First in the firing line is Marenzio, part of ‘The Classic Collection‘ from Delicata.
Blurb on the bottle: Soft, mellow and medium bodied*. An easy drinking, fruity red wine.
We say: Not one of the best on the market. It’s alright, but a bit of a sour taste to it. Danya says ‘no’, I say ‘why not?’. Not as good as Torre or Medina though.
Bought for: €4.35
This is a bottle of Montekristo from the vineyards of the same name in Siggiewi.
Blurb on the bottle: Medium-bodied* ruby red, aroma of plums and ripe black-currant. Soft, pleasant and satisfying with a long fruity aftertaste.
We say: Kind of a smoky taste, like stale blackberry flavoured tobacco. Smell doesn’t do it for me but it tastes okay(ish). Not Amazing.
Bought for: €4.39
A more expensive option is 1551, a Merlot-Cabernet Franc from Marsalforn Valley in Gozo.
Blurb on Bottle: The Maltese unique climate and sunny conditions render this wine fruity and full bodied. it has a very intense red colour, is well balanced and has a peppery long after taste.
We Say: This is a smooth drinking dark wine. You can taste the quality, especially compared with the last two. Really nice.
Bought For: €8.25
Finally let’s try Palatino
Blurb on Bottle: A dark sombre nose of treacle, savoury aromas and new leather lift in anticipation of an expressive character. This locally-grown wine develops into a full-bodied, deep palate marked by flavours of pepper and tar.
We Say: Another smooth fruity wine, nice aftertaste, definitely a great option at this price. Unlike most Maltese wines, this comes in a screw-top rather than a cork.
Bought for: €3.99 (reduced from €5.50)
In case you missed it, click HERE for Part 1.
*Wine fact that I did not know (there are many): use of ‘bodied’ refers to the thickness of the wine, which in turn is determined by the amount of alcohol in the wine plus the amount of solids dissolved into the wine. So a light wine has a watery feel and lower alcohol (say 7-10%) whereas a full-bodied wine feels more like milk in the mouth and is usually higher in alcohol, around 13% plus. Merlots are generally somewhere in the middle, like the examples above, although most of these are around the 13% alcohol volume mark.
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Do you get a “thank you” every once in a while from your readers? I know testing wines and breakfasts is not exactly the toughest gig out there, but the collection of information you have put together (snakes! sharks! social security numbers!) is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
You are most welcome! It’s always nice to get some positive feedback, although am still waiting for the appreciation from an eccentric (/mentally deranged) billionaire who through reading these pages has come to think of me as a foster-son to whom he will leave his entire fortune.
Though I guess that’s why everybody starts blogging.
We bought a bottle of the Monte Kristo wine at the weekend and couldnt finish it! Very bitter taste. I think we will try and find Palatino next time.
Great post – have you reviewed any white or rose wines?
I know Malta is more renowned for its Red but sadly I’m not a fan of Red wine.
I have sampled a fair few Rose and White wines whilst in Malta and whilst drinkable, none of them are anything to write home about but maybe I haven’t tried the right ones.
Plus I usually do a vineyard tour at least once a year at a renowned Vinyard here in the UK and their wines are pretty hard to beat.
Thanks
Scott :-).
For the sake of my liver I kept it to red wine only on this occasion!