12 Stages Of Attending The Marsovin Summer Wine Festival
Summer in Malta is one long string of amazing opportunities to meet people and unwind after a long hot week, and nothing says that quite like a wine festival. With the tenth anniversary edition of the Marsovin Summer Wine Festival edging ever closer, here are the 12 stages of attending the festival.
1. Planning how to get there to make the most of Valletta at night
The setting for the Marsovin Summer Wine Festival will yet again be the beautiful Hastings Gardens in Valletta. You might want to ditch your car and arrive by bus or taxi, walking it up to the gardens in the beautiful summer evening. For an extra special experience, consider the boat taxi from Sliema, Birgu or Isla.
2. Arriving and instantly feeling spoilt for choice
There will be over 30 different quality D.O.K. and I.G.T. wines available to taste at this year’s Summer Wine Festival, so the only problem you’ll be facing is choosing where to begin.
3. Taking the first sip and realising you’ve made the right choice
… and for a quick second, you look around and smile at the people you catch staring at you. Although you can’t really go wrong with all the great wines on offer, you still feel extra special. And it could be just a false impression, but even your server looked impressed with your choice.
4. Stopping for a second to take in the beautiful scenery
As soon as the first step of choosing your first glass is over and done with, it’ll only take you a couple of seconds to realize where you are and how beautiful Valletta’s Hastings Gardens are this time of the year.
5. Finding the Wine Education Area and seizing the opportunity to learn more
Hastings is a huge area and will be full of different stalls during the festival weekend, so you might discover the Wine Education Area after you choose your first glass.
If you’d like to learn more about the delicious wines on offer, you’ll find an area dedicated just for that. You can participate in guided blind wine tasting while being given information over the different characteristics of the grape variety, wine making techniques, and everything you’ve ever wanted to know to make you an awesome wine connoisseur. Pre-book your session by emailing [email protected]
6. Feeling like you now know enough to check out the high-end wine section
Ok, so you’ve tasted a couple of different wines, and you have a couple of wine facts with which to impress your friends. You now feel adventurous enough to check out the Boutique and high-end wines on offer, and you suddenly discover a whole new world. And hey, with an oyster bar, a sushi bar, and a charcuterie stand, you’ll successfully reach peak fanciness.
7. Heading to the live music area to check out the bands
This year’s lineup is long and varied, so it’s set to be the perfect backdrop for the night. Airport Impressions and The Travellers, two of the most popular local bands in Malta right now, will be joined by blues band Vinyl Paradise, gypsy swing outfit Swing Nuages, folk rock lads The Busker, multi-genre Novel, radio darlings Jack’s Fusion, and Analise Cassar & Band, who will be performing some popular tunes for the crowd.
8. Bumping into a friend you haven’t seen in ages and immediately reconnecting
So you’re chilling at the lovely Hastings Gardens in Valletta, the sun’s just set, there’s good music all night long, and you’ve tasted some mouth-watering wines. You suddenly bump into a friend you haven’t seen in ages, and this is the perfect opportunity to reconnect… and impress them with all the wine facts you’ve just learnt. One hour later, you’re back to being best friends.
9. Getting hungry and having no idea where to start because everything looks incredible
Again, the only difficult thing here is the choice. TemptAsian will be setting up a sushi bar. Bottegin Palazzo Xara will have some delicious fresh pasta dishes. Eat Me I’m Famous will offer freshly-made pizza on site. Brass&Knuckle will have premium cold cuts & cheese. Fat Louie’s is preparing some of their signature dishes. And The Pulled Meat Company will be offering up an array of mouthwatering Maltese dishes.
In other words, everything is going to be delicious and we have no idea where we’d start. Just be careful to check all the stalls out before you make your choice, just in case you end up suffering from food FOMO.
10. Meeting someone who’s chosen the same wines and food as you and becoming their new best friend
An event like a wine festival is always the best opportunity to mingle and make new friends, and if you meet someone who’s made the exact same decisions as you when it comes to the wines and food on offer, they might very well be your soulmate.
11. Planning your first photo upload
With your tastebuds satisfied and a friend or two in tow (old and new), this is the perfect opportunity to take your first #MarsovinWineFestival selfie, group photo, or scenery + wine glass + good food shot, ready and waiting to upload on social media.
12. Realising there’s a whole other area you haven’t noticed yet and doing it all over again with your new squad
After you’ve successfully visited each and every wine and food stall you thought there is, you realise there’s actually more to the whole festival further down the path. Time for more wine tasting, snacking and socialising!
The Marsovin Summer Wine Festival is happening on the 7th, 8th and 9th July at the Hastings Gardens in Valletta. More information can be found on the official website and the Facebook event page, and it’s looking to be another amazing edition.
Tag a friend who’d love to attend the Marsovin Summer Wine Festival and you could be in with the chance to win tickets for two!
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