1919 is one of Marsovin's recent additions to its range of D.O.K. Malta wines. 1919 is the year that Anthony Cassar and his brother George first started their merchant business in Qormi, Malta. It is with this in mind that Marsovin has dedicated a wine to this important year in the history of the Cassar family.
Marsovin has a long standing reputation as a winery that firmly supports the Maltese art scene. For decades now the family has sponsored many an artist. It is for this reason why Marsovin decided to create a brand which emphasises this relationship between Maltese art and the winery. The 1919 labels carry two different paintings every year that the wine is produced. These paintings are commissioned on a yearly basis for each vintage produced, the artist is given a brief to paint two paintings based on 'The Culture of Wine'.
Marsovin first started producing 1919 in 2004, from grapes harvested from family owned vineyards in Malta. The white is based on a Chardonnay and Girgentina blend whereas the red is produced from selected grapes of the indigenous Gellewza red variety. The harvested Gellewza bunches were laid down to dry in the sun for a number of days before being vinified resulting in a concentration of the Gellewza grape’s natural sugars, acidity and colour The production of this wine is strictly limited and each and every bottle is numbered which adds even further value to the wine.
Celia Borg Cardona was born in the UK in 1957 but has lived in Malta most of her life. She is the local artist selected for the 2010 vintage of 1919. She has chosen the end user of the wine, the wine drinker as the subject of her paintings. People gathering in groups and high perspectives are two themes often found running through her works. Oil on canvas is her favourite medium and her work is often large in scale. Celia exhibits regularly both locally and internationally.