Malta has two main indigenous grape varieties: Gellewza (red) and Ghirgentina (white). Not as catchy or easy to pronounce as chardonnay – remember that Oz ad campaign, “say g’day to a chardonnay” that implied Australians at the very least cleaned their teeth in the morning with the stuff.
In fact much of the wine made on Malta is from more familiar grape varieties. The wineries have given their wines catchy names vaguely appropriate to the region. We had bottles of Odyssey, Ulysses, Maltese Falcon, Caravaggio and, inexplicably, Isis. They are not expensive, typically around fifteen euros in a restaurant, nor are they that good. It was worth stumping up a bit more for Italian wines.
I was mightily perplexed when I noticed, especially in Sannat, that many of the houses that had been restored had country names in the pediment above the front door accompanied by the restoration date – typically in the 1990s. There was Canada, America, Australia etc. At first I thought that maybe these are the summer residences for diplomats. Then I saw houses with names such as “God Bless Australia” and “God Bless America”. The latter had a splendid American eagle above the door but when I tried to take a photograph the householder forbade me.
The explanation for this nomenclature is rather touching. After World War Two many Gozitans moved abroad to work. When they came home to retire they gave thanks to the countries in which they found employment. Incidentally the population of Gozo is some 40,000 and it has its own coat of arms.
Should you decide to visit Gozo there are not many hotels. The most expensive, in a remote location, is Ta’ Cenc. The Grand Hotel in Mgarr has good views, well-appointed rooms with terraces, friendly faultless service and is conveniently located for restaurants and buses. The Grand’s website does not do it justice. It is my recommendation.