Whether it's wine, Medi-terranean food, the festa atmosphere, traditional music, or art and history you are after, next weekend will offer a brimming programme right at the very heart of Grandmaster Manuel Pinto's beloved city, Qormi.
Renowned for its wine-making culture, Qormi sees the fourth edition of a two-day wine festival that goes beyond the regular event that has mushroomed all over Malta and Gozo. An abundance of white, red and rosé wines by Marsovin can be tasted free of charge by anyone over 16 years of age if one purchases a commemorative glass at just €8. But the Qormi Wine Festival offers much more than that. From 8 p.m. till midnight, between next Friday and Saturday, Qormi invites one and all to a true taste of the sounds and flavours of the Mediterranean. From year to year the festival has managed to attract a crowd to envy, with more than 4,000 persons who turned up for last year's edition, making this festival one of the most sought-after of its type.
The culinary element, highly complementary to wine, presents itself in four Mediterranean varieties - local traditional food, together with Italian, Greek and Spanish paella dishes. More than 90 different artistes, including the Astra Folk Group, the Big Band Brothers and several other groups and soloists, will entertain the public from three separate stages, while a number of competitions and exhibitions are held concurrently.
The main street in front of St George's church will be dressed up for the occasion to reflect a typical festa atmosphere. It remains at the centre stage with most of the activity, organised by the Kumitat Festi Esterni San Ġorġ Martri, Qormi, being held there.
But the festival goes beyond what has now become a standard formula for wine festivals. The annual wine competition, that last year attracted more than 100 different varieties, is again an important feature in this year's programme, with home-made wines to be assessed by expert judges according to six different categories on the festival opening night.
For the first time, a floral competition will be held with flower arrangements designed on the theme of the traditional Maltese festa. The flower arrangements will then remain on display in an exhibition set up for the duration of the festival.
Other exhibitions held throughout the two days are intended to attract the attention of culture-minded visitors, young and mature alike. A wine exhibition, recreating tableaux of the typical village wine bar at the turn of the century, has already been set up inside the organising committee's premises in Rock Street and will be inaugurated tomorrow, almost a full week ahead of the wine festival. For Friday and Saturday, a painting exhibition with works by Daniel Scerri in the Byzantine style will be mounted open-air in Alley 1 in Main Street, as will a photo exhibition by photographer Christopher Azzopardi a few blocks down in Alley 6.
But perhaps the main attraction in this category will be the St George's church museum that will be open specifically for the occasion. Historical documents and artefacts on display, some of which date as far back as the 15th century, relate to the main historical happenings of Qormi and St George's church. Paintings by Mattia Preti, Francesco Zahra and Stefano Erardi can be seen alongside historical documents and sketches, and Grand Master Pinto's own carriage.
Contemporary artefacts added to the collection in recent years give a more modern dimension to the rich collection that remains a relatively undiscovered minefield waiting to be explored.
So if you feel like doing something different than the usual routine, yet savouring the very essence of Maltese and Mediterranean lifestyle, plan your next weekend around the Qormi Wine Festival. Parking should not be a headache as specially designated areas in the vicinity of the venues are being allocated for visitors' parking. Signs directing traffic from Żebbuġ, Santa Venera, Ħamrun and Birkirkara have also been set up to assist the traffic flow.
For foreign visitors who do not have their own transport arrangements, the organising committee has created a tailor-made package that includes the transport to and from the festival, the souvenir wine glass entitling the bearer to free unlimited wine, and one plate from the selection of Maltese, Italian, Greek and Spanish food sold at the stalls. Such packages have to be booked by e-mail on: qormiwine festival@gmail.com by not later than two days before one's preferred evening.
• Merit for the organisation of this event has to go to the Kumitat Festi Esterni San Ġorġ Martri, Qormi, in collaboration with the Qormi local council, the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth and Sport, and Marsovin.
Renowned for its wine-making culture, Qormi sees the fourth edition of a two-day wine festival that goes beyond the regular event that has mushroomed all over Malta and Gozo. An abundance of white, red and rosé wines by Marsovin can be tasted free of charge by anyone over 16 years of age if one purchases a commemorative glass at just €8. But the Qormi Wine Festival offers much more than that. From 8 p.m. till midnight, between next Friday and Saturday, Qormi invites one and all to a true taste of the sounds and flavours of the Mediterranean. From year to year the festival has managed to attract a crowd to envy, with more than 4,000 persons who turned up for last year's edition, making this festival one of the most sought-after of its type.
The culinary element, highly complementary to wine, presents itself in four Mediterranean varieties - local traditional food, together with Italian, Greek and Spanish paella dishes. More than 90 different artistes, including the Astra Folk Group, the Big Band Brothers and several other groups and soloists, will entertain the public from three separate stages, while a number of competitions and exhibitions are held concurrently.
The main street in front of St George's church will be dressed up for the occasion to reflect a typical festa atmosphere. It remains at the centre stage with most of the activity, organised by the Kumitat Festi Esterni San Ġorġ Martri, Qormi, being held there.
But the festival goes beyond what has now become a standard formula for wine festivals. The annual wine competition, that last year attracted more than 100 different varieties, is again an important feature in this year's programme, with home-made wines to be assessed by expert judges according to six different categories on the festival opening night.
For the first time, a floral competition will be held with flower arrangements designed on the theme of the traditional Maltese festa. The flower arrangements will then remain on display in an exhibition set up for the duration of the festival.
Other exhibitions held throughout the two days are intended to attract the attention of culture-minded visitors, young and mature alike. A wine exhibition, recreating tableaux of the typical village wine bar at the turn of the century, has already been set up inside the organising committee's premises in Rock Street and will be inaugurated tomorrow, almost a full week ahead of the wine festival. For Friday and Saturday, a painting exhibition with works by Daniel Scerri in the Byzantine style will be mounted open-air in Alley 1 in Main Street, as will a photo exhibition by photographer Christopher Azzopardi a few blocks down in Alley 6.
But perhaps the main attraction in this category will be the St George's church museum that will be open specifically for the occasion. Historical documents and artefacts on display, some of which date as far back as the 15th century, relate to the main historical happenings of Qormi and St George's church. Paintings by Mattia Preti, Francesco Zahra and Stefano Erardi can be seen alongside historical documents and sketches, and Grand Master Pinto's own carriage.
Contemporary artefacts added to the collection in recent years give a more modern dimension to the rich collection that remains a relatively undiscovered minefield waiting to be explored.
So if you feel like doing something different than the usual routine, yet savouring the very essence of Maltese and Mediterranean lifestyle, plan your next weekend around the Qormi Wine Festival. Parking should not be a headache as specially designated areas in the vicinity of the venues are being allocated for visitors' parking. Signs directing traffic from Żebbuġ, Santa Venera, Ħamrun and Birkirkara have also been set up to assist the traffic flow.
For foreign visitors who do not have their own transport arrangements, the organising committee has created a tailor-made package that includes the transport to and from the festival, the souvenir wine glass entitling the bearer to free unlimited wine, and one plate from the selection of Maltese, Italian, Greek and Spanish food sold at the stalls. Such packages have to be booked by e-mail on: qormiwine festival@gmail.com by not later than two days before one's preferred evening.
• Merit for the organisation of this event has to go to the Kumitat Festi Esterni San Ġorġ Martri, Qormi, in collaboration with the Qormi local council, the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth and Sport, and Marsovin.