Wine Law

3.2. Legal Notice No. 167 of 2007, “IĠT Wines Production Protocols Regulations” This Subsidiary Legislation, which consists of one page with four Articles, one Schedule and three Annexes, was for the specific regulation of the IĠT wine production within the Maltese Islands. The three annexes are [I] a 1:160,000 scale map of the Maltese Islands delineating the borders marking the region of grape production falling under the Geographical Indication (GI) “ Maltese Islands ”; [II] a list with the “Key of the Local Councils”, or better “Codes”, for each location, within the Maltese Islands; and [III] a list of the Local “Councils making up the Harbour Area”. It is pertinent to point out that these annexes are similarly reproduced and attached with Legal Notice No. 146 of 2007, which regulates the DOK wine production with certain differences. On the one hand, Annex I to Schedule I of the latter Legal Notice provides only a map of Malta, rather than the Maltese Islands, with 1:110,000 scale instead, which delineates the regions of grape production falling under the Denomination of Origin (DO) “ Malta ”. On the other hand, Schedule II provides a map of the island of Gozo (and of a smaller island known as Comino) in a 1:55.00 scale delineating the Island of Gozo, thus marking the region of grape production falling under the DO “ Gozo ”. This first Subsidiary Legislation simply provides that “ Wines shall only be certified as “MALTESE ISLANDS” I.Ġ.T. wines if the protocol in Schedule I is fully respected .” 15 . It is Schedule I that carries the protocol for a licensed vintner to obtain the IĠT certification for his locally produced wines, making specific reference to the Annex I of Council Regulation (EC) 1493/99, which, in turn, references the typologies of wine under Article 2(1) of this Schedule, entitled “Oenological Typologies”. The protocol further provides for the “Ampelographic scope” whereby, for example, the mono-varietal production of wine, a minimum of 85% of the grape variety to be identified may be used for its production, whilst the remaining 15% “ may be derived from non-aromatic grapes have the same I.Ġ.T. typology .” 16 . The Schedule further addresses the maximum production of wine allowed per hectare in selected vineyards for the production of the Maltese Islands IĠT. This, whether for red, white and rosé typologies, with or without a non-varietal production with the vinification thereof, 15 Legal Notice No. 167 of 2007, Article 4(2). 16 Ibid , Schedule I, Article 4(2).