July signifies the return of the Marsovin Summer Wine Festival at Hastings gardens in Valletta, a location that lends itself perfectly to the event. Wine-lovers can enjoy a walk through the garden while enjoying the majestic views from the Valletta bastions, overlooking the Yacht Marina and Sliema harbour.
The event includes a cultural and entertaining concept, presenting myriad professional musicians performing daily, while offering a vast selection of over 30 certified D.O.K and I.Ġ.T quality wines from grapes grown around Malta and Gozo.
All the wines can be enjoyed by visiting the different wine bars carefully spread around Hastings Gardens. As with all previous editions, the event adopted a token system in exchange for wine, encouraging patrons to taste and enjoy the large variety of quality wines made available, without over consuming.
This year, artists include Airport Impressions, one of the most successful bands to have emerged locally in recent years; The Creepers, a cutting edge vintage blues band; Kazinska, a talented seven-piece ensemble giving their own cool interpretation of traditional band marches; and the sister duo New Victorians. More live acts and chill out music are also included.
For the very first time, this year the festival includes a dedicated Wine Educational Area, which will offer fun and interactive ways to learn about wine. This area will feature a blind tasting of a selection of wines, followed by a detailed explanation of each one, and the opportunity to walk away with a prize.
Marsovin has engaged various restaurants and caterers to showcase their cuisine, offering a small but enticing selection of dishes at very reasonable prices. Renowned Asian fusion restaurant Temptasian will be manning a sushi bar; Bottegin Palazzo Xara will be setting up for their famous 12-hour smoked pork; Eat Me I’m Famous will be offering freshly-made pizza on site; Brass&Knuckle will be present with premium cold cuts & cheese; Chukkas Grill will be chargrilling a variety of meats; and The Pulled Meat Company will be preparing an array of mouthwatering Maltese dishes.
All those attending the wine festival can purchase a €15 token package fee, which includes a premium festival wine glass to take home and €15 worth of wine tokens, with which one can either taste up to 20 different wines or drink a selection of wines by the glass or by the bottle. Alternatively, for those who are not wine drinkers but still want to mingle around and enjoy the live entertainment, a variety of non-alcoholic refreshments will also be available for sale.
The Marsovin Summer Wine Festival takes place on July 15, 16 and 17 between 8pm and 1am at Hastings Garden, Valletta.
www.marsovinwinefestival.com