FRA BRETTEL TO COMPLETE NEW WINERY BY 2014

Fra Brettel, Famalco Group’s wine estates, is finalising its plans for the building of a new state-of-the-art boutique winery next to its vineyards at ‘Ta’ Brettel’ valley, in the limits of Rabat.

The winery, slated for completion in 2014, will be equipped with advanced wine-making equipment to produce 50,000 bottles of premium quality wine every year. The company has just contracted the services of local oenology consultant, to assist in the planning of the winery. Fra Brettel is also in talks with MEPA to make sure that this development will not damage the area’s environment or spoil the valley’s picturesque landscape. The winery’s design includes several energy-efficient measures to cut down the building’s carbon footprint.

In February, Hermann Mallia, Famalco Group’s Business Development Director and David Gauci, the Chief Financial Officer, travelled to Umbria, Italy, to visit several wineries across the region. They met the management of these estates and discussed numerous issues related to the sector.

The completion of the boutique winery will be an important milestone for Fra Brettel as it currently has no wine-making facilities where it can fully control the production of wine from the grapes harvested in its vineyards. The Group has invested heavily in the upgrading and embellishment of the wine estates in recent years. As a result, the quality of the yield has been improving year after year. The vineyards grow several varieties of wine grapes, including Moscato Bianco, Vermentino, Viognier, Albarino, Syrah, Negroamaro, Grenache, Mourvedre and Graciano.

Apart from the structural planning of the new winery, Fra Brettel is also conducting in-depth market analysis in Malta and abroad, to identify the current and future trends in the sector. Viticulturists are also carrying out soil analysis studies to identify how they can continue to improve the harvest’s quality.