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CIRCLE PROMOTION Maltese wines of distinction MALTESE VINEGROWERS AND WINEMAKERS HAVE WORKED HARD OVER THE PAST DECADES TO RECOVER ONE Of THE ISLAND’S MAIN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS – WINE. NOW, WE CAN BOAST ABOUT OUR QUALITY AND DISTINCT WINES- DOK MALTA, DOK GOZO AND IĠT MALTESE ISLANDS. THESE WINES ARE CERTIfIED BY THE AGRICULTURE DIRECTORATE fOLLOWING EU WIDE QUALITY WINES REGULATIONS. Malta has been known to produce wine ever since the time of the Phoenicians, for over 2,000 years. Various dominations that followed make specific reference to wine production in Malta, most notably the Knights of Malta. The real revolution in modern winemaking in Malta occurred after 2004 when Malta joined the EU. Indeed, up till that time, the wine sector in Malta was heavily protected through hefty import levies which gave a substantial competitive advantage to local wineries. As of May 2004, all protective levies for imports from the EU were totally removed, thus exposing the local industry to fierce competition, both from the perspective of quality and selling price. Thus, producers had no choice but to dedicate their energy to producing excellent wines without pushing their cost too high. Malta has indeed reached unprecedented levels with 15,340 hectolitres (hL) of quality and table wines being produced in 2010 by the 16 registered wineries. Ten of these commercial wine producers are officially registered and licensed to produce wines which are specifically protected by the EU’s geographical indications. Wines protected by Geographical Indication The EU has been promoting Geographical Indication (GI) both for wines and also for other food products for decades. The GIs (similar all throughout all the EU Member States) certify that a particular product originates from a specific territory or locality and has specific quality and characteristics. The system adopted and developed by the EU for quality designation based on geographical indication provides a guarantee for wine lovers and also for the wineries. The DOK or IĠT seal is indeed an EU guarantee as to minimum standards of quality and origin of the wine. DOK Malta, DOK Gozo & IĠT In Malta, GI wines are regulated by a specific legislation – D.O.K. Wines Production Protocols Regulations, in effect since May 2007 (S.L. 436.05, S.L. 436.06 and S.L. 436.07). These regulations, being specific to the production of wines which benefit from GI labels, fall within the ambit of the Wine Act, 2001 (CAP 436). The initial promoters of the D.O.K. and I.Ġ.T. production protocols sought to give higher value 14Sunday Circle ∫ JANUARY 2018
CIRCLE PROMOTION and ensure a higher quality of wines produced by wineries in Malta and Gozo. It is interesting to note that wines from the island region of Gozo have been given specific recognition and protection. In fact, DOK wines or Denominazzjoni ta’ Oriġini Kontrollata are two distinct and fully fledged DOKs – DOK Malta and DOK Gozo. This distinction was felt necessary due to the fact that Gozo is a geographically distinct region from the mainland. DOK not only makes specific reference to quality standards, but is also intrinsically linked to the region where the grapes originate from. DOK is used for all types of wine including red, white and rose. The production manuals set the maximum yield levels which are permissible and both DOK Malta and DOK Gozo adopt the same maximums as thresholds for a DOK production. Meanwhile, with regards to IĠT wines, no such distinction exists and, in fact, only IĠT Maltese Islands is recognised by law. Thus, grapes cultivated both on mainland Malta and on the island region of Gozo may give rise and qualify for the IĠT ‘Maltese Islands’. Similar to what occurs with DOK productions, IĠT refers to all wines including red, white and rose wines. It has to be stressed, however, that a DOK wine is of a higher quality than an IĠT wine, and the production manuals for both GIs clearly reflect this. All those other wines which do not manage to obtain such a GIs, but which are produced from grapes cultivated in Malta or in other countries in the EU, may only be marketed as Table Wines. This wine may be said to be at the lower end of the hierarchy of wines produced within the EU. It is amply evident that these certifications need a series of controls, checks and balances all throughout the process from the cultivation stage to the final bottling stage. This is a very arduous and stringent process involving various and continuous controls by the Ministry for Agriculture, which is the controlling body responsible for the observation of these production protocols. In order to fulfill its duties, the Viticulture and Oenology Unit within the Agricultural Directorate starts with inspections at the wineries during the harvest. Wineries are, indeed, obliged to inform the Directorate as to the dates when crushing of the grapes destined for a GI wine is taking place so that all the process is registered. Information collated during this period is then crosschecked with the Vineyard Register. This is an essential task that needs to be performed so that the origin of the grapes can be easily identified. The real revolution in modern winemaking in Malta occurred after 2004 when Malta joined the EU Later on, the process for the certification of the wines themselves starts. Officials from the Directorate collect samples of individual wines for testing by the Directorate prior to any bottling taking place. Wineries have to ensure that the wines being produced respect to the full the production protocols laid down by the DOK and IĠT production manuals. An accredited certification body specifically chosen by the Ministry for Agriculture will then analyse the samples to ensure that the samples provided match the criteria established by the production protocols. It is only after a long process of checks, including at the moment of harvest, fermentation and subsequent bottling, that a wine may qualify to be certified as DOK or IĠT wine. This scheme may be said to have been immediately successful and, by 2010, about 91 per cent of the wine production in Malta was certified as GI wines i.e. DOK and/or IĠT. In Malta, consumers may identify wines protected by a geographical indication through a specific banderole. Wineries which are registered with Viticulture and Oenology Unit of the Agricultural Directorate have to undergo rigorous tests and procedures so that they may obtain such banderols for their wines. Maltese vinegrowers and wineries have worked hard over the past decades to recover one of the main agricultural products in Malta – wine. It is thanks to their toil and effort that Maltese and tourists can now enjoy Maltese quality wines and that our island can boast of a strong and healthy wine industry. JANUARY 2018 ∫ Sunday Circle 15
Page 1: JANUARY 2018 - ISSUE NO. 276 SOLV I
Page 5 and 6: A WORD FROM the editor New year, ne
Page 7 and 8: COVER STORY PHOTOS JACOB SAMMUT SHO
Page 9 and 10: COVER STORY The cast of Collapse. P
Page 11 and 12: HEALTH Protect and prevent WITH THE
Page 14: HEALTH HIV - The sobering facts Mal
Page 19 and 20: FASHION RISING TO THE OCCASION FASH
Page 21 and 22: FASHION PHOTO: SVETLANA BRAUN JANUA
Page 24: FASHION How does Serbia Fashion Wee
Page 27 and 28: THEATRE While it was Kenneth Zammit
Page 29 and 30: THEATRE Antigone will be the first
Page 31 and 32: MUSICALS The fairest one of all AS
Page 33 and 34: MUSICALS begin with, this idea spar
Page 35 and 36: GOOD CAUSES The foundation helps ch
Page 38 and 39: PEOPLE Love and paradise ACTRESS AN
Page 40 and 41: PEOPLE I-Team Courtesy of JJs Produ
Page 42 and 43: CIRCLE PROMOTION Putting the enviro
Page 44 and 45: FOOD Tutto fa brodo! WITH SEVEN MIC
Page 46 and 47: HEALTH A new year, new struggles A
Page 48 and 49: HEALTH and the coping skills develo
Page 50: HEALTH How to decide on dental trea

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