As one of Malta’s most historic and esteemed wine producers, Marsovin annually produces more than a million bottles. This winery is a household name in Malta, which is known for its historic 400-year-old cellar. With limited wineries on the small island of Malta and a growing spotlight on wine tourism, this winery stands out to all on the island as a leader in wine innovation.
Today, the wine company remains a family-run business, which has been passed down from generation to generation of the Cassar family. Marosvin sets itself apart from other wineries in Malta by cultivating its own estate vineyards and using ‘méthode traditionnelle’ to produce its sparkling wine. Here’s a look inside what you can explore, learn, and taste on a Marsovin cellars tour.
Traditional-method sparkling wine
Although all the wines at Marosvin are fantastic, this winery is especially known for its sparkling wine made using the traditional method (méthode traditionnelle). Marsovin makes several variations of sparkling wine through this method, including their classic Cassar de Malte Brut and Rosé sparkling wines. This type of winemaking requires a hand-crafted process with a minimum maturation period of at least 12 months (also the same technique used in France).
On the tour of Marsovin’s cellar, you’ll get to see (and learn about) the riddling rack, a rack with angled holes that allows sparkling wine bottles to be placed at an angle. The angled nature of this rack requires manual turning by wine cellar staff, known as “riddling,” designed to move the yeast around the bottle and leaving you with an ultra-clear bottle of wine (instead of something cloudy). If you love sparkling wine, you’ll find learning about this process especially interesting.
Tasting Marsovin wines
The tasting experience included a diverse selection of wine samples, including whites, reds, and rosé wines. I’m usually a white and rosé wine fan and tend to steer away from red wines. But Marsovin’s classic ‘1919 red‘ surprised me, made from a native Maltese red grape known as Gellewza with a blend of Merlot. This red wine felt very smooth and paired perfectly with the meat and cheese plate we had on the side. Trying this red wine had me questioning if I truly hate red wines or if I’ve just never tried the right kind until now.
Trying Cassar de Malte
The wine tasting experience also included a sample of Marosvin’s signature sparkling wine, Cassar de Malte. This sparkling wine is made with 100% Chardonnay grapes, which are picked during early July to retain high levels of acidity specifically needed to produce this variety of sparkling wine. Harvested at Marsovin’s Wardija Valley Estate, the process takes at least one to two years to allow yeast to mature in the bottle.
A wine learning experience
You can certainly find excellent wine tastings nearly anywhere you travel, but a tour of Marsovin’s wine cellar takes things up a notch with a learning experience. The cellar tour and wine tasting felt more like a Maltese winemaking educational class, teaching visitors about the commitment, passion, and skill of the winemakers of the Cassar family. After a visit to this esteemed winery, it’s easy to see why travelers are interested in wine tourism are starting to put Malta (and Marosvin Cellars) on their bucket lists.
