Seven weeks ago, Delicata started the pressing of its 2015 grapes with its DOK Malta Chardonnay. Forty-nine days later, as the penultimate ‘big red’ DOK Malta Cabernet Sauvignon grapes roll into the winery, this year’s pressing is coming to a close.

The last two grapes going through the Delicata press are Malta’s very own unique, indigenous grape varieties Girgentina and Ġellewża.

The indigenous grape varieties of Malta – Girgentina (left) and Ġellewża.

So far, Delicata has pressed in excess of 1.1 million kilos of locally-grown grapes from an assortment of over 20 varieties.

As is the case every year, Girgentina and Ġellewża are the last to be hand-picked by an army of Delicata growers, all of whom are anxious to pick early in the month rather than late due to the sporadic but sometimes heavy rainfall that can (and often does) occur in September. As far as the winemaker is concerned, leaving the grapes on the vine just that little bit longer yields better results.

The principal advantage of a prolonged dry season is the sanitary state of the grapes, and the rainfall has been minimal this month. Thus late picking took place earlier this week.

To receive disease/mildew-free grapes that have attained optimum ripeness by these late ripening varieties is a yearly objective, but it is not always achieved. However, this year, once again, patience has been rewarded. The quality of both varieties of the 2015 harvested indigenous grapes is first class and will no doubt achieve above-average levels of natural alcohol.

The indigenous grape varieties of Malta have been championed by Delicata for years. The white Girgentina is a large, loose- bunched variety, with amber-coloured, thick-skinned berries that are both fragrant and fruity. The resulting wines are crisp, slightly ‘mineral’ and full-flavoured, and produce good quality dry white wines, which can be used exclusively on their own, like in the semi-sparkling brut IGT Girgentina Frizzante, or blended with Chardonnay as in the DOK Malta Medina Chardonnay Girgentina; or else with Vermentino and Viognier to produce the company’s ever popular Pjazza Regina IGT Maltese Islands white.

The large berried, pale red Ġellewża variety is packed with ripe aromatic fruit flavours and is nearly all fermented as a rosé wine at Delicata. This then goes into the IGT wine Pjazza Regina Rosé (often blended with either Grenache or Syrah) and exclusively into the IGT Maltese Falcon Rosé.

Most famously, however, it is used for the popular IGT ‘lifestyle rosé’ Ġellewża Frizzante, which has won six international wine awards in recent years. A small amount of red Ġellewża also goes into the company’s latest red wine release, Medina Ġellewża.