Bumper grape harvest in Malta

The much awaited harvesting of grapes for winemaking is over and the indications are that the 2008 harvest is an excellent vintage, especially in terms of quality.
Jeremy Cassar of Marsovin said that his company pressed a record 1.3 million kilos of grapes consisting of 10 varieties of white and 14 varieties of red grapes.

This represents an increase of 79 per cent over the 2007 harvest. 96 per cent of the grapes are destined to be used for DOK and IGT wines. The outlook is also optimistic: Marsovin is seeking to plant 300 tumoli of land in 2008 in addition to the 1,096 tumoli it presently harvests, aiming to reach a total of 1,600 tumoli by 2010.

Viticulturalist Christian Cremona said this year Malta’s temperate weather conditions improved the local harvest while other countries such as Italy, France and California experienced quality issues.

Bordeaux and California grapes suffered frosts, which damaged the buds, while California had insufficient rain and Bordeaux had too much rain at the wrong time. Italy too suffered from heavy spring rain resulting in crop disease and lack of fruit set.