Now that the festivities are over and so many of you are still wondering what the heck is a 'Tian' and what type of vegetable is a 'Bouquetiere'. Now that so many cooks and restaurant owners have reverted to talking Maltese after the fling with French and Italian for the Season's Menus. Now that you started the New Year with a glass of sparkling cider and are wondering where does all the fuss about Champagne come from I taught it is the right time to put out my first article of the year.

As the title indicates, the subject of today is the attention that wine is given by our restaurateurs which was inspired by the lack of attention given to the same subject by 2 of our most influential 'Gastronomic' media exponents. Of course I am referring to Mona's meals (Sunday Times) and the Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants published by a company of the same name and edited by Lisa Grech.

The guide is basically a collection of polls, independent or otherwise, that have been grouped and analysed in every single possible manner to tell us what the Maltese Nation's favourite eating places are, whilst Mona's meals are periodic articles written by Mona Farrugia, lightly relating to food and drink, in half of which she keeps us up to date with her's and BH's life and in the other half she recounts her experiences in various catering places that she visits.

Without taking away from their enormous popularity and success and I suppose their usefulness, in their basis they both have a conspicuous lack of in-depth knowledge and comment about food and it's composition. But I do not wish to continue on this, as the point that I would like to make, is that in both the Guide and Mona's comments there is hardly any comment relating to wine. Except for a list of Restaurants with the longest wine lists, the guide makes no mention of the attention given to wine in the specific restaurants whilst Mona's attempts at wine talk are hardly noticeable, if not incorrect.

Wine consumption and appreciation in Malta is growing rapidly and as we will find out later this is likely to increase even further when Malta joins the EU. Having a good wine list is part and parcel of a good restaurant or hotel and therefore anyone writing about our catering establishments must give wine it's dues. Length alone does not make a good or interesting wine list, but here are some ideas that might.

1. Choice of wines. Three of the best wine lists I have ever come across were at Taillevent in Paris, the Oyster Bar in New York's Central Station and a small Bistro in Tain l'Hermitage. At Taillevent the list carries over 450 great wines, out of which only 12 are non French whilst at the Oyster Bar the list covers all of the world's wine regions. In Tain, there was no printed list but two blackboards with about 35 wines. All excellent and all from the Rhone with a well chosen selection of St. Josephs, Crozes Hermitage, Gigondas, Chateauneufs etc. Producers included Chapoutier, Grippat, Jaboulet all reasonably priced. (White St Joseph (Grippat) - Lm 8.50).

In Malta we have become used to expecting an International wine list, however I find no objection to having specialised restaurants with wine lists concentrating on one particular area, as these can very often help create an atmosphere reflecting the style of the restaurant or the proprietor's personality. So basically good wine lists can be divided into International or Specialised.

The International ones should have a balanced representation of as many regions from as many countries as possible, giving particular attention to areas that are not very popular or are up and coming. (Alsace, Canon Fronsac, Savanierres, Minervois, Puglia, Ribera, Priorat etc.) alongside the usual Valpolicellas, Gavis, Cote du Rhones, Maltese etc. Try to spice up the selection with a few particularly interesting wines. For example an older vintage or a wine that is brought to Malta specifically for you, maybe by arrangement with an importer. Why not a local wine from one of our new Vignerons. (Ricardo in Gozo, Karmnu in Zurrieq)

In short wine lists, where one wine from each region is offered, particular attention has to be given to quality balance. For example in a Restaurant in Valletta I came across a list where the only Chateauneuf du Pape listed was the excellent Guigal's, selling at around Lm 18.00. which really stood out next to the rest of the wine list, which with the exception of the already mentioned wine was very ordinary and haphazardly put together.

One must remember that most regions and areas will have many different producers of varying quality. For example there are over 1000 different Saint-Emilions and hundreds of Chiantis or Mclaren Vales. Choosing a reliable, value for money producer is a must, especially in small wine lists.

In longer ones more attention should be given to individual properties from the famous regions. Carefully selected wines that can give a broad representation of an area or region with different styles and price ranges. For example under Italy's Veneto's Amarone section you would have Masi representing traditional style, Speri for modernity and value for money and maybe Bolla for popularity.

A good selection of half bottles is also a must. This together with a few sweet wines always makes a wine list more interesting and will make it easier for customers to try to match and experiment with different flavours and styles.

Specialised wine lists can also be very interesting if they concentrate on one particular country or even region. This will need to have a representation of the many soil and vine compositions as well as different vintages and quality/price ranges available from the particular area. For example in a list specialising on Australian wines, besides the industrial stuff like Jacob's Creek, which is made from 7000 different plots, you will have wines from individual areas of Australia. Cabernet from the red soils in the cool climate of the Coonawarra. High alcohol Shiraz from the alluvial soils and Mediterranean like climate of Swan River in Western Australia. Elegant Pinot Noir from the Yarra Valley. Semillon and Chardonnay from the Hunter valley with maybe a Grenache from the hot and arid, lime/ironstone soils of the Barossa.

A new world specialisation with wine from Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa etc., could also be very interesting and should attract a lot of young wine drinkers. These specialised lists will however have to be complemented with a suitable food menu as otherwise the experience would be unbalanced.

