Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said that the tax imposed on the purchase of local wines during the last budget did not have a negative impact on the wine industry and part of the funds go towards a national campaign promoting local wines.

Mr Galdes was speaking during the launch of the Qormi Wine Festival.

He highlighted that this year was a record year for the wine industry since the amount of grapes produced by farmers could not meet the demands of wine producers.

“It is estimated that more than 14 million litres of wine is consumed annually,” he said. He added that the government would be assisting organisers of wine festivals for helping promote the local product.

The festival will be held between 4 and 5 September.