Delicata Pruning Seminars

Over 150 of Delicata’s grape growers have recently attended three seminars held in the company’s wine cellars and on Gozo to learn more about winter pruning methods and vineyard sanitation techniques, all of which fall under Delicata’s ongoing sustainable viticultural programme.

The main topics lectured on by Delicata’s viticultural experts focused on many of the customised pruning techniques passed on by the French pruning specialists that Delicata has employed over recent years. These customised pruning practices take into consideration, among other things, the particular grape variety each farmer grows, the vineyard’s age and soil composition, its micro climate and its I.G.T. or D.O.K classification in order to then optimises them.

“This transfer of intellectual knowledge has proved vital” Matthew Delicata said. “Our growers have already learnt so much and many of those present have seen the results of the modern pruning methods applied and the advantages they have brought to them and their vines. These techniques are not only giving them better quality fruit but it has saved them money as well. In today’s highly competitive world, sustainable viticulture is crucial and anything we can do to help pass this knowledge onto other growers to achieve the same, especially whilst improving quality, is in everyone’s interest” he concluded.

In a few weeks time another team of pruning specialists will arrive in Malta to continue the bespoke pruning programme for Delicata’s growers, but this year the specialist will be Italian.

These ongoing viticultural seminars for Delicata’s growers will continue throughout the year with more workshops planned. The next round of lectures will concentrate on other areas of vineyard husbandry such as canopy management, irrigation and pest control. These viticultural seminars form part of the winemaker’s drive to continually improve the quality of the fruit the farmers grow for them; and thereby continually improve the quality of the resulting wines produced by the Delicata winery.