Approximately 54,000 kilos of Vermentino grapes were pressed at the Delicata winery this week. This grape is used for the company’s award-winning Classic Collection Landini, their Medina DOK Malta range (blended with Zibibbo), and sometimes in Pjazza Regina white, depending on the particular vintage’s blend. Also pressed last week were Viognier grapes used exclusively for the company’s premium white wine brand Grand Vin de Hauteville.

A bottle of Delicata’s Classic Collection Landini, which is made from Vermentino grapes.

Vermentino has only been around in Malta for a few years but it’s quickly gaining respect and popularity. It grows well in our hot Mediterranean climate and is naturally late ripening, but this year the grapes were harvested particularly late, some 10 days later than last year.

The 2015 grapes were darker in colour than in recent years (more golden than amber) and slightly riper, although they retained their acidity levels. Yields were also slightly up on last year and the grapes themselves were fuller-flavoured and more aromatic.

Retaining the acidity in a ripened white grape variety in a hot climate winemaking country like Malta is essential if the finished wine is to be crisp and refreshing, something most consumers quite rightly come to expect in a dry white wine. Vermentino is recognised for this trait as mentioned by leading wine expert Jancis Robinson who said of the variety: “I can quite see the appeal of young Vermentinos, virtually all of which exhibit the racy, citrus, often mineral and sometimes marine character of refreshing dry wine, usually unoaked and moderate in alcohol. This is a quintessentially Mediterranean grape variety, retaining its acidity well even in relatively warm regions.”

The resulting Maltese Vermentino wine, a particular favourite of mine, is not yet well known by many local white wine lovers. It is aromatic, full-flavoured and slightly spicy. When it is young, it is fresh, fruity and quite floral but after a couple of years in bottle, it develops into a much fatter, fuller-flavoured wine with bags of character and finesse.

I really believe this to be a wine that’s just ‘waiting in the wings’ so to speak, that will eventually reveal itself in years to come as one of our islands’ viticultural jewels.

Maltese Vermentino is also great with food, especially shellfish platters, crisp summer salads and oriental food, in particular Thai cuisine and sushi.

Another independent tribute for the Maltese Vermentino came from Stuart Walton, author of The World Encyclopedia of Wine, following a visit and tasting at the Delicata winery a few years ago. He said: “A strikingly aromatic Medina Vermentino-Zibibbo blend is full of jasmine and apple, with nipping, delicate acidity.”

The remaining white varieties still to be pressed by Delicata from this year’s harvest are the Moscato (Zibibbo) and Malta’s indigenous grape, Girgentina.