(By Michael Tabone)
Daphne, Leo Brincat, Evarist Bartolo, Alfred Sant and many others have made considerable contributions in the press recently about our Agriculture and gastronomic ways. Most notably Alfred Sant complained about the price of Cheddar whilst Mr Bartolo and Mr Brincat moaned about the dangers to the Maltese wine industry, should Malta join the EU.
Whilst we try to decipher which Cheddar Dr Sant was talking about. English, Australian, matured, vegetarian, low fat............Let me at this stage state that personally, I have not made my mind up yet whether Malta should join or not, but if it was up to me I would have incorporated all the wisdom and experience of our European neighbours plus some of our own, in our laws many years ago, especially since what I am interested in, is quality wine......Actually whilst on the subject you can extend that to quality of produce, quality of life, quality of work, quality of government, quality, quality, quality.
But let's stick to wine.
Malta is in the process of finalising the Agriculture chapter within the EU negotiations. The local wine industry, or as it is often revered to, the local industry for industrialised wine forms part of this. In fact our Minister of Agriculture has already published a bill to control the production, importation and marketing of wine. We wine journalists have been urging for such legislation for some years now and although the new bill is full of good intentions with vague promises of control and regulations it clearly was designed to keep the major producers happy with very little attention to consumers and protection to the meaning of typicity and regionality.
Without going into much detail, a small paragraph allows the production of quality wine ' even outside an area in immediate proximity to the specified region where grapes used were harvested'. This of course could be interpreted as the allowance for bringing grapes from all over Europe to be processed and marketed as Maltese wine. Figure this out. A vineyard owner in Italy produces grapes that one of the local companies have contracted him to grow. They are harvested before full ripeness and sprayed with preserving agents. They are shipped in refrigerated containers to Malta. They take 3 or 4 days to get here. They are unloaded and pressed after which they are artificially boosted with sugar from South America, tannin from France and sometimes tartaric acid from Northern Europe. Vinified by a Maltese Oenologist/Consultant with foreign training. Sometimes aged in barrels imported from France or the USA . Bottled in bottles imported from Italy and corked with Portuguese Cork. They are sometimes labelled with 4 different languages and marketed using New Zealand Mussels and Rhone vineyards.
Can someone explain to me how this qualifies as Maltese wine? Or shall we start using the term WAIM.......Wine assembled in Malta.
At this point I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Delicata Winery for clearly and unconfusingly labelling their imported varietals as being vinified from grapes grown in Italy and that nowhere do they try to imply that it is Maltese. All we need now is for restaurants, catering establishments and retailers to stop selling these 'wines' as Maltese when asked for Maltese or local wine.
But what about the real quality Maltese wine, you might ask? Yes it is true that we are now producing real genuine high quality Maltese wines, the likes of Melqart, Nexus, Grand Maitre and Grand Cavalier, however we must not forget that these only represent about 5% of the total wine industry. Some are better than others and in principal these are good wines and altough I have no doubt that their high prices reflect their high cost of production we must also admit that by nature these exclude the basic everyday needs of most of the wine consuming Maltese and Tourists alike.
So what are we to do with the other 95%? Should the fact that we have lack of water and land be an excuse to substitute the name and goodwill of wine, typicity and regionality, and continue to produce concocted wines from imported grapes. The answer comes very natural when we realise that in most European countries these liquids will not even qualify to be called wine, let alone quality wine. This of course is besides the fact that these wines can never offer the real flavour and taste of Malta which is a bit upsetting when we realise that it is this 95% that will always set the standard for Maltese wine.
Clearly we must higher our levels from the very bottom up. Only than can we see real improvement in standards and although the new wine bill promises regulations, it lacks enormously in encouragement, support and advise for landowners, farmers and wine makers to really make a leap forward.
This same argument can easily be applied to most of our restuarants, agricultural products, services and industries One industry that needs to be addressed is the chicken industry. Now it is true that chicken meat is very cheap and many Maltese households are able to put meat on the table because of these low prices. But let me tell you.. If you think that what you are eating and tasting is real chicken......think again. What is that liquid staff that come out of a roasted chicken? Juices you might reply.... What 2 litres from a 1.5kg chicken!
Of course we do have some genuine and honest products and producers but we must be carefull not to let anyone or anything shine on a pedestal simply because they are genuine. That should be the very basic requirement. Maltese producers must realise that they have no choice but to improve quality and not by putting costs and prices up. They have to tackle this issue on two fronts. Firstly they have to understand that there must be a basic level of quality which at it's basis must have genuity and honesty. If we are to talk about Maltese wine, the wine must be Maltese and must have a basic quality determined by various factors and protected by law.
Secondly producers must be encouraged to produce a part of their production with a higher level quality for those of us who appreciate and are prepared to pay for quality. I for one would not mind paying more per kilo for a good free range plump corn fed chicken when I am roasting but at the same time I would like to be able to buy a lesser quality and cheaper chicken when I am stewing or when the telephone bills arrive. The profits from the higher quality products can go on subsidising the cheaper end, without putting much pressure on prices.
We consumers have just as much a responsibility as our producers and we must learn to recognise and appreciate quality, and reject and complain at inferiority and non value for money, irrespective of where it comes from. We must learn that agricultural produce is subject to the climatic, geographical, political, historic and cultural conditions of a region or nation and that these conditions give characteristics to produce which in reality define specific qualities. That means that French Alsace white wine should be appreciated for it's aromatic and fruity aroma which when backed up a good concentration and acidity produce a wonderful wine to have with complex flavoured food. We must appreciate that a Maltese wine should reflect the power of the sun and the lack of water, producing naturally high levels of sweetness and alcohol balanced by hard to achieve acidity. Herby and wild flower aromas with a rich phenolic structure.
We must also respect certain social and traditional facts, restraints and aspirations and make sure that we protect the interest of all Malta and the Maltese. To give you an example in wine terms, we must remember that Bordeaux is the greatest red wine region in the world, not because of Chateau Latour and Figeac, but mainly because of the many small unknown vineyards producing affordable good quality wine that we drink during the normal days of our lives. Of course Figeac is a great unique wine, but I know for a fact that even the people at this famous Chateau recognise that they are great because they are part of a great region.
Moving from wine to food, it should be inspiring to remember that Barcellona, Paris and Lyon are great gastronomic cities not simply because of Gaig, Taillevent or Georges Blanc but rather because these cities are supported by hard working producers who supply the city markets, day in day out with seasonal, wholesome produce that is turned into fantastic food in most little unknown bistros and restaurants,,,,, not to mention most homes and households.
As you would have noticed what I am talking about is offering choice, ensuring fair competition and value for money whilst at the same time giving real incentives to producers to improve their quality without putting pressure on prices...which lets face it is already high as it is. Our job as journalists and opinion makers is to promote the better understanding of quality in all it's forms both to producers and consumers. The Government's job is to provide the support and legal framework for producers to sell their products whilst protecting the interest of all honest producers and consumers.
One last thing. The Malta Tourism Authority has got involved in all of this, moaning that we have to improve our products for the Tourists. Let me say that I am all for improving quality but first and foremost we have to improve it because of us . Anyone who is involved in providing a service or a product should be geared towards quality and value for money irrespective of whether his customers carry gold cards or luncheon vouchers, or come from Paris, London. Tripoli or Valletta.....Quality begins at home.
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