A special attraction has been created for this years popular Casal Fornaro in Qormi, a Wine Pjazza, in collaboration with the organisers of Malta's biggest wine event, Delicata.
The Delicata Wine Pjazza will be located at the café riche end of main street and will consist of six wine stalls offering a selection of 17 D.O.K. and I.G.T. quality wines. It will be run along similar lines to Delicata's popular Classic Wine Festival whereby anyone wishing to try the wine need only purchase a glass from a cash point, which is then their's to keep, and they can try as many wines on show as they like.
The wines that will be exhibited in Delicata's Wine Pjazza are; the two I.G.T. Maltese Island ranges of red, white and rose The Maltese Falcon and the recently launched Pjazza Regina; three wines from the increasingly popular Medina range of D.O.K. Malta wines; three wines from Gozo's top seller Victoria Heights D.O.K. Gozo; the two indigenous wines of Malta, Gellewza and Girgentina Fizzante; and three wines from Delicata's range of Classic Collection wines including the popular sweet wine Casella Moscato.
The grape varieties represented throughout this selection of 17 wines include the two unique indigenous varieties Gellewza and Girgentina as well as more recently planted international varieties such as Chardonnay, Viognier, Vermentino, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache and Sangiovese.
The event which is on Saturday 17th October starting at 7.00pm celebrates its third year and is full of cultural attractions for people of all ages and due to the popularity of the previous editions, more streets are being used for this year's event, enabling even more crafts and traditions to be showcased.
The event's organisers, mostly youths who are members of the St Sebastian Youth Commission (KŻB), are holding a number of interesting art exhibitions and musical entertainment, including the terramaxka, folk singing and local bands. Seven band clubs named after Knights of St John are going to come together for the first time. Several popular Maltese and Gozitan singers and dancers will also be performing. Feast ornaments from various villages that are the works of Chev. Michael Camilleri Cauchi should also prove to be an attraction, especially to those who are enthusiasts of Maltese festas.
Among the other attractions is a huge pudding with the proceeds going to Puttinu Cares and a life-size house of sweets. There will be food stalls with traditional dishes including the ftira from Qormi, rabbit and pork served inside a Maltese loaf and other food linked to the culture of Qormi. A variety of Maltese wines and traditional sweets will also be on sale including a group of bakers and their bread from neighbouring Sicily.
Dotted along the streets of Qormi visitors will come across a variety of exhibitions including a wartime shelter beneath which was the local armoury as well as traditional crafts and elderly Qormi residents who will exhibit fretwork, metal flower sculptures and lacework. Following last year's successful Lejl f'Casal Fornaro, greater attention has been paid this year to making more space available and increasing accessibility for people with disabilities. Both the football ground and the PAVI shopping complex parking area have been devoted to visitor parking. The public is also being encouraged to wear traditional Maltese costumes to the event to help relive and enjoy times gone by.
For more information and a detailed Lejl f'Casal Fornaro programme, visit www.casalfornaro.com.
GRANADA CLASSIFICATION.
Granada, which is located near the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Andalusia region of southern Spain has had its wines classified in the third quality tier of Spain's wine classification system - Spanish Vinos de Calidad.
The Vino de Calidad de Granada appellation, which can be for red (min 12% abv), white (11% abv) and sparkling wines (10% abv) allows the regions white wines to be made from Vijiriego, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Moscatel de Alejandría, Moscatel de Grano Menudo or Morisca, Pedro Ximenez, Palomino, Baladí Verdejo and Torrontés.
Whereas the permitted red grapes are Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Monastrell, Romé and Petit Verdot.
The permitted planting density for vineyards in the Vino de Calidad de Granada appellation must be between 1,300-5,000 vines per hectare.