first vine: wine imports + sales : Meridiana Wine Estate Isis 2008

Meridiana Wine Estate Isis 2008
On Sale

Price: 22.00
Sale Price: $16.00

ON SALE!
description
Wine from Malta? Absolutely! But while most Maltese wines are made from table grapes, Meridiana Wine Estate produces wine from world-class international varietals. The company was founded in 1987 by Mark Miceli-Farrugia, a wine trader, and began with experiments to determine the best varietals for the local soil and climate. In 1992, Marchese Piero Antinori became a partner in the venture, bringing the expertise and institutional heft of his family's winemaking experience to firmly establish Meridiana as a winemaking company. The aim was, and is, to make high-quality wines that show the mark of Malta's unique soil and climate.

The estate lies on land that was used by the British Royal Air Force as a base in the Second World War, in Malta's agricultural heartland. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Petit Verdot were planted in 1994 and 1995, and the first limited harvests took place in 1995 and 1996. The wines were an immediate success, and production has increased each year since then. First Vine is the first importer to bring Meridiana's wines to the U.S.

Meridiana's Isis Chardonnay is named for the Phoenician goddess of sailors -- and you can still see her image on Maltese fishing boats today. The wine is crisp and loaded with ripe fruit flavors, peach, apricot, and tropical fruits too. It's not aged in oak, allowing all the flavors to come through unimpeded. Light enough to drink as an aperitif, it's also substantial enough to drink with any of your usual white wine pairings. And while it's not a sweet wine, the fruit body allows it to pair well with spicy foods too.

Alc 12% by vol

producer / region: Meridiana Wine Estate

type: White Maltese Wine

grapes:
100% Chardonnay

category:
whites with something extra

food pairing suggestions:
Excellent aperitif, pairs beautifully with seafood, shellfish, poultry, salads, spicy foods

drink when? Now or hold up to 2 years