The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, Anton Refalo, officially inaugurated the Viticulture and Oenology Study Centre in Buskett, following the completion of a restoration project. This historic building will now serve as an interactive museum for the promotion and dissemination of information about the wine and vine sector in Malta.
The Centre includes a cellar equipped with small equipment, a wine physiochemistry laboratory and a dedicated vineyard. Through this project, the Centre will now be open to the public as an interactive museum. This museum will offer a learning and information space for young people, farmers, students and all those with an interest in this important sector.
The project was carried out in two phases with an investment of over €225,000, in order to restore this building in an appropriate manner and further enhance its cultural and educational value. The museum will include a collection of interactive information on viticulture in Malta and Maltese grape varieties, elements that will boost research and sustainable growth in this sector.
In fact, important work is currently being carried out on 17 autochthonous grape varieties collected by various projects, including in collaboration with Italian experts. These have been verified for their uniqueness through DNA analysis and are being nurtured, studied and evaluated from both an agronomic and oenological point of view. The aim is to have these varieties entered into the national register of varieties, with new potential for the quality and diversity of Maltese wine.
“This project is a clear example of how cultural fabric, the natural environment and scientific research can come together to create spaces of learning, development and appreciation for sectors that form part of our agricultural and cultural identity,” concluded Minister Refalo.
Photo: MAFA
