The Malta Independent on Sunday
Delicious wines, good food and great music at Delicata’s Classic Wine Festival
Summer gets in full swing with the highly anticipated Delicata Classic Wine Festival. It promises to be the grandest event on the wine enthusiast’s calendar, organised for the 18th time by Malta’s award-winning, supercentenarian Delicata winery.
This year’s edition will take place at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, from Thursday 8 to Sunday, 11 August, every evening from 7pm until midnight.
In all, there are more than 20 wines to sample. These include the semi-sparkling Frizzantes made from the native old bush vines Girgentina and Ġellewża. There are the DOK Malta Medina and DOK Gozo Victoria Heights boutique wines, a selection of the flagship Gran Cavalier and Grand Vin de Hauteville ranges, as well as the sweeter lifestyle Dolcino and Falcon wines, the popular lush Casella Moscato and other varietals of the Classic Collection, all three Pjazza Reġina wines and the ready-mixed wine coolers called SpritZZers.
Entrance is free. To try the wines, there is a fee of €16 in return for a wine purse filled with 24 wine coins and a souvenir glass which is yours to keep. Handing over the correct change of wine coins at the stalls inside will prompt dedicated wine stewards to pour a standard 150ml glass of the wine on show in the festival glass.
Every evening there is a double-bill of music by some of Malta’s leading bands such as Airport Impressions and The Crowns. Live cooking stalls will be serving a tempting variety of both traditional Maltese and international dishes to tease a wide range of palates.
Wine purses and glasses are sold at the venue until 11pm, wine is poured up to 11.30pm and the festival closes at midnight. Patrons are reminded to enjoy responsibly and never drink and drive.
A convenient online prepayment facility is operational already at the Delicata website www.delicata.com. It will save you time queuing and lets you collect your wine coins and glass swiftly on the night.
This year’s festival also aspires to give a little back for a good cause. When prepaying online, a voluntary donation is accepted in aid of the preservation of endangered sea turtles by Nature Trust Malta, a beneficiary of the winery’s charitable Delicata for Good initiative. Anyone who donates is automatically in with a chance to win a double magnum of the winery’s signature and award-winning Gran Cavalier Syrah.
The Delicata Classic Wine Festival is the showcase for Malta’s wines par excellence. The enchanted atmosphere, the breathtaking views of the world-class venue that is the Grand Harbour and the floodlit three cities will make anyone’s visit truly memorable.
With great wines, delicious food and live music, the wine festival weekend is set to be one you don’t want to miss. What more could anyone ask for?