This year is expected to be a particularly good year for local wines, especially thanks to the constant weather.

Grape harvesting was in full swing yesterday as Malta raised a glass to the annual grape picking season, which will see millions of berries processed for bottling. The island’s wine-making period started last week and normally runs through to the end of November, but grape picking will last just a few more weeks.

For the Delicatas, winemaking is strictly a family affair. “We work hand in hand with family vineyards and make wine that is enjoyed by families – this is what it’s all about for us,” said fourth-generation winemaker Matthew Delicata.

Together with his two brothers, Michael and Mario, he has honed the techniques established by his great-grandfather back in 1907.

This is what makes the wine: communication between the producers... and us the winemakers

Unlike their international counterparts, the Delicata winemakers never had the luxury of owning acres of vineyards, but Mr Delicata said he would not let that hold him back: “We work with just over 380 local families who own small and sustainable vineyards. This way we can keep an eye on our grapes, from vine to bottle.”

One of the volunteer pickers at Simon Azzopardi’s family vineyard. Photos: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Simon Azzopardi, with his wife Frances, has supplied the Delicatas with Syrah and indigenous Girgentina grapes for more than eight years.

“My mantra is simple: find a way to get the best product by using the best methods,” Mr Azzopardi said, as he picked sun-ripened Syrah grapes from his picturesque terraced vineyard in Bidnija: the fruit destined for a “crisp” rosé.

“This is what makes the wine: communication between the producers, who put everything into growing their grapes, and us the winemakers,” Mr Delicata said, sharing a joke with one of Mr Azzopardi’s volunteer pickers.

Millions of grapes are shovelled into the centrifugal separator, which removes grapes from the stalk.

Once the grapes leave the vine they are carted off to the Delicata press where they are tested for yield and sugar content and separated into the two classifications: Indikazzjoni Ġeografika Tipika (IGT) and Denominazzjoni ta’ Oriġini Kontrollatta (DOK).

They are then separated from the stalk through centrifugal force, pressed and fermented before being bottled and finally making their way to the glass.