Grape Picking in Malta

A day at a vineyard in Ta'Qali

By Rainer Von Helin on Oct 20, 2014

Not very many people get to experience Malta in such a unique way. In August we spent two days in the searing heat picking grapes at a family run vineyard in the Ta'Qali area in Malta, opposite the grand Meridiana wine estate. We came across the opportunity to go grape picking through a shared post on Facebook. To our surprise, for once social media was actually bringing us closer to a real life experience, rather than portraying inflated hyperrealism as it usually does. Our contact was the vineyard owner's son, a talented musician, going by the name of Cygna.

We met and started work early in the morning clipping the grape vines alongside the vineyard's owner Francis Sammut and his family and friends. Every now and then we would stop for breaks, enjoying the company of friendly locals and homemade Ftiras. The unbearable heat was most definitely rectified by the atmosphere, the sound of birds and crickets, the amicable conversations and ice-cold water.

Francis Sammut, now a retired clerk, planted his grape vines in 2004 and retired shortly after in 2007. Since then he has spent his time focusing on his passion for grape cultivation and winemaking. When asking what wine grapes they produced at the vineyard, we discovered that their selection of white wine grapes included Chardonnay, Vermentino and Viognier. Red wine grapes, harvested later in the season, included Merlot and the very exclusive Nero d'Avola variety (which was not grown for sale).

Photos by Brigitta Rebecca Kessel

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As I mentioned before, the grapes we so earnestly picked during those two days were destined across the road to the Meridiana wine estate. Our handpicked grapes would eventually be used to make a first class chardonnay named Isis, which Francis regards as one of the best Malta has to offer. Out of all the wine varieties produced in Malta, Francis could not point out which one the island was most known for, although his definite favourite wine is made of Maltese Merlot grapes.

As for the secret of good wine making, the key is to be in possession of good healthy grapes, growing them well, keeping an eye on their growth and taking care of them daily.

When it comes to pleasures in life, we at Hēdonē Magazine are always interested in knowing what people consider to be their ultimate pleasure. For Francis Sammut, the retired clerk and passionate winemaker, his ultimate pleasure is to succeed and get the results he expects. "This year was my worst year, I had fungus and I did everything I could but still, I had problems. My pleasure is to succeed. I had to throw away about 300kg." The experience truly showed us the hard work behind winemaking, and until this day, not a single sip of wine is taken for granted. Next time you enjoy a bottle of Meridiana ISIS, think of us, the hard work that goes into handpicked harvesting and Francis Sammut's love for his grapes.

Winemaker Francis Sammut

The family run vineyard was relatively small and the Chardonnay grapes which we were filling the green crates with were destined to a much larger vineyard across the road, the Meridiana wine estate, producing Malta's finest wine. This year over 5000kg of grapes were carried across the road. The two-day harvest required a dozen people to pick and transport the grapes across the road to the Meridiana wine estate. Whereas some vineyards harvest in the evening and press their grapes in the morning, the Sammut family delivered and pressed their grapes within the hour to ensure the best results and quality of wine.

Whereas larger wine estates rely on mechanical harvesting, our grape picking experience consisted of handpicking and the occasional finger cut, the old school way. The differences between handpicking and mechanical harvesting, Francis explained, included the different pruning of the grape vines, the greater damages of mechanical harvesting and the understandably longer duration of handpicked harvests.

The best time to harvest grapes is apparently during the night, when the grapes are resting and aren't under stress. Night picking however, is not a luxury hand pickers get to enjoy. Considering the small size of the vineyard, handpicking is the easiest and most reasonable method of harvest.

When asking what made Maltese wine special, our answer came in the form of another question, "what is special about the Estonian women?" Francis Sammut's humour explained to us how the environment of each individual country gives distinct imprints to both people and wines. Climate, temperature, humidity, hours of sunlight, these are all elements which affect the quality of wine.

The longer the hours of sunlight, the better it is for the grapes, allowing them to produce sugar at a good rate and ripening effectively. Most of all however, the quality of wine is mainly influenced by the amounts of rain and sun. Interestingly enough, we discovered that the colour of a wine depends on the grape skins used. Meaning you can make a white wine using red grape juice and white grape skins. In order to grow DOC wine, with the quality assurance of Denominazione di Origine Controllata (controlled designation of origin) vines had to get cut to maintain the quality and standard of 2.5kg per vine.

We wondered about the ripening process and how winemakers determine the ripeness of their grapes. What happens is the flowers and the braches start to form, in the beginning the grapes are very acidic, slowly turning sweet and achieving the right colour. Winemakers use special thermometers to sample the grapes and find out at which levels the grapes' sugars are. Most winemakers with experience can determine the ripeness by looking at the grapes, although crushing a sample and getting a reading of the sugar and alcohol levels using a thermometer is the most reliable method.

Since joining the European Union, winemaking in Malta has changed along with its politics. Systems and methods had to be adapted to EU standards; belonging to the EU also meant Maltese wine producers would have to compete with import products. All these regulations and bureaucracy has improved the quality of local wine in Malta. One of Francis Sammut's last jobs as a clerk was to inspect grapes imported from other countries, hence, we trust his judgment when questioning the quality of wine in Malta compared to other European countries.