Ritty Tacsum
The scent of lemon trees hung in the stillness.
Olive groves swept over the slopes and giant pear cacti appeared like rabbit ears above the ground.
Only smell it once!
From left: One of Delicata’s partner vineyards sits just outside the walled town of Mdina, Malta; beef carpaccio and pasta at Ta’Philip.Credit:Ritty Tacsum
The more you smell, the less it’s possible for you to smell.
Spiteri recently took over the wine estateTaMena, onGozo, the second-largest island in the Maltese archipelago.
Run by Spiteris uncle Philip, the restaurant specializes in meats cooked overnight in a wood-burning oven.
An estate-made liqueur being bottled at Ta’Mena.Ritty Tacsum
Its been suggested that Girgentina relates to the village of Girgenti in south Malta, he said.
Gellewza probably comes from the Arabic word for hazelnut.
Nearly everything Malta produces is consumed locally, so theres no need to export, Meekers told me.
The dining room at Ta’Philip, on the island of Gozo.Ritty Tacsum
What began as a handful of people swelled to more than 200 farmers.
Delicata does the research for them, Meekers said.
The winerys viticulturists take soil samples and tell them which varieties are suitable for their land.
The hotel Iniala Harbour House is set in four town houses in Vallettaâs center.Ritty Tacsum
Its a chardonnay that has been macerated for three months with the skins and pips, he explained.
After I left Cassar, I drove back across the island, passing mile after mile of vineyards.
I wondered whose tables the bottles would eventually reach.
From left: Ġbejna, a traditional Maltese cheese, served at Ion Harbour; Mark Cassar with earthenware pots he uses to ferment his wines.Ritty Tacsum
