A selection of four wines by Malta’s award-winning Delicata winery was recently showcased at the Scirocco Wine Fest in Gibellina, Sicily.

Gibellina is a town in the Belice valley east of Marsala, dotted with outdoor avant-garde art installations yet encircled by ancient and vine-upholstered hills. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1968 and later rebuilt with the help of world-famous artists and architects.

In the main square, the Sistema delle Piazze, designed by Franco Purini and Laura Thermes, four Delicata wines were served alongside an exciting kaleidoscope of distinct wines from across the Mediterranean region.

Besides the Medina Chardonnay Girgentina 2017, three other Malta-grown Delicata wines could be tasted. These were Gozo’s Victoria Heights Chardonnay 2017 (silver medal winner at Chardonnay du Monde), Medina Grenache Cabernet Rosé 2017 (a gastronomic dry rosé) and the Grand Vin de Hauteville Shiraz Cabernet 2016 (a New World-inspired brick-red blend made in a startling classic style).

I had the pleasure of delivering a masterclass to a full house of wine and food critics together with wine writer Federico Latteri of  Cronache di Gusto, one of Italy’s foremost wine portals, and Pino Oddo, the master bottler of the organising winery, Gruppo Cantine Ermes – Tenute Orestiadi.

The flight of Maltese and premium Sicilian wines of the masterclass delivered one unified message. While various noble varieties such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon create excellent wines in both winemaking regions, native grape varieties, whether from Malta or Sicily, can shine just as bright if not a little more brightly in the Mediterranean landscape.

Georges Meekers is Delicata’s head of sales and an award-winning wine writer.