Wine Law

It is true that Malta and Gozo are much limited in size geographically speaking; however, the Maltese vintages have been given recognition abroad, even winning several prestigious awards in countries such as Italy and France. 2. Grape Varieties in Maltese Islands The grapes harvested on the Maltese Islands are many and varied, reckoned to be about thirty varieties which range from fully-bodied red wines to dry and crisp ideally chilled, white wines; for example, the white varieties include Chardonnay, Girgentina, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino and Moscato Bianco whilst the red/rosé varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Ġellewża, Merlot, Syrah and Grenache. The Girgentina and the Ġellewża varieties are the only two indigenous grapes for the Maltese Islands. Much of the significant success is admittedly due to the local all favourable climate conditions; except for the six months between November and April when the vines are dormant, during the other half of the year, the vines flourish well when the weather is typically rather warm and dry. 3. Legislative Framework It is pertinent to emphasise that the legislative framework on the wine industry comprises the enabling act, entitled the “Wine Act”, and the relative Subsidiary Legislations emanating therefrom, as already specified. 3.1. The Wine Act This act has been described as “ to provide for the control of the production, importation, marketing and advertising of wine-related products ” and replaced a previous legislation introduced in 1969, post-1964 independence. It is interesting that, at that time, the local authorities had already every intention to regulate the wine industry with the objective to improve its products to the highest quality possible. However, as was expected, with the accession of Malta to the European Union in 2004, much more was expected across the board, including from the wine production industry which accepted the challenge wholeheartedly.