8 Day Luxury Tour of Malta's Wineries

Malta Map

8 Day Luxury Tour of Malta

Consisting of extensive Maltese
Wine, Food, History and Culture
In what has been described as

one big open-air museum.

Includes

Round Trip Air NYC, Boston, or Washington DC to Malta
Miami, Orlando, LAX or San Francisco add just $50!
6 night accommodations in the 5 Star Luxury Palace Hotel
Wine tours to include: the Marsovin Winery near Marsaxlokk and the Meridian Winery at Ta' Qali
Breakfast Daily
4 lunches/2 dinners all at local dining places including The Medina Restaurant in Mdina, a local eatery in Marsaxlokk, a Trattoria in Valletta, local Tavern inside the Citadel in Gozo, Cosmana Navarra Restaurant in Rabat, and the Barracuda Restaurant in St. Julians.
Extensive touring of this 7000 year old island nation with its ancient treasures.
All local transportation
Fuel surcharge

** This is a small group tour to consist of 12 – 16 participants**
VERY EXCLUSIVE.. Join our group or bring your own!
Only 3 departures scheduled.

Itinerary

DAY 01 -Tuesday: Depart the USA to begin your luxury wine tour of Malta!

DAY 02 –Wednesday: Today you will arrive in Malta. After police and customs formalities you will be assisted by our representative and transferred from Malta International Airport to the Palace Hotel. You will enjoy a complimentary non-alcoholic welcome drink during these check-in procedures. This evening enjoy dinner at the Medina Restaurant in Mdina the old capital city of Malta. An original Norman residence hidden amongst the honeycombed streets of Mdina in truly romantic surroundings and unique enchantment. Partake of a 3-course dinner including ½ bottle of local wine, ½ bottle mineral water & coffee. (B/D) -Overnight at The Palace Hotel

DAY 03 –Thursday: After a buffet breakfast at the hotel, our guide will lead us on a full day excursion starting at Valletta, the Capital City of Malta, the City built by the Knights of St. John. During our walking tour of the city, we will first visit the Upper Barracca Gardens which afford a fantastic view of the Grand Harbor and the Three Historical Cities. We then visit Saint John's Co Cathedral which is historically and artistically one of the most important monuments on the island.
Next we will visit the Grand Master's Palace, with its two lovely courtyards. Lunch will be at local Trattoria in Valletta. The 3-course luncheon includes ½ bottle of local wine, ½ bottle mineral water & coffee. After lunch continue with the tour where we will visit “The Malta Experience Show” which is an excellent multi-vision show (approx 45minutes), which introduces visitors to Malta and its people. We will the transfer back to the hotel. (B/L) Overnight at The Palace Hotel

DAY 04 –Friday: Buffet breakfast at Hotel. -Our guide will lead us on another full day excursion starting at the Prehistoric temples and Marsaxlokk fishing village and Marsovin Winery. we will then

move south to visit Blue Grotto (boat ride included) then we move to Hagar Qim temples which is unique among the Maltese temples because globigerina limestone was used throughout its construction. Just a short distance away we will be able to see the Mnajdra temple which is a short walk down the hill from Hagar Qim. After we go to Marsaxlokk which is Malta’s largest fishing village. Here one will be able to watch the fishermen mending their nets or painting their boats but above all admire this quaint village full of the typical colorful fishing boats. On Sunday morning there is a lively market. -Lunch at local Restaurant in Marsaxlokk. Enjoy a 3-course luncheon including ½ bottle of local wine, ½ bottle mineral water & coffee. After lunch we continue our tour to visit the Marsovin Winery where you will be given a brief history of the Winery and a wine tasting of three different superior wines. (B/L) Overnight at The Palace Hotel

DAY 05 –Saturday: Buffet breakfast at Hotel. -Today our full day excursion takes us to visit Gozo, Malta’s sister island. With our guise we will depart from out hotel by motor coach to Cirkewwa for ferry boat crossing to Mgarr – Gozo. The short trip from Malta to Gozo is in itself a pleasant experience especially on a fine day. Mgarr Harbour is picturesque with all kinds of

sea-craft. During this tour we will visit Ggantija Temples in Xaghra which were built and developed between 3600 and 2400 BC, making them among the earliest architectural planned facades in the world. We then proceed to Victoria which is in the center of the island as well as being the center of commerce and finally The Citadel is a medieval fortified town with massive bastions that date back to the 17th century where we visit the Archeology Museum. Lunch at local Tavern inside the Citadel consists of traditional vegetable soup followed by delicatessen platter to share consisting of (local goats cheese, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers olives onions) ½ bottle of local wine, ½ bottle mineral water & coffee. -In the afternoon we continue with our tour visiting Dwejra which is famous for its hanging window. (B/L) Overnight at The Palace Hotel

DAY 06 –Sunday: Buffet breakfast at Hotel. Start of a full day excursion accompanied by guide where group will be transferred to our motor coach for our trip to visit Mosta Dome, Rabat and Mdina. At Mosta we will visit the parish church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. This church was built in the classical style and based on that of the Pantheon in Rome. It is said that the dome of this church is the third largest in Europe. We then drive to Rabat and we visit the Maltise Tomb

catacombs of St. Paul, which are typical underground Christian cemeteries, which were common in the 4th century AD and we then walk around the narrow street of Malta’s old capital city Mdina. Lunch at a converted Noble Mans house Cosmana Navarra Restaurant in Rabat. 3-course luncheon including ½ bottle of local wine, ½ bottle mineral water & coffee. -After lunch we visit the Meridian Winery where we will be given an introduction of the winery followed by a wine tasting of the wines produced there and time permitting we will also visit the Ta Qali crafts village. (B/L) Overnight at The Palace Hotel

