Wines of Malta - The Essential Guide
Author: Georges Meekers
ISBN: 99932.8.611.7
We don't often review books here, if at all. Book consumption is almost on par with wine consumption here at SBWinemakers and there are many books to recommend.
Let's get the ball rolling. Georges Meekers is the Regional Director at the Mediterranean Campus of the Wine Campus in Malta. It appears that no one since Pliny or Herodotus has written anything of depth or substance about Mediterranean wine, well maybe that is stretching it. Malta has played a significant role in world history. It has a unique culture, incredibly beautiful scenery, an exceptional climate and is located smack in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It even has its own varietals indigenous to itself.
If you ever want to find a country on par with Santa Barbara look no further. Malta has it all and more. What about the fact they are fluent in English, their native Maltese is similar to arabic written in the western script, the best seafood, the most scenic beaches. I could go on.
Maltese wines, however are a mystery to the New World, the climate, the terroir, even the varietals themselves are unlike those found here in Santa Barbara, or indeed most of the world.
With grapes such as gennarua and girgentina, wineries like Meridiana, Marsovan and Delicata, Georges lifts the veil of the unknown and places Malta back into the heart of the real Old World wines. Though some winemaking practices are alien to California, Malta had to do things out of necessity because of their proximity to the EU for instance. The majority of their wines are made from juice imported from Italy but now there is a small contingent who are focussing their energies on their native vines, creating appellations and even getting themselves recognised as a serious winemaking region.
I was lucky enough to get a barrel sampling of this book last summer when Georges was still trying to find a publisher (this book was eventually published in November 2006), and I thought it might be interesting to let you in on one of our email correspondences after reading the .pdf version of
Wines of Malta - The Essential Guide by Georges Meekers
Tuesday, June 06, 2006 -
Subject: your book
Georges
I'm riveted. I find your descriptors very interesting. I have browsed
most of the pages and have focussed on some of the notes more than
others at the moment, just to get a taste, so to speak. Some of the
points you mention though did catch my attention. Girgentina, to me
this sounds like you are describing sauvignon blanc, I'd like to know
more about this wine. It sounds like the ideal fish/seafood/shellfish
wine (mussels steamed with garlic or calamari with butter, definitely
lobster).
Yes Lee. Absolutely spot on, but it lacks the grassiness of SB.
As for the notes on syrah, the peppery notes are usually a factor
when it is grown in too cool a climate. We have a number of
microclimates here in santa barbara and where it is noticeably hotter
(100 degrees f or higher) there is much more of a jammy blackberry/
blackcurrant/chocolateness to the syrah giving a fuller physiological
ripeness, whereas in regions where the day times reach around the mid
90's to upper 80's the peppery notes are more apparent.
Yes, I am aware of the fact that pepperiness is usually associated with
cooler conditions.
This hallmark, however, makes Maltese syrah so fascinating since it is
surely not cool here!.
The characteristics are rather 'french' as opposed to New World (SB).
Strange he?
I'm curious too about humidity. My first and lasting memory of Malta
was disembarking from the plane at Luka and smelling the
mediterranean humidity in the air - of course you are an island, but
does the moist air affect the growing of the vines ie mildew etc?
Dumb question I know, bearing in mind the history attached to
mediterranean winemaking, but still.
Not a dumb question. Mildew is a minor problem. However, the saline air
conditions could very well mean that organic farming is a possibiity and can
help rendering special carignan based wines in te future.
I also have found here that wines like pinot noir respond better with
cool morning fog and temps no higher than mid 90's max and then aged
in 3 year old French barrels rather than American oak, whereas syrah
really does lend itself better to American oak rather than French. Is
this something you have made any notes about - even in your own
thoughts when you have tasted Maltese wines.
Some Maltese winemakers do 'fractional' blending of Syrah brought up in both
French and American oka. I find this the way to go.
I do not see any scope for growing Pinot in Malta, but then I am bias and I
favour burgundy's PN's.
Wet saddle can sometimes be an indicator of brett in the wine that
gives it the spicyness which cannot always be described, it may also
be an issue with tainted corks too but usually after some breathing
will dissipate.
I guess, we, Europeans, seem to have a lesser treshold, are less receptive
to spotting or assuming a wine has got brett (see Jancis Robinson's remarks
in this respect). I do not think this is the case for most wines I have
tasted (I did spot it in Bel, by Meridiana).
As for breathing, we have some that need a day or two before they
start to open up, is that something you have found? usually when we
look at extended maceration - 20+ days of soaking and over 2 years of
barrel aging.
I am in favour, generally speaking, but not so much for Mlatese wines.
They are made from young vines still. And, in my experience, the fruit dies
very fast after being exposed to air.
It's interesting that the native grapes have lower sugars and lower
acidity, this could really be exploited by making balanced, delicate
wines with much lower alcohol to counteract the monsters from
California coming in at over 16% alc.
What are the brix winemakers normally pick at?
I am so glad you say that! I agree entirely. BUT: here winemakers are
blinded by EU policies and they feel compelled to make a wine that can be
labelled as quality wine as opposed to table wine (in the legal EU context).
Lower alcohol here = no quality seal.
I see great scope for low alcohol wines made from these grapes. time will
tell.
Just a few thoughts your book has provoked. Thank you for the privilege.
Your welcome.
Cheers
May 24. 2006
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