WORDS THE CONCEPT STADIUM FINE WINE WITH PERSONALITY AND A STORY TO TELL

WE TALK TO JUANITO CAMILLERI OF TA' BETTA WINES ABOUT HIS BOTTLED PASSION

WHO ARE YOUR WINES AIMED AT?

Ta’ Betta is a boutique winery situated on a 4 hectre estate in Girgenti in the limits of Siġġiewi, Malta. We produce an average of 25,000 bottles of fine wine every year. The Jean Parisot is our ‘tenacious’ oak fermented Chardonnay, where as Philippe Villiers is a ‘robust’ exotic blend of Syrah with Cabernet Franc, and Antonio Manoel is an ‘opulent’ classical Bordeaux-blend of Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon. We also produce a ‘flirtatious’ Rosé wine, Isabella Guasconi, which as from the 2022 vintage, is a Syrah-Mourvèdre blend. Our wines are aimed at discerning wine-lovers, and given their structure and stature, are best enjoyed paired with the right food.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE NAMES AND STYLES?

We believe that fine wines express a unique personality and wanted to somehow attribute the personality of the respective wines to the character of some of the protagonists from Malta’s history.

Our ‘tenacious”‘Jean Parisot is named after Grandmaster de Valette, who won the Great Siege of Malta against the Ottomans in 1565. Philippe Villiers embodies the ‘robust’ Fra' de L'Isle-Adam, the warrior Grandmaster who brought the Knight Hospitallers to Malta in 1530, having conceded Rhodes years earlier.

Our Antonio Manoel personifies the opulent’ Portuguese prince and Grandmaster de Vilhena who in the early 18th century, built the fortification of Manoel Island and around Floriana, but, also as a lover of the arts, he built our baroque Manoel Theatre too. The story of Isabella Guasconi is more intriguing however. She is reputed to have been the somewhat ‘flirtatious’ and radiantly beautiful love-child of Grandmaster de Valette, who fell victim to her jealous husband, Stefano Buonaccorsi a Tuscan ‘noble’, who turned out to be a villain after all!

WHICH WINES PAIR BEST WITH WHAT?

Jean Parisot is a perfect accompaniment for foie gras, sashimi, bouillabaisse, a broad cross-section of cheese but not the heavy blues or overwhelming over-ripe goat, succulent roast chicken sprinkled with cumin, paella, moule, and why not? Maltese kaponata, roasted vegetables, or traditional Maltese pumpkin pie.

As I taste Philippe Villiers, I think moderately spiced lamb tagine, truffle, mushroom and gorgonzola risotto, beef stew, game, meanwhile the Antonio Manoel takes me to roast rack of lamb medium to rare, served like lollipops-on-a-stick, rabbit, quail, tuna perfectly seared with a coarse-ground pepper crust, a platter of cold cuts, grilled aubergine, or summer vegetable risotto.

Our lady Isabella Guasconi complements a broad range of Mediterranean flavours particularly in the warmer months of the year, perfect with summer BBQs on a boat, beach, or under the stars.

DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO DO THIS AND HOW DID YOU START?

I took to fine wine way back in 1987 when I started reading my doctorate at the University of Cambridge, having had the privilege to sample some classics during formal-hall dinners at Trinity College. As a student, I often interrailed across wine country in France and Italy, so perhaps it was then when the idea of owning land one day set roots, but frankly I was more interested then in the wine than the winemaking. I met my wife Astrid a few years later, she was finishing off her postgraduate at Cambridge and when we decided to tie the knot and return back to Malta, we immediately started looking for land, which luckily was still affordable at the time. We bought the first parcel of land in 2000, and gradually pieced together the seven parcels which now make up Ta’ Betta. At first, we were happy to just sell the grapes, but having met our oenologist Vincenzo Melia, with whom we made some experimental wine to assess the terroir, we decided in 2005 to explore the prospect of building a winery on the estate. This turned out to be a long story as it took us until 2019 before we were able to take our wine to market!

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

We want Ta’ Betta to help place Malta on the international wine map. So far, the Maltese terroir is not well known in discerning connoisseur circles. We will continue participating in wine fairs and wine tastings in Europe and beyond, and through our wines promote Malta and its potential to produce fine wine with personality.

We are pleased to say that we are now exporting our wines to Berlin, Zurich, London, Belgium, Luxembourg, and in June we will be launching our wines in Hong Kong and Macau.

This said, we cannot gain international recognition unless our wines have a s trong following locally, which thankfully we are starting to gain, albeit being on the market for only 4 years, two of which subdued by the pandemic. We aim to continue expanding our presence into leading local restaurants in Malta and Gozo, beyond the 100 or so we are already in, as well as in more key bottle shops on the island.

One other area we seek to strengthen is wine tasting and foodwine pairing events at our estate in Girgenti, to further promote wine culture, and have fun!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHERS INTERESTED TO START?

Don’t be in a hurry! Wine making is a long journey which requires passion, perseverance, and very hard work. If you have the passion, pursue it, and enjoy every step of the journey.

CAN PEOPLE VISIT YOU? \

Ta’ Betta is open for winery visits, tastings and private events by appointment or invitation only. Contact us on info@tabetta.com or on +356 7977 4477