruning session at one of Delicata’s many family-run vineyards, under the super-vision of the winemaker’s head of viticulture, Matthew Delicata.

The students were given a pruning demonstration by Delicata’s viticulturist Jonathan Falzon, based on the same sustainable vine-growing principles taught to Delicata’s growers in recent seminars. They were then tasked with pruning some Maltese Cabernet Sauvignon vines themselves.

These hands-on sessions form part of Delicata’s long-term strategy to educate and train those whose work brings them into direct contact with local vineyards, especially youths. Delicata is working to have further sessions with Mcast students and to offer work placement programmes later in the year to give them further experience during different stages of the vines’ growth.

Over the last few years, Delicata has implemented an extensive vineyard development programme in many of the 380 vineyards it manages. These measures have included: the re-grafting of superfluous red varietal vines into much-needed white varietal vines; the passing on of customised pruning techniques learnt from French experts on to Delicata growers; numerous training seminars on sustainable viticultural techniques and transfer of knowledge to both growers and agribusiness students alike on general vineyard husbandry. In the coming weeks, Italian experts will again visit the island to give Delicata growers more customised pruning techniques.