2. Presentation of List. Whether this is displayed on a blackboard, printed or verbally delivered this should always be divided into the main wine categories. In Europe we generally do this by first separating the type of wine (White, Rose, Sparkling, Sweet) and then by origin (Malta, France, Italy etc). In the new world wine lists that are separated by grape variety are very popular. In each of these cases details of region of origin, producer, vintage and where applicable classification are a must.

There are those that say that wine lists should have tasting notes for each of the wines listed. Although this is interesting and helpful in some type of restaurants with smallish wine lists, I am not so sure about how practical it is in ones with comprehensive lists. In this case I would rather prefer to ask the wine waiter should I want some additional information. Besides, tasting notes can themselves be confusing and especially on the better quality wines can never be accurate as each bottle is a different story.

Two final points regarding presentation need mentioning. Proprietors must make sure that the wines in stock are the ones listed. How many times you order a Cote du Rhone by Jaboulet and you are presented with one by someone else? ' Mhux l'istess hi' generally is the answer back. Finally the information given should be correct and not misleading. For example a Petit Chablis is not the same as Chablis, and when under the Maltese section you list Marsovin's or Delicata's Chardonnays and Merlots made from imported grapes you must state that these are table wines made from imported grapes.

3. Service of wine. It is no good having a good wine list if you do not have the right people and conditions to serve these wines. Two very important factors are Temperature and Glasses. All restaurants must be aware of the right temperatures to serve wine in and have the equipment to do so. Ice buckets, Eurocaves etc. Glasses are a crucial element in the enjoyment of wine. (If you would like to hear more about this, please write to me) These should be stemmed and made of clear glass. They should have a good size bowl which closes slightly at the top. The very best restaurants should offer different shape glasses according to the style of wines as wines very clearly change in taste if different shaped glasses are used.

Jars and decanters are another accompanied to a good wine list. Most wines will benefit from a little areation, so decanting, especially young great wines will help bring the wine forward, opening it up. Older wines will need decanting to seperate sediment from the clear wine as well as get rid of bottle stink.

Wine waiters should be trained and be able to explain and talk about their wines and wine lists. They should show knowledge and confidence in the subject to the point where they can win the customer's trust. Clients should feel comfortable with accepting their recommendations, not only in choice of wines but also when it comes to tasting for faults etc.

4. Prices. These vary enormously. For example a normal Chianti Classico of equivalent quality and price can vary from Lm 7.00 a bottle in Valletta to Lm 14.50 in Casino de Venezia in Birgu. What justifies this. I suppose nice glasses and nice surrounding do cost money, but to justify 300 or 400 per cent mark ups is very difficult for me to understand.

Most restaurants work on a mark up of 100 per cent which I suppose is fairly acceptable from the better restaurants but totally out of place in pizzerias and trattorias and quick food places.

Certainly the best pricing policy that I know, is that of a corkage fee. Grabiel in Marsascala for example charges a set fee (lm 2.50 I think) on every bottle irrespective of cost. Another good policy is that adopted by places like Rubino, Lulu, Dolce Vita and a few other places, where on wines that cost over a a certain amount, a smaller percentage mark up is made. Another idea that was once very popular, especially in Australia is the BYO (Bring your own) concept, where for a corkage fee you can bring any wine you want to have with dinner. Chez Phillipe in Gzira sometimes does this and from what I gather is rather popular. All of this of course encourages people to drink better wines.

5. With the exception of The Arches and Ta Frenc I know of no other restaurants that actually buy wines to keep and list them when they are ready to drink. (Please write to me if you know of more). A policy of 'building a cellar' should be adopted especially by the better Hotels and the upper end of the market. Most wine importers are now offering a storage facilities, for those with no space, which besides ensuring a supply of ready to drink great wines in the future will also guarantee a good price.

6. When choosing the wines, one must keep in mind the style of the restaurant as well as the type of food that is on offer. Besides the usual musts, like genuine Maltese, Bordeauxs, Chiantis on the list try to include wines that really compliment. For example in Oriental cuisine concentrate on aromatic and fruity wines (Alsace, Beaujolais, New World Merlot. etc.) In refined cuisine (Mange Tout, Xara Palace, Christopher's etc.) elegant and balanced wines are called for. Ready to drink Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscans and Piedmonts. The finer Spanish areas (Duero, Penedes, Priorat). Fish calls for light wines with good acidity (Loire, Gavis, ) whilst winter Mediterranean food calls for richer wines (Maltese, Southern Italian, Rhone).

In short a good wine list will have a good selection of popular wines from good producers. It will be spiced up with a few special wines which will complement the style of cuisine offered. Suitable glasses and serving equipment will be used and prices will be reasonable according to the style and comfort of the restaurant. Staff handling wine will be properly trained and nicely enthusiastic about the subject. (ITS .........help)

Finally if Malta does join the European Union and wine levies are removed (Lm1.15 per bottle at import value) there is bound to be a huge increase in the diversity of wines available and upheaval in the Maltese's wine drinking habits. Consumers are going to need advising, so Mona and Lisa, please can we have more attention to wine.