DAY 07 –Monday: Buffet breakfast at Hotel. Today you have a full day at leisure. Dinner this evening will be at the Barracuda Restaurant in St. Julians. This is a 200 year old Maltese residence, built right on the water's edge overlooking the breathtaking views of Balluta and Spinola Bay. Dinner will consist of 3-courses including ½ bottle of local wine, ½ bottle mineral water & coffee. (B/D) Overnight at The Palace Hotel

DAY 08 –Tuesday: Buffet breakfast at hotel. Check-out from Hotel (dependent on flight times), with full Assistance by our representative to transfer passengers, from Hotel directly to Malta International Airport for departure. Say goodbye to magnificent Malta and begin your trip back home (B)


Prices are Per Person Double Occupancy

Single Supplement $399.00 Airport Fees &Taxes $195.00

Departure Dates	Air & Land	Land Only



November 17, 2009	$1899.00	$1399.00
March 23, 2010	$1999.00	$1399.00
April 20, 2010	$1999.00	$1399.00

Wineries

Marsovin is a household name in Malta, synonymous with the production of premium wines. The roots of this well-earned status were planted almost a century ago when Chev. Anthony Cassar founded the company under the name of A&G Cassar, in 1919. Marsovin was incorporated in 1956 as a family-run company which grew to become a significant part of the history of wine-making in Malta.
During the ensuing years, Marsovin continued to expand and modernize, maintaining its high quality reputation which makes the company the leading producer and exporter of wines in Malta. Marsovin has set major inroads in viticulture and winemaking in Malta and established the current high standards which some Maltese wines enjoy internationally.
The high standard of Marsovin wines is attributed partly to Malta’s favorable climatic conditions but also to the stringent controls maintained by experts from the viticultural aspect to the vinification process in order to ensure that the optimum level of quality is achieved.
Our commitment to pioneering and maintaining modern methods of viticulture and wine production is self evident. We are proud of our hard earned reputation for quality brought about by stringent control of yields, pressing, fermentation and oak ageing.Only strict adherence to these controls brings about the desired premium quality of Marsovin wines recognized by the loyalty of our customers.

Meridiana Winery has its roots in 1985 as a result of a conversation between Mark Miceli-Farrugia, (Malta’s Ambassador to the U.S. based in Washington DC) a trader in wines for over 20 years, and a Bordeaux oenologist. The latter persuaded Mark that there was potential for high-quality wine growing in Malta. As a consequence, Meridiana Wine Estate was established in April 1987. The company's pioneering mission is to produce "World-Class Wines of Maltese Character" - internationally acclaimed wines made from wine-grapes grown exclusively in Maltese soil. Until then, all "Maltese wine" was produced from a mixture of table-grapes, imported wine-grapes, and sugar. Up to this day, Meridiana stands alone in Malta in militating for the enaction of internationally endorsable wine regulations which ban the addition of sugar to Maltese wine, Meridiana is also insisting that such regulations distinguish truly Maltese-grown wine from imported make-believes.
The first harvest of a limited quantity of red and white wines took place in 1995 and 1996 respectively, with the first (1996) release of both wines being sold out within months. Since then, despite the annual increase in vine yields, domestic demand has been so high that the Company's wines have sold out within months. Nevertheless, the company has reserved limited quantities of its wines for export to Belgium, France and Singapore. Maximum production of 140,000 bottles should be reached by the harvest year of 2002.
The name Meridiana and the Estate's sundial insignia have been inspired by Malta's Southern European location.


Prices are Per Person Double Occupancy

Single Supplement $399.00 Airport Fees &Taxes $195.00

Departure Dates	Air & Land	Land Only



November 17, 2009	$1899.00	$1399.00
March 23, 2010	$1999.00	$1399.00
April 20, 2010	$1999.00	$1399.00

Hotel

The Palace Hotel, Sliema, Malta: Inspired by the pulse and passion of a city centre hotel, the Palace is a stylish Deluxe five star Boutique Hotel of distinctive elegance. The Palace is intimate and comfortable, yet luxurious and cosmopolitan, whilst offering a unique experience of genuine hospitality.Unique in spirit with gracious hospitality, the Palace is European elegance in the heart of urban Sliema. The Palace and Palazzo Capua, with 155 rooms, are both supplemented by eight unique and individually designed and decorated Suites combined with the highest quality modern furniture, equipped with flat screen televisions with satellite channels, and High Speed Wireless Internet. The Spa and Leisure Centre spread out on the top three levels together with the seven state-of-the-art meeting rooms and the chic & exclusive restaurants all combine to offer the ultimate hotel experience.

The Fine Print: Deposit of $200.00 is non refundable. The round trip cost of transportation to JFK in not included. All pricing now includes air fuel surcharges per U.S. D.O.T Regulations. Air taxes are additional. In the past fuel surcharges were paid with final payment and were collected along with the taxes, now the fuel surcharge is collected as part of the package price. Bottom line is the same. You are not paying more now, you did not pay less before!