Flight FR 7243, Ryanair’s maiden trip from Dublin to Malta landed sharp on time at 11.55am last Friday, carrying a fully booked plane with 148 passengers all eager to taste Malta’s warm winter air.

Their first welcome to Malta was however given by Camilleri Wines soon after they touched land, when all passengers were presented with their first Maltese wine from the company’s Palatino range.

Camilleri Wines in fact welcomed passengers inside the arrivals lounge with four of its five Palatino varieties – the Palatino Chardonnay, Palatino Syrah, Palatino Merlot and the Palatino Cabernet Sauvignon – all produced by Camilleri Wines from grapes fully grown and harvested in Malta.

“This was an excellent opportunity to celebrate together with Ryanair this important milestone in Malta’s tourism sector – the first flight from Dublin operated by this airline operator to Malta,” said Claudio Camilleri, Head of Sales and Marketing of Camilleri Wines. “However, it was also an opportunity for us to promote not only a high quality product produced by Camilleri Wines but also a first genuine taste of Malta.”

Mark Camilleri added: “The 2005 vintage of Palatino wines are produced from grapes entirely grown and harvested from Maltese vines and when this vintage was launched last year, it marked an important final milestone for the winery in its quest to have all its wines produced entirely from Maltese grapes. We are very proud with this range of wines and this pride was extended today with the opportunity to make our product known to the first 148 passengers coming from Dublin on Ryanair,” concluded Mr Camilleri.

The Palatino range consists of five vintages – the four which were distributed at the airport, and the Palatino Tempranillo. “This range is set to increase with the introduction of two new vintages towards the end of this month,” announced Mr Camilleri.