Meridiana Wine Estate - Tuscan Collaboration

Founded in 1987 with guidance from Marchese Piero Antinori, this 19-hectare estate below Mdina produces 140,000 bottles annually. Flagship wines like Isis Chardonnay and Nexus Merlot have earned praise from Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Taste the Wine That 26 Generations of Antinori Helped Build Wine · Price: moderate

   In 1992, Marchese Piero Antinori — the man who literally invented the Supertuscans and broke Italian wine law in 1971 with his Tignanello — flew to this small limestone island and decided it could make world-class wine. His family has been making wine since 1385, twenty-six generations since Florence had the Black Death. Book the standard tour (€12/person) at Meridiana Wine Estate's second-floor covered outdoor terrace (Ta' Qali ATD 4000, +356 2141 3550), which includes a guided walk through the fermentation hall, underground cellars, then up to the terrace for 4 premium wines. Ask specifically for the ISIS Chardonnay and the NEXUS Merlot — both are DOK Malta certified, as rigorous as French AOC. Add the cheese and salami platter (+€10) with local Maltese ricotta.

   Backup: If the terrace is full for a group, any corner of the estate works. The cellar shop stocks the full range — buy the Celsius Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (~€45) to take home. Best vintages are 2015, 2016, 2017.

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2. 2 Stand on the Runway Where RAF Spitfires Launched — Now Growing Chardonnay History · Free

   This exact ground was RAF Ta' Kali airfield — on 8 November 1940 it became an RAF Station where 249 Squadron claimed the 1,000th enemy aircraft downed in the defence of Malta. The Axis bombed this field repeatedly, and now Meridiana's 91,000 Chardonnay and Merlot vines grow in the same bomb-scarred limestone soil. Walk to the vineyard edge during your winery tour (or independently) and look west — you'll see three large hangars about 600 metres away, the original RAF Ta' Kali hangars now housing the Malta Aviation Museum (€7 entry, Mon-Sun 9:00-17:00) with a restored Spitfire MkIX EN199, one of the few surviving Spitfires with actual Mediterranean combat record. Walk over if you have an hour, then back through the vineyard — it's the same ground.

   Backup: Even without the Aviation Museum visit, just standing in the vineyard and knowing what happened here changes the taste of the wine. The story is the experience.

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3. 3 Descend Into the Limestone Cellar Where Phoenician Soil Meets Tuscan Technique Wine · Price: moderate

   The Phoenicians landed on Malta around 700 BC and brought the grapevines — the indigenous grape Gellewza is Phoenician, as is Girgentina. Fast forward 2,700 years: the same limestone soil that Phoenician traders cultivated now holds French oak barriques at a constant 16°C in Meridiana's underground cellars (accessed during the guided tour), the temperature naturally maintained by the rock itself. Ask the guide about the NEXUS Merlot aging process — 10 months in those barriques, then 8 more months in bottle before release. Look for the row of French oak barriques used for Nexus and Melqart aging, touch the barrel to feel the limestone's cool, and ask about the Celsius Reserve (2016 vintage ready to drink now, window: 2025-2030). The estate name MELQART honors the Phoenician god of Tyre.

   Backup: If the cellar tour is full, the tasting room itself has display materials explaining the aging process. The cellar shop sells Melqart and Nexus to take away.

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4. 4 Climb to Mdina's Bastions and Look Back at the Vines Below Adventure · Free

   Mdina has been continuously occupied since the Phoenicians called it 'Ann' in the 8th century BC — the Romans renamed it Melita, the Arabs rebuilt its labyrinthine alleys in the 9th century, the Normans took it peacefully in 1091. From Bastion Square at the northern walls (1.5km northwest of the winery, 20 minutes on foot), you can look BACK across the valley and see the entire Ta' Qali plain below — including Meridiana's vineyards, the same view unchanged for 3,000 years. Walk or taxi from the estate gate northwest toward Mdina's city walls, enter through the main gate and walk to Bastion Square. No admission fee to enter Mdina, and the panorama from the bastion wall shows the distinctive limestone winery building and green vineyard blocks of Meridiana in the flat plain below.

   Backup: If you can't walk, take a 5-minute taxi from the estate (€5-8). Mdina Glass workshop is at Ta' Qali Crafts Village en route — free live glassblowing demonstrations, no booking needed, established 1968.

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• Book tastings directly with the estate

• The terrace offers stunning views toward Mdina

• Small-group tours include 4 wines and food platter