Malta-grown Nero d’avola grapes.

Noble red grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are just three of the red grape varieties that will be pressed at the Delicata winery during this harvest period.

They are by far the most famous grape varieties and are widely planted throughout most of the world’s winemaking countries.

All in all, Delicata will this year press 10 different red grapes (plus seven whites), including ones from experimental vineyards, which will be pressed for the very first time by the winemaker.

The other lesser-known red varieties to be pressed are Grenache, Carignan, Cabernet Franc, Ġellewża, Sangiovese and two new ones – Tempranillo and Nero d’avola.

Tempranillo is most famously used in Spain’s iconic red wine Rioja, while the protected Italian variety Nero d’avola is predominantly grown closer to home, in nearby Sicily.

Both varieties produce wine berries slightly larger and fleshier than the average Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.

The Tempranillo are thick-skinned and capable of making deep-coloured, long-lasting, barrel-matured wines of medium alcohol while Nero d’avola’s natural alcohol is usually slightly higher, also deep coloured, and once again capable of producing long-lasting wines that are suitable for barrel maturation.