Malta grows two grape varieties that are native to the islands and are not really planted anywhere else. Ġellewża is the red one and Girgentina is the white.
Both appear on most restaurant wine lists, usually near the bottom of the page and usually cheaper than the French and Italian bottles above them.
What they taste like
Ġellewża is light for a red, with soft tannins and red fruit. It is often served slightly cool, which suits the climate and is not a mistake by the waiter.
Girgentina is dry, low in acid and fairly neutral. It is a summer white to drink cold with fish rather than a wine to think about.
Both are also blended with international varieties, so a bottle labelled Ġellewża and Syrah is common and perfectly normal here.
Reading the label
Two terms decide whether the wine is Maltese at all.
- DOK means the grapes were grown in Malta or Gozo and the wine was made here.
- IĠT is a slightly looser category, still island fruit.
- Anything with neither may be made from imported grapes and merely bottled here.
That last point catches people out. A Maltese label does not by itself mean Maltese fruit, so look for DOK or IĠT if that matters to you.
Where to try it
Any village bar will have an open bottle of both. A glass costs about four euro and a bottle in a shop starts around eight.
Several estates run tours and tastings, mostly in the centre and the south of Malta and one in Gozo. They are open to visitors and usually need booking a day or two ahead.
Two things worth knowing
The harvest is in August and early September, which is earlier than most of Europe. Wine from it appears the following year.
House wine served by the carafe is normally local and is normally fine. It is the cheapest way to find out whether you like either grape.
