The first of this year’s 2012 vintage white grapes, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, have nearly all been pressed at the Delicata winery.

So far, the total amount of Sauvignon Blanc pressed, which all received DOK Malta accreditation, was 28,000 kilos, which equates to approximately 28,000 75cl wine bottles. Once fermented, these grapes will produce both the Medina and Gran Cavalier Sauvignon Blanc wines.

As for Chardonnay, the amount of DOK Gozo Chardonnay pressed so far is 44,000 kilos, which will produce approximately 44,000 bottles of Victoria Heights, and 124,000 kilos of mixed DOK Malta and IGT Maltese Island Chardonnay.

The final deliveries of these hand-picked varietals arrive later this week.

The DOK grapes, once fermented, will go into the monovarietal Medina Chardonnay and some will be blended with Malta’s indigenous white variety, to produce the increasingly popular Medina Chardonnay Girgentina blend.

The remaining DOK Chardonnay will go into the barrel-matured Grand Vin de Hauteville and the barrel-fermented Gran Cavalier.

The IGT Maltese Island Chardonnay will go into the monovarietal Maltese Falcon Chardonnay and the remainder will be blended with Vermentino, Viognier and Girgentina to go into Delicata’s exceptional value-for-money brand, Pjazza Reġina.

Three other remaining white grapes being pressed next week will be the DOK Malta Vermentino, Voignier and Moscato.

The unique Maltese indigenous white grape Girgentina will be pressed at the beginning of September.