We are in October, autumn that is but the weather is still like as if we are in August! We have plenty of time left to chill out with rosé wines. Because as it turned out during the conversation and tasting with Bill Hermitage, rosé wines are middle of the road wines between white and red.

For the sort of climate we have in Malta, rosé wines could be perfect for those who would want something heavier than white wine that pairs well with popular shellfish dishes, prawns cocktails or salads.

Watch the tasting of Pjazza Regina and Gellewza Frizzante both produced by Delicata. Pjazza Regina is a still wine, a blend between Grenache and Gellewza while Gellewza Frizzante, as its name suggests is a sparkling wine made out of the local variety.

With Stephan Cassar, wine consultant at FarsonDirect, (www.farsonsdirect.com) I have tasted Chilean and French Sauvignon Blanc and we found an older vintage of Fume Blanc. We opened it too and found that although it was a bit tired, oak was predominant but drinkable just the same!

For me, while the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc was very aggressive at first, after few minutes the French Sauvignon Blanc had breathed enough to catch up with its competitor.

2010 was an exceptional vintage for Maltese Sauvignon Blanc. As I tasted the Medina Sauvignon Blanc 2010 with Bill Hermitage, we found it to be a new world kind of Sauvignon Blanc with its tropical flavours but also has the high acidity, minerality and the herbaceous flavours of a typical old world French Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre. Thus, taking the best out of both worlds.

The Sauvignon Blanc vines had been planted in mid 1990’s and the island the producing the best grape variety ever where Sauvignon Blanc characteristics are expressed.

Where as Suavignon Blanc is a young wine, the 2010 Medina Sauvignon Blanc can age for at least another 5 years.

Italian wine producers predict a season of "excellent quality" for the 2011 harvest, although total wine volume may be 5% lower due to high summer temperatures. The forecast came from the Assoenologi, the Italian association of oenologists, and is expected to give wine producers a boost after a recent fall in domestic wine sales.

"There is homogeneity in almost all the regions in 2011, but it's possible we'll produce a high-quality harvest," said Giuseppe Martelli, director general of Assoenologi. He added, "it depends on the weather in September. If it is sunny but cool with good temperature ranges at night, we will get fragrant white wines and well-structured red wines".

Early estimates for bulk grapes, wine juice and wines in all the Italian regions are expected to be between 5% and 20% higher. "In 2010 bulk prices were equal to 2009, the year in which prices slid 30% because of the economic crisis," Martelli said.

Last year there was an 11% increase in total Italian wine exports, and an 11.9% increase in value.

Italy's grape harvest began early this year due to warmer seasonal temperatures and winemakers are expecting the season to reinforce the country's position as the world's leading wine producer.

Last year Italy produced 49.6 million hectolitres of wine, out of a total of 157.2 million for the European Union, compared to 46.2 million hectolitres made in France. Italy beat France for the first time last year for the overall amount of wine produced.

Source: ANSA

It had to be a Belgian to write a book about the history of wine and wine making in Malta. In this video clip, Georges Meekers speaks to iWine on Malta’s native grape varieties, Gellewza and Girgentina.

He describes both grapes; “there’s a unique story to tell about these grapes and the wine they make which is a nice thing”.

Both grape varieties are food friendly and well accustomed to the Maltese cuisine which is very similar to Italian, especially Sicilian, given its proximity.

Gellewza is the red grape variety. Georges Meekers says “whether it’s a still or frizzante wine, on the nose, the gives a sense of violets floating in the glass. Very flowery and fruity on the palate, reminiscent of strawberries”.

While Girgentina is a crisp, fresh white grape variety “it reminds me of Hunter Valley grapes” George Meekers told iWine. Its hallmark is green apples, green fruit and bubble gum aroma.