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!

Pair of photos showing vineyards in Malta and plates of food at a restaurant

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.

A woman bottling an estate made liqueur

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.

A restaurant interior scene with sunlight streaming though the windows

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.

A beige hotel with blue detail in Malta

The hotel Iniala Harbour House is set in four town houses in Valletta’s 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.

Pair of photos showing a traditional cheese from Malta, and a winemaker looking at earthenware wine urns

From left: Ġbejna, a traditional Maltese cheese, served at Ion Harbour; Mark Cassar with earthenware pots he uses to ferment his wines.Ritty Tacsum