90 years have passed since Chev. Anthony Cassar, known as ‘Is-Sur Tonin’, first established his wine merchant business with his brother George under the company A & G Cassar Ltd. Marsovin has released this wine from its Marnisi Estate in Marsaxlokk to celebrate this important milestone.
Marsovin has had a long history of wine making with many milestones to its name.
1919 Sur Tonin started up his wine merchant business with his brother George; they ran the business together until 1924 when Sur Tonin decided he would rather run the business on his own and soon established a new company called Anthony Cassar & Son. This took place soon after the birth of his son Joseph.
1956 was the year Marsovin was established by Joseph affectionately known as ‘Sur Guzi’. Joseph’s aim was to increase the production of wine and improve the quality produced by Marsovin. He did this by employing professional foreign winemakers and investing in the latest technology.
In 1965 Malta’s first temperature controlled fermentation tanks were built on this initiative which was essential to improve the quality of the winemaking process, and to date these same tanks are still in use and serve as an essential part of the production.
In 1967 Marsovin launched its first vintage La Valette, with a label designed by one of Malta’s foremost artists, Envin Cremona. The wine was produced from the local indigenous variety Gellewza until 1974, when Marsovin introduced its first vintage Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Wardija Valley Estate.
In 1992 Marsovin invested in its second and largest estate in Marnisi, Marsaxlokk, planted with four grape varieties Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. These vines produce grapes for Antonin, Marnisi and Atlantis. Marsovin and the Cassar family then went on to invest in a further three estates; Grand Maitre Estate in Ghajn Rihana; Ramla Valley Estate in Gozo; Cheval Franc Estate in Ghollieq.
In 1997 Marsovin won its first gold medal at the Challenge International du Vin in France for the 1997 vintage of Antonin Blanc.
In 2000 Marsovin released the first Sparkling wine produced in the methode Traditionnelle, Cassar De Malte. This wine is produced from the same vineyard in Wardija that was originally planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, now planted with Chardonnay, using the clone of chardonnay which is used in the Champagne region to produce Champagne.
In 2009 Marsovin won its second gold medal at the Wine competition in Italy, Emozioni Dal Mondo with Antonin Red 2007 vintage. This is a prestigious award which only the very best wines compete in.
These are but a few of Marsovin’s milestones over its long history. The winery has developed from a farmhouse winery producing a small variety of traditional farmers’ wines to a professional setup which today produces wines such as the Cassar De Malte, which is produced using the most complex method of wine production. Amongst its professional staff Marsovin employs an oenologist and viticulturist who have been educated in the best universities in Europe.
This wine marks this improvement and commemorates the hard work of the four generations of the Cassar’s and of all the people that have been a part of this development.
This special 90th Anniversary wine is made from a blend of carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot grapes harvested from low yielding vines in our Marnisi estate in Marsaxlokk. It is an intense, full-bodied red wine with distinctive black fruit characteristics of black currants and black cherries together with complex nuances of tobacco, leather, coffee and dark chocolate arising from over 12 months maturation in oak barrels. On the palate it is well balanced with good levels of fruitiness, ripe rounded tannins and a distinctive long finish. A well structured wine with good ageing potential.
Excellent grape maturity with a high concentration of natural sugars qualify this wine for the special mention of ‘Superior’.