The wine
sector represents a considerable segment of agriculture in Malta. Presently,
the surface under vines in Malta consists of around 430 hectares, with nearly
all of these vines being cultivated for wine production. The number of farmers
cultivating vines on the Maltese islands is of over 900 farmers.
There are
also 18 licensed wine producers; 14 in Malta and 5 in Gozo. 12 of these
wineries, produce wines with a Geographical Indication, wines also known as
Quality wines.
The
Agriculture Directorate is the competent authority on vine cultivation, wine
making practices and the marketing of wines.
From a
viticulture aspect, the main role of the directorate is to maintain a detailed
register of all vineyards in Malta and Gozo, which data is verified through
vineyard on the spot inspections. Commercial wine production can only take
place from grapes produced in registered vineyards.
With powers
conferred through the Wine Act, the Directorate also issues the annual
wineries’ licenses in collaboration with the Health Department. The Wine Act
also enables also the Directorate to certify quality wines and perform market
controls with regards to wine labelling and other quality wine requisites to
ensure full adherence to local and EU wine regulations.
Quality wines
The European
Union’s wine regulations establish the minimum requisites for table wines to be
marketed as such. Table wines do not have a link with a particular territory.
On the other
hand, wines with a Geographical Indication (PDO or PGI) have a direct link to
the territory of production and through stricter rules of production, the
quality of the wine goes beyond the minimum requirements established for a
table wine.
Malta has 3
GI wines; the IĠT ‘Maltese Islands’, the DOK ‘Malta’ and the DOK ‘Gozo’. The
IĠT ‘Maltese Islands’ is a wine produced from grapes cultivated on the islands
and has a production protocol that limits the yield of grapes per hectare to
attain higher quality than the table wines.
The DOK
‘Malta’ and DOK ‘Gozo’ are wines that attain a higher quality even from the IĠT
wines through stricter yields per hectare, methods of cultivation and the use
of only the most suitable grape varieties. The grapes for such wines have to be
produced exclusively in Malta and Gozo respectively.
Certification
Wines being
marketed as DOK or IĠT have to be certified as such after a rigorous process
carried out by the Directorate. The Directorate follows the whole wine making
process from the beginning by assessing the production and making sure that the
grapes are suitable for the production of such wines.
When the wine
is ready, the Directorate collects the DOK and IĠT wine samples and sends them
to an accredited foreign laboratory for analysis the to ensure that they comply
with their respective standard. Moreover, the DOK wines need also be submitted to
a panel of professional wine tasters for their evaluation prior to be certified
as such.
Aside from
the written denominations on the respective labels; the DOK ‘Malta’ & DOK
‘Gozo’ wines carry a pale yellow banderole, whilst IĠT ‘Maltese Islands’ wines
have a green banderole making them easily recognizable from the table wines
which lack these yellow and green banderols and instead carry the pink excise
stamp in the form of a banderole or a small circular stamp attached to the
bottle.
Additional Information:
Legislations & Regulations