Delicata might well be the most awarded winery of Malta located in the heart of the Mediterranean where Phoenicians grew grapes hundreds of years ago. Like their Tyrian purple dye, prized in antiquity because the colour became brighter with weathering, Delicata’s wines capture the Islands’ sunlight. They shine at renowned wine competitions and have amassed over 100 international awards.
The Delicata story began more than 100 years ago, when a general practitioner named Eduardo Delicata pursued a second lifelong creative passion and hobby; that of winemaking. Delicata’s roots go back to as early as 1907. For over one century, the company has remained in the hands of the Delicata family who still runs what is most probably Malta’s most successful winery with over 100 international awards under their winemaker’s belt to show for.
Malta might well be the world’s smallest wine-producing country. The history of winemaking in Malta, is a long and winding road with many challenges on the way. The Delicata winery has taken each one of them with confidence by always planning and investing ahead of time. Only in the last 20 years winemaking in Malta has gone through a revival.
Today, Delicata wineries portfolio of wines has scored over a century of international awards including Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in Bordeaux, Burgundy and London. Modern technology combined with experience and due diligence gives their unique wines an exciting hallmark, a new ‘Fresh Taste of Malta’.
Quite recently, fourth-generation winemakers Mario, Michael and Matthew have joined their father George Delicata at the winery’s helm. Together, they are working hard to keep alive the Delicata legacy of crafting fine Maltese heritage wines of pedigree. As they say “true colours shine” and Delicata’s Tyrian purple and regal golden-yellow, the company’s colours reflecting Mediterranean virtues and excellence, are shining brighter than ever.
Advanced Viticultural Practices
The Delicata family knows that keeping very high standards in their viticultural practices is the most critical step in the winemaking process. It is impossible to make great wine from mediocre grapes! Applying advanced viticultural practices that are site specific, the Delicata winery strives to achieve excellence in every grape, ensuring ideal ripeness and picking only then, even if it means less than an acre at a time. All the picking at this winery is done by hand!
Delicata winery launched ‘Vines for Wines’ project in 1994 which encourage landowners to grow quality grapes for the winery. The ‘Vines for Wines’ project headed by Delicata’s team of viticultural experts has helped the farming community to plant hundreds of vineyards throughout Malta and Gozo using modern planting methods and drip irrigation. The varieties include the two indigenous grapes Girgentina and Gellewza and many more international varieties which were until then not commercially grown in Malta.
Although grape growing has got ancient roots in Malta, the country’s wine industry is young and modern viticultural practices were developed only lately.
Over 380 growers, one exceptional Domaine
Today, over 380 vignerons grow grapes of over 20 different international varieties for Delicata in family run pocket-sized vineyards. In addition to this, more are growing Malta’s indigenous Girgentina and Gellewza exclusively for Delicata. At Delicata, these unique Maltese grapes play a vital role in their winemaking philosophy. Crafting fine wine means matching the right site with the right grape variety, the right soil, rootstock, trellis system, row orientation, slope, and pruning regimen.
The Fresh Taste of Malta
Delicata promote themselves as a steward of wines, guiding each one throughout the process, dutifully monitoring fermentation, carefully deciding if and how to age, and diligently tasting along the way, all to ensure that they bottle the very best wine possible at the best possible price.