In July this year P. Cutajar & Co. Ltd. launched a new wine 1865 named specifically after the year, 140 years ago, when P. Cutajar & Co. Ltd was established as wine merchants, making it today one of Malta’s oldest commercial enterprises.

1865 offers a new, fresh and intense range of Red, White and Rosé wines.

Vino Blanco is a light, dry white wine, a well-balanced blend of aromatic flavours, a hint of apples with a floral note. Blanco is a blend of mersequera, macabeo and moscatel – indigenous Spanish grapes. Macabeo is an aromatic and well-balanced grape with regards to acidity and alcohol content. The resulting wines are pale and light and recall aromas of green fruit. Mersequera is a white grape variety native to the Valencia area. It produces herby, low-alcohol content wines, with a light almond hint. Moscatel de Alejandría is a highly aromatic grape which due to its high sugar content, complements Mersequera in giving Vino Blanco the right alcohol content.

Vino Rosado is a strawberry red rose. Its colour is a reflection of a hint of ripe strawberries in taste and complemented with a medium-dry texture. Vino Tinto is a full-bodied, dry red wine enjoying a spicy, intense taste complemented by a hint of ripe, plumy flavour.

Both Vino Rosado and Tinto are a blend of monastrel, tempranillo and bobal grapes. Bobal is native to Valencia and most of all to the Utiel-Requena area. This widely grown grape variety produces red wines with deep colour and excellent rosé wines. It is a grape with a low alcohol content and high acidity resulting in full-bodied, tannic reds with excellent ageing potential.

Monastrel, also known as Mourvedre, is a grape typical to Mediterranean wine growing areas, among them DO Valencia and Alicante. It is a grape with high alcohol content, a deep intense colour and a rich aroma.

Tempranillo is the most well known noble red variety in Spain. Its name changes considerably in accordance with where it is grown: it is Tempranillo in La Rioja and Utiel-Requena, Tinto del Pais in Ribera del Duero, and Cencibel in La Mancha. The grape ripens before other varieties, hence the name given to it in La Rioja and Utiel-Requena, which derives from the word temprano, meaning early. Of great finesse, it is characterised by its high tannin content and its high acidity. Tempranillo wines are characterised by a distinctive strawberry and cherry flavour, juiciness and plumy spiciness.

“1865’s launch was a success story from the start! We personally chose all the characteristics of this wine – producing a perfect blend for all occasions,” said Denis Zammit Cutajar, wine buyer and Sales and Marketing Director at P.Cutajar & Co, adding: “We encourage you to look out for it on the shelves.”