Sunshine in a bottle – wine tasting in Gozo. Photo credit: @federicabrunini via Instagram.
Gozo’s unique gastronomic heritage can be found everywhere on the island – from local bakeries making tasty ftiras and scrumptious, flaky Pastizzi, to cafes and restaurants serving up robust local dishes of fish, octopus, and rabbit. Expect hearty portions and wonderful Mediterranean flavours that hark back to the Arabic, Sicilian and other European cultures that have influenced Gozo over the centuries. You can read more about Gozitan food see Our guide to a Gozo taste experience.
Less visible but no less delicious, are the unique local wines and beers made on the island, and which are the perfect accompaniment to Gozo’s cuisine. Gozo has two family-owned and run wineries – the Ta’ Mena Estate and Massar Winery, producing a range of award-winning wines in which you can taste the Gozitan sunshine.
We also have a new craft brewery on the island – Lord Chambray, which was set up in 2014 and now produces a range of acclaimed beers and ales.
Gozo’s climate with strong sun and sea breezes, combined with its fertile island soil, combine to create wines that are characteristically full-bodied and fruity. The wines and beers produced on Gozo are said to have a unique salty tang: they call this the ‘island effect’.
You will find the local wines and beers for sale at cafes, restaurants and bars in Gozo and if you’d like to find out more about them, Baron Holiday Homes is happy to organise vineyard and brewery tours for our guests – see the Activities section of our website.
Wine and beer tasting tours of Gozo
Ta Mena Estate
The vineyard at Ta Mena estate, Xaghra, Gozo. Photo credit: www.tamena-gozo.com
The 25-acre Ta’ Mena Estate is located in Xaghra, Gozo. Although the estate has been owned and cultivated for decades, since 2002 the focus has been on creating a sustainable, local agrotourism business.
Visitors can tour the Ta Mena Estate every Wednesday and Saturday to see the vineyards and olive groves. You’ll learn all about the traditional approach to crop cultivation, followed by a tasting session of the estate’s range of 12 wines and sample their range of food products, including olive oil, tomato pastes, jams, honey, chutneys, and baked goods. Children will enjoy meeting farm animals, such as goats, and can go on pony cart rides.
Ta Mena also offers private tours, lunches or dinners on weekdays, where you’ll get to taste some seasonal Gozitan dishes to complement the local wine. For a really immersive experience you can even book to help with the grape harvest, which happens during August or September.
Massar Winery
Tal-Massar vineyards at Gharb, Gozo. Photo credit: www.theanti-tourist.net
Located near the village of Gharb, Massar Winery has a hectare of vines and produces a range of six wines, three reds, two whites and a rose. You can book 90-minute vineyard tours and wine tastings every Tuesday and Saturday. The tours of this boutique winery are given by the owners themselves.
As well as getting an in-depth introduction to the wines you sample, which are accompanied by delicious Gozitan nibbles, you can enjoy the spectacular views of the island from the winery terrace. Group tours can also be catered for.
Lord Chambray Brewery
A perfect match – Gozo beach, Gozo beer. Photo credit: Lord Chambray Facebook Page
If beer is more to your style, then you’ll want to visit Gozo’s own microbrewery – Lord Chambray. The brewery, located in Xewkija, was opened in 2014 and already produces a range of 5 artisanal beers, ranging from a pale ale to a dark stout, plus one seasonal beer. All Lord Chambray beers are unpasteurised and bottle-conditioned.
If you drop by the brewery on a weekday you’ll get a tour and beer tasting with one of the brewers who can satisfy all your beer-related questions.
Ask us for help
Baron Holiday Homes is happy to organise these wine and brewery tours, car hire, tours of Gozo, and special activities for our guests. Just get in touch and we’ll tell you all you need to know about walks near to your rental property, special events in villages nearby, and other local information.
We can also organise catering at your holiday home for that special occasion or organise welcome packs and a picnic – full of local tasty treats, to accompany your wine and beer tasting.
Posted in Activity, Local cuisine, Things to do
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