After building the city of Valletta, almost five centuries ago, the Knights of St John are celebrating the capital’s birth with the launch of a limited edition set of wines.

The Valletta 444 wines, a classic Merlot and a refreshing Friulano, were launched this morning at the knight’s embassy to mark Valletta Day on Saturday.

The wines were produced at the knights' Rocca Bernarda Estates, in Udine. The emblem of the Order, a white cross on a red background, stands out on the dark bottles.

Although the capital turns 443 years this year, the wine reflects the city’s forward looking stance, which it why it carries the 444 mark, explained Max Castagna the managing director of importer company Casa Vini.

Valletta Mayor Alexei Dingli said this was a significant launch as the wine would be made available to local and foreign markets. He encouraged more private investment in the city adding that it was important that such projects respected the capital’s cultural past yet looked forward into the future.

The set will be launched in Italy next week during the Vin Italy festival in Verona were Valletta 444 will be featured among other prestigious wines.

There are only 2,000 sets of these limited edition wines that cost €50 each.