The government winery just outside Buskett has a sleepy look about it on a summer afternoon.

Inside the building, not much changes: there are only three persons there, although the respite from the sun and the heat is more than welcome.

But the small house, which as said belongs to the government, is the power house of an organisation, a Producer Organisation, that groups together more than 300 viticultural farmers from all over Malta and Gozo.

This is VitiMalta, the largest grape producer organisation in Malta.

Gerald Vella, secretary, and Salvatore Azzopardi patiently explained the history and the background of the organisation.

The members had come together in 2004 but it was only in 2008 that they applied for and became a producer organisation.

But the history the members represent goes much further back.

In the 1960s, far more wine than is at present produced in Malta was being produced, with the wine growers coming together in a cooperative, Farmers’ Wine. Those were days when Malta exported wine in bulk.

But then changes crept in. The wine companies started to cut down on the prices they were ready to pay for the grapes and also introduced a number of restrictive rules.

In a short time, many vine growers gave up and reverted to growing other produce.

When Malta was negotiating EU entry in 2000, the areas given over to vines had decreased, so much so that a quota of 1000 hectares was established for Malta and Gozo.  to increase its vine-growing area.. So far, despite the great improvements that have been made, this target has not been reached.

A second development took place in those years. Previously, Maltese vine-growers grew the two types of Maltese indigenous grapes – Gellewza and Girgentina. But in 2000, international varieties were introduced such as Chardonnay, Merlot, etc.

The VitiMalta people still feel that the indigenous grapes are best adapted to the Maltese climate and soil. But since demand for wines of international varieties increased, , hence  international varieties got planted.

A third development that took place around that time was the introduction of the DOK regulation that came in through which wines grown in Malta follow a particular regime as a result of which they get the coveted DOK appellation, (Denominazzjoni ta Origini Kontrollata).

The rules are quite draconian – they establish the amounts of vines in a field, insist on vines hanging on poles, have rescue drip irrigation, and also limit the amount of grapes that can be harvested from each vineyard

 Each tumolo of vineyard planted cost the farmer approximately Lm750, however the farmer could benefit from an EU/Central Govt. grant of Lm480 for each tumolo. The farmer had to oblige with certain requirements like method of planting and material used and a contract stipulating a 10 year minimum period of grape cultivation, for access to this grant.

All this happened some 10 years ago, and, considering that a vine takes around three years to start producing grapes, it is only now that one can see the vines at full development.

But again, just as the grapes were coming along nicely, some of the big names in Maltese wines again tried to cut the viticultural farmers short. There was an attempt to lower grape prices, mostly due to foreign grapes and wine which, considering the economies of scale, come much cheaper than grapes grown in Malta. This time, the Maltese wine growers reacted very differently from the way they had done in the 1960s when they basically gave up and switched to other products.

They could have instituted a court case, since all farmers had long term contractual agreements establishing prices with winemakers, but they reasoned this would take too long and meanwhile their produce would be ruined.

Instead, they collected all their grapes, packed them in containers and sent them off to Sicily to be pressed that same day at a friendly cooperative. Then they sold the wine thus produced, named Maleth from the old name of Malta, at various venues such as at the Mgarrfest.

It was not a complete victory, for they could not give their wine a DOK appellation since this had been pressed outside Malta.

However the VitiMalta members found there is strength in common action. Despite strenuous efforts to find out what was going on, the wine companies could not stop this development. In the following year, no mention was again made of cutting down of prices.

The organisation, or PO, serves as a clearing house for the viticultural producers in that it informs them of developments in vine-growing, soil culture, etc. It also warns them of changing climatic conditions that may affect their vines. It also helps them observe the draconian DOK rules which, if not followed to the letter, may see their wine downgraded to IGT or even to table wine.

It is true that, following EU accession, Malta has become inundated with very cheap wine from the continent. But wine grown and harvested and pressed in Malta has a very special taste. It is ridiculous to find Maltese who, when looking for a present to give to a visitor, find nothing better than a foreign wine, when the majority of wine grown in Malta is a high quality wine on its own.

Maltese wine can stand its own with the best European wines. This, however, doesn’t mean that there is no way for more improvement.

There are many other things the PO does. It is open to its members for any advice they may need on a 24/7 basis while its officials are just volunteers, fuelled by their love for winemaking.

The PO would also love to have its own small grape pressing facility as the one underneath its present offices belongs to the government.

Ideally there could be the development of a wine trail, with visits to  vineyards, and ending with a visit to a small grape pressing facility where visitors can taste Maltese wines and possibly buy gifts.

In the rather small field next to its offices, the PO is conducting an experiment. This experiment consists of a comparison between the Maltese Indigenous varieties and Sicilian varieties of similar character. The idea is to gain more knowledge on different cultivation methods best suited for our Girgentina and Gellewza by introducing a mix of traditional and modern growing techniques.

The PO has also applied for EU funds on behalf of its members and so far has managed to obtain four programmes, all directly aimed towards guranteeing a sustainable future for its members and all stakeholders in the sector in general.