Jeremy Cassar from the Marsovin vineyard at Wardija.Jeremy Cassar from the Marsovin vineyard at Wardija.

The netting protecting grapes from hungry birds in a Wardija vineyard came off last week to make way for the harvesters, probably the first in Europe to pick white grapes this summer.

“You hold the bunch of grapes gently in the palm of your hand like this,” Jeremy Cassar, from Marsovin said, showing how it is done, “and then you carefully place it in the crate.

“Don’t ever throw it in there as you risk breaking the skin and exposing the grape.”

Behind him, about 60 pairs of hands were picking grapes and placing them in yellow plastic crates. They started at 6am and, by 2pm, the vineyard with Chardonnay grapes, covering two hectares, was harvested, yielding about nine tons of fruit that could produce something like 6,000 bottles of wine.

“As far as we know these are the grapes of the white variety that are harvested the earliest in Europe. Grape-picking abroad is usually done around September but this grape is unique,” Mr Cassar said.

Grape-picking abroad is usually done around September but this grape is unique

The variety is very acidic and the early harvest is intended to capture that “crispness” in the wine.

Mr Cassar spent many of his childhood years on the vineyards in Wardija, where time seems to stand still. He harvested grapes for years and nowadays manages the family winery, which has been passed on from fathers to sons for four generations.

The large family’s first winery was founded by Anthony Cassar, the great-grandfather of Mr Cassar, in 1919. The family owns five estates – in Ramla, Wardija, Marnisi, Għajn Rihana and Għollieq – where they produce their best wines. They stopped importing grapes some seven years ago.

At Wardija, with the vineyards facing south, the sugar level of the grape is higher but, at the same time, the cool breeze in the valley develops the right dose of acidity.

The vineyards are monitored and maintained 365 days a year by a team led by a viticulturist who was trained in Italy.

In March, the very first fruits sprout and, depending on the seasonal cycle, the grapes are usually harvested around July. While the grapes are taken to the winery to be pressed and fermented, the trees go into hibernation, the stalks are cut off in October and trimmed after Christmas in preparation for the next harvest.

The grapes harvested at Wardija are fermented twice through a process, commonly known as the champagne method, and the wine will be ready for consumption in three years. Some 35 years ago, the same vineyards hosted Cabernet and Chenin blanc planted by Mr Cassar’s grandfather, Joseph, as a successful experiment and there are still some bottles from the first produce in his office.

The family organises free educational walks around the vineyards from time to time so that people can appreciate the work that goes behind every bottle of wine: consideration of the soil and wind, the handpicking and transportation to the winery as soon as possible, maintenance of the vines and the continuous training.

Last year, the Cassar family harvested 1,500 tons of grapes and, although EU accession dealt a blow to local winemakers as Maltese consumers had easy access to all European wines, competition has now plateaued and sales are increasing. However, it is still tough to export because Malta is not well-known.

Marsovin has been exporting some of its wines to New Zealand and Poland and the family gets requests from Australia, the US and Netherlands from time to time.

At the end of the day, the best compliment Mr Cassar gets is when a person comes from abroad and specifically asks for local wine or when Maltese people promote the produce wherever they are.

Just as the Maltese are proud of the national rugby team and Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja, he believes they should also be proud of this local produce.

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