Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541988
6 COMMERCIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 DECEMBER 2025 Marsovin releases Domina Malbec Malta, vintage 2023 ON Saturday, 6th December, Marsovin launched its new Domina 2023 vintage at the Two- Michelin-Starred restaurant ION Harbour at the Iniala Hotel, Valletta. The event featured a nine- course tasting menu, carefully created by the ION team and paired with seven premium Mar- sovin wines, including the new Domina, Antonin Blanc Riżerva, and Marsovin's Grand Maître 2023. Domina is a limited-edition wine made from hand-picked Malbec grapes grown on the Wardija Valley estate, a small par- cel of land in Marsovin's smallest privately owned vineyard. Jeremy Cassar, fourth-gener- ation member of the Marsovin family, expressed his pride in Domina, stating: "Our passion for producing wines of exceptional character has always been part of Marsovin's culture. Domina is an extension of this tradition. It is another milestone in Mal- tese winemaking - introducing Malbec and producing a success- ful vintage gives us tremendous pride." Marsovin is renowned for its explorative and innovative ap- proach to winemaking in Malta, and Domina is symbolic of this philosophy. The story of the wine began in 2013, when the first Malbec vines were planted in the experimental Wardija vineyard, which Marsovin has used for over 50 years to study the adaptability of grape varieties previously un- known to Maltese soil. Thanks to the success of this trial, Mar- sovin proceeded to plant Malbec in four of its other estates around Malta. Deep and dark in colour, the 2023 vintage showcases the true character of Malbec with a dis- tinct local touch. Ripe aromas of blackberry, plum, and cherry blend with notes of vanilla, to- bacco, and a hint of dark choc- olate from the oak. Full-bodied, complex, and powerful, it re- mains smooth and well-balanced on the palate. Domina is dedicated to Mrs. Giovanna Natalizia Cassar, the leading lady of the Cassar family and grandmother to the fourth generation. Only 372 bottles and 50 mag- nums of the 2023 vintage have been produced. The BOV Foundation supports 'Moving With The Wind, Like Waves' BANK of Valletta is pleased to mark the successful launch of 'Moving with the Wind, Like Waves', a contemporary art pro- ject held at the Inquisitor's Pal- ace in Birgu. The exhibition was launched to an engaged public, drawing strong interest from visitors, artists, and cultural stakeholders alike. Developed and curated by Elyse Tonna and commissioned by the BOV Foundation, this art pro- ject unfolds as a large-scale ex- hibition, public programme, and forthcoming publication, trans- forming the Inquisitor's Palace into a living site of artistic in- quiry. Selected through a highly competitive open call, the nine participating artists, Victor Agi- us, Laura Besançon, Ryan Falzon, Wioletta Kulewska Akyel, Julian Micallef, Jacob Saliba, Sheldon Saliba, Matthew Schembri and Tom Van Malderen, worked closely with Elyse Tonna and with the support of the Heritage Malta site curatorial team. Across installation, sound, sculpture, film, drawing and painting, the artists engage with concepts of memory, gesture, ecology, ritual, inscription and care. Rather than reconstruct- ing a singular historical narra- tive, the works reveal the quieter forces: movements, marks, res- idues and sensorial impressions that persist outside official doc- umentation, expanding how the Inquisitor's Palace can be read and experienced today. The opening weekend offered a first glimpse into the wider public programme with a series of performances. Featured prac- titioners included a string quar- tet, Abigail Agius with a perfor- mance rooted in the histories of women and witchcraft at the Palace, Alien Montesin respond- ing choreographically to the ar- chitecture of the main staircase, Matthew Schembri with dura- tional writing performances and Ryan Falzon presenting read- ings drawn from his ongoing re- search. These opening events set the tone for the full programme, which will continue through- out December with workshops, conversations and guided ex- plorations. The programme al- so includes creative workshops for children, a culinary-ecolog- ical conversation in the historic kitchen, a somatic movement workshop for the elderly, a hands-on film-processing work- shop and a large-scale explorato- ry walk through the building. Curator Elyse Tonna said, "This project brings contemporary ar- tistic practice into direct conver- sation with one of Malta's most historically complex sites. The Inquisitor's Palace holds layers of memory, silence and transfor- mation