Malta has sun, sea and history, but wine is not in that list. Jody Mijts was surprised by the ambitions and character of the island. Malta turned out not to be a holiday resort with a glass of wine to go with it, but a wine destination with a story.
Text and image: Jody Mijts (unusuallytasty.com)
My trip started better than expected: upon boarding, I was upgraded to business class. Before I had even found the right seat, regional cheeses and local olive oil were in front of my nose. A preview of what Malta has to offer. I was still miles from my destination, but the tone had already been set.
Four days I had. Not much, especially considering the vast amount of history, wineries and landscapes that fit into this archipelago of three islands. Malta is only 27 by 14 kilometres, about twice the size of Texel. Yet it is home to 10 wineries, to which some 300 small wine growers supply grapes. A country so small and with so much character makes one instantly curious.
Upon arrival, I immediately fell into a less romantic side of the island: the traffic. Busy, chaotic and laced with roundabouts that my Dutch traffic brain could not always keep up with. Driving yourself in Malta? I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But in between the honking and twisting I saw what I had come for: terraces of limestone, low walls, vineyards stuck to the slopes like a mosaic. In this rocky soil, the Phoenicians would once have planted vines. Later Romans, Arabs and the Knights of St John followed: you can feel everywhere how all these cultures succeeded each other here. It makes Malta interesting not only to walk through, but also to taste everything.
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