These cellars where built round about 1620 and as early as 1866, these rooms that make up the cellars were part of a whole network of workshops accessed directly from the harbour docks. The entry road was called “Shipping Alley or Yard” and was made up of individual rooms that were used by various merchants as workshops. The entire area was bustling with action, boat building and bartering whilst the knight’s schooners came in and out the harbour bay for business. An interesting disclosure is that hundreds of years ago all harbour traffic and Valletta transport came up and down this same Paola hill.

The first room of the cellar was originally bought by Chev. Anthony Cassar on 25th September 1950. Although the buildings were almost totally dilapidated and some were without roofs, the purchase was made with excellent intent. In fact, when Anthony Cassar & Son first took possession of the room the winery was not yet built. However, we know that this room was originally called “Buttar." Ironically, it is where the cooperage for barrels was made. In fact the acquisition of “buttar” store room was an established milestone for Marsovin’s beginning.

On the 25th of June 1999, The Prime Minister of Malta Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami, inaugurated the new extension of the cellars. The new extension was intended for two major reasons. Antonin Blanc barrels have yielded some 22,000 bottles in the past two years. Today, due to the fact that this label was sold out 4 months prior to the release of next vintage, Marsovin is planning to double the yield to result to 23,000 bottles in one year, and in fact the extension will now hold another 69 new oak barrels.

The second major reason behind the extension of these cellars is the Cassar de Malte, the middle corridor of the new extension will contain 14 pupitres each containing 120 bottles of this prestigious label. Moreover the labour to make the Cassar de Malte will also be done inside the cellars. This is mainly due to the constant low temperatures this wine requires.

Tradition and expertise are what finally makes these cellars a success story, it is in no way Marsovin’s intention to commercialize these cellars. The cellars are a working place and visits are strictly limited and guided by our highly trained staff. The scrutiny and high level of quality control that takes place in these cellars are solely devoted to the love the company shares with its products. We would be honoured if the same care and attention will be given by our clients to the culture of wine.

Today the cellars host around 200 noble barrels, made out of French and American oak. Each and every barrel contains our prestigious wines including Grand Maitre, Antonin and  Marnisi.

Cassar De Malte

Cassar de Malte is created using the strict, lengthy and rigorous procedures of the methode traditionnelle, which is the method used to create champagne. It cannot be labelled as champagne because the terms ‘champagne’ and methode champegnoise are restricted to those wines produced by the methode traditionelle in the confines of the Champagne region in France. Cassar de Malte is not a frizzante, which is made by introducing gas into still wine, nor is it produced by the methode charmante, in which bubbles are introduced by an additional fermentation process. Outside Champagne, the methode traditionelle is used in Cava in Spain, in Franciacorta in Italy, and in Malta by Marsovin for Cassar de Malte. This prestigious Marsovin wine takes it name from the wine-making family, in keeping with tradition. It is made from high-quality Chardonnay grapes harvested from the family’s private 15-tumolo estate in Wardija,where there are 7,500 vines. No more than 8,000 bottles are produced from each harvest, and the process takes more than two years, including two fermentations and 15 months in which the bottles are left to lie on lees, allowing the conversion of yeast into sediment. The bottles are each turned by hand every day for four weeks, so that the sediment collects in the neck, from where it is fi nally removed to allow the addition of the liqueur d’espedition, which determines its classifi cation as Brut.