The agricultural sector has extensive opportunities that are yet to be realised and through the implementation of the national agricultural policy vision, tangible advancements can be achieved by current and future generations.
Our agricultural sector has been significantly reshaped following Malta’s accession to the European Union and changes throughout its various facets are still ongoing. The agricultural policy document is intended to safeguard and strengthen the various roles of stakeholders who will be playing a crucial role in the agricultural sector in the next decade, as well as placing major emphasis on social regeneration aspects relating to farmers and livestock breeders.
The rationale behind the development of the proposed policy document is that, within the period under review, local agriculture would be adequately supported and incentivised enough to ensure a very decent regular income to operators in the sector as well as attracting new entrants.
The agricultural policy document presents objectives that address key issues such as further emphasis on the promotion of agricultural products and placement of focus on health and nutrition. A study conducted before 2017 by the Agricultural Directorate, highlighted the fact that despite the DOK and IĠT certification being in place for 10 years, and although there has been improvement on the perception of local wine, there was still room for more knowledge about wine certification locally.
Therefore, after talks were held with Maltese wine producers to better understand their needs, a plan was devised in order to continue investing in the wine promotion campaign, aiming to raise awareness and interest in the distinctive quality wines produced in Malta under the protection of geographical indications as regulated by the European Union.
The educational and information campaign ‘Wines of Distinction’ launched in October 2017 drew attention and explained the meaning of DOK Malta, DOK Gozo and IĠT Maltese Islands, while aiming to raise awareness, attention and interest to the distinctiveness of quality wines.
In Malta, quality wines having a PDO denomination are labelled as DOK wines that have a ‘Denomination of Controlled Origin’, which means that they achieve the highest quality level as vine growers and winemakers must respect stricter parameters.
These wines are followed by ‘IĠT’ wines that have a ‘typical geographical indication’ label which guarantees high quality wine but with yields per hectare that are higher than those for DOK wines. The production of these wines today is guaranteed and all wines bearing the mark have been certified in accredited laboratories abroad.
In order for this quality to be reached, there is a lot of work and dedication involved: the farmer has to follow the production of grapes throughout the year; ensure that grapes reach a high quality before being harvested; the vintners have to ensure that grapes are made into distinct wine; and the directorate’s officials have to monitor and certify the process.
The role in producing quality wine is dual. The vine grower has to produce grapes of the highest quality and the vintner has to create a wine product that satisfies the consumer and market demands.
The wine grape varieties from which Maltese quality wines are produced include mostly international varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah, Cabernet sauvignon and Merlot.
However, such wines are also being produced from the local red Ġellewża and white Girgentina. These are either blended with other international grape varieties or else used exclusively to produce single variety wines.
The latter are very important for Malta since these two indigenous grape varieties are not found in any other wine-producing country. Thus, they have a unique character that calls for further research and investment both on quality production and marketing, especially since they are a common heritage to the Maltese population.
DOK Malta, DOK Gozo and IĠT Maltese Islands are registered EU wines and enjoy European protection. In our islands we have around 800 vinegrowers and most production today is geared towards IĠT and DOK. Production nowadays is more or less stable with around two million bottles anually of DOK and IGT wine.
In Malta and Gozo we have a total of 19 wineries, of which 12 produce DOK and IĠT and among them they cultivate circa 430 hectares of vines.
Ultimately, the intention of the Wines of Distinction campaign was that the Maltese population and foreign residents living in Malta, will come to appreciate the good quality wines that carry the DOK Malta, DOK Gozo and IĠT Maltese Islands certification and the laborious work involved.
The first wine appreciation event held in Malta recently was a huge success and those present had the opportunity to taste and appreciate the high quality wines produced by Maltese and Gozitan producers on our islands.
The Wines of Distinction campaign will end this year with the establishment of the first ever wine trail across the islands of all DOK and IĠT producers.
Malta and Gozo are proud to produce high quality wines of distinction that were recognised by the European Union and protected in the same manner as high quality protected wines throughout Europe.
Finally I can proudly say that due to the vast promotion for the public this campaign turned out to be successful and managed to instill appreciation in the Maltese consumer with regards to the meaning of production of DOK and IĠT wines.
Clint Camilleri is Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece