Fruit of the Earth

The summer sun is blazing down as we make our way between the rows and rows of vine trees. Covering a terrain of three tumoli, there are around 1,600 trees, all laden with their rich fruit, slowly maturing with sun, earth and water. Here, on the limits of Zabbar, in Malta’s deep south, Carmel Buhagiar has been growing crops and fruit all his life, working the land and looking forward to its produce over the years.

“I come from a family of farmers,” says Carmel, alias Nenu z-Zigli. “I have grown crops and fruit and raised animals all my life – as my father did before me – and his before that.” With its sunburnt lines, his face looks like a map of the land, the work of several years etched on his patient expression. It was in 1999 that Nenu met somebody who had started to cultivate vines in collaboration with a local winemaking company, Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker Ltd. He gave it a try – “and it’s been of continuous satisfaction since.”

Producing grapes of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety, Carmel’s vines are used along with those produced by some 350 other growers around the islands, to make Delicata’s selection of handcrafted wines; this particular vineyard being a source of grapes for Delicata’s premium brand the ‘Grand Vin de Hauteville’, Cabernet Sauvignon. Delicata Wines are currently going for quality rather than quantity in a bid to raise the standards of their wines. Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker Ltd is in fact the largest wine-producing company in Malta with the widest range of Malta-grown wine on the market.

The first years were not easy, says Carmel, as he had never grown vines before – but his farming experience coupled with assistance from Delicata’s technicians and the support of Delicata’s Head of Winemaking and Viticulture, Dr Edric Bonello, guided him through. “My strong will and determination came in handy as the learning process required time and patience, much as all agricultural work does,” he says. “There are several similarities – you take note of the weather first thing in the morning because its behaviour will affect the vines. Much also depends on the summer season – since that ultimately influences the final decision of when to harvest, whether it’s as early as August or later in September.”

Harvest involves one whole day of hard work carried out by 16 pairs of hands. The grapes are taken straight to the winery where they are processed the same day. “In all of my 63 years of farming, no one year has been like the next,” says Nenu, gently showing me the grapes maturing on the vines. “About five years ago, for instance, we had a great year with full production,” he says, looking up at the bright sun above. “This year promises exceptional grape quality – I am looking forward to seeing what my fields will produce.”