Touring Malta Through Wine From The Comfort of Home

Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, must have been in coronavirus lock-down when a cargo of the finest Maltese reds and whites was transported to London and onwards to my home for a tasting on Zoom.

Don’t be tempted to open your bottles before the appointed time, 17.00 on a sunny Thursday, we were warned.

The consignment duly sat in my front hall until a couple of days before I cut open the bubble wrap to reveal soggy cardboard and a viciously shattered bottle, smashed at the neck to disgorge its contents.

The shards of glass were consigned to the recycle bin and the Maltese Tourist Board took over from Bacchus to send a replacement bottle, this time sensibly protected in a rigid box and emblazoned with FRAGILE stickers.

So by 3pm that Thursday two bottles of white were already cooling in my fridge and a duo of reds uncorked and breathing in the warmth of my garden, in the shade of a parasol.  Four glasses of recommended size were ready.  As was I.

The stage was set for our Zoom session which began like all others: ‘Can you hear me?’  ‘I think you need to press un-mute.’  ‘I can see you.  Can you see me?’

One self-confessed wine geek, posed provocatively against a backdrop of his Maltese bolt hole to show off olive trees and pool while the rest of us seethed in stuffy offices or cluttered living rooms.

I’ve never knowingly tasted a Maltese wine outside the sunny Mediterranean island, nor seen rows of Maltese wine on supermarket shelves. So this was a first.

Our four wines were all from the tiny Ta’Betta vineyard and were variously described as robust, opulent, tenacious, elegant, profound or flirtatious.  As a woman who enjoys her wine but has no in-depth know-how I could run out of adjectives.

Delicious, rich, cheeky, fruity, full-bodied didn’t quite cut the mustard. My beer-drinking son threw in ‘subtle, deeply sweet, complex, elderflowery, tart.’ I doubt we will make the grade as sommeliers.

The boutique state of the art vineyard, established in 2003, is the brainchild of Astrid and Juanito Camilleri, who named it after their daughter Bettina. The Ta’Betta brand, which means belonging to Betta, carries the logo of a girl reaching out to a vine.

We reached out to our first wine, corkscrew in hand to open the first white, named Jean Parisot after  the victor of the First Siege of Malta in 1565 and who lay the foundation stone of the city of Valetta a year later.

Described as a tenacious big wine this oak-fermented 2018 Chardonnay packed a punch.  That 14.5 alcohol content kicked in while the amber liquid suggested apricot, white fig and vanilla.  Another taster detected butterscotch.

‘I’m getting bowler hats and car bumpers,’ I chipped in, emboldened by the alcohol.  Well, bowler hats are velvety and bumpers strong.  And this wine was both.

A laughing Juanito,  reckoned it would team well with foie gras – enough to send any vegan into a dead faint.

It would also pair with Malta’s favourite rabbit stew, tuna and soft cheeses.  I made do with Brazil nuts and cheese straws.

Next was another Chardonnay, 2017, and 14% alcohol, ideal for pairing with octopus,  roast pork and caramelised onions.

Now for the first reds: an opulent blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon conveying red forest fruits, strawberries, cassis, chocolate and caramel. This was my favourite as it contained all the foods I adore.  And I can pair it with lamb or salmon.  What’s not to like?

I gave up smoking years ago but a robust blend of Syrah and Cabernet Franc has undertones of  tobacco. That beats a nicotine patch.

The terraced vineyard, with its 15,000 mature vines over four hectares, already exports to Switzerland and Germany, retailing at 60 Euro a bottle, and Juanito is keen to break into the UK and Japanese markets.

Sadly Brexit and Covid have conspired against him.

Our only way is to journey to Malta, to join a wine tasting at the vineyard in Girgenti, with its surrounding olive, fig and carob trees against a backdrop of the medieval town of Medina.

Sign me up, please.

• Wine tasting at Ta’ Betta is priced from 75 euros per person, see www.tabetta.com for more information.
• Return flights with Air Malta from London Heathrow to Malta start from £202.77  per person. For further information about Malta see www.maltauk.com. Please check with FCO before planning any travel.