Norwegian Master of Wine Mai Tjemsland visited Delicata’s state-of-the-art winery in Marsa recently. She was in Malta to write an article on local wines.

Tjemsland, who resides in Trapani, Sicily, has a weekly column in Norway’s largest newspaper VGHelg and writes frequent articles on Norway’s largest wine magazine Aperitif, which boasts over 60,000 regular readers. She also consults for different wine importers, sommelier schools as well as sitting as a judge on various wine panels.

During her visit around the Delicata winery, Tjemsland was given a tasting of different wines produced from an assortment of locally-grown grapes including Malta’s two indigenous grape varieties Girgentina and Ġellewża.

Three of the wines that have brought Delicata more international medals this year were particularly liked. She enjoyed 2013 Gran Cavalier Sauvignon Blanc, which has won three awards this year, because of its grassy herbaceous flavours and its unique style, best described as being a blend of both new world and old world Sauvignon wines.

She also pinpointed the 2012 Grand Vin de Hauteville Moscato Liqueur wine (a two-time medal winner) because of its sweet, delicate, non-cloying flavour and style.

The other medal-winning favourite was the 2013 Medina Rosé Grenache, which Tjemsland described as a well-made, serious, dry rosé wine.

Other varieties tasted were theVermentino Zibibbo, Sangiovese, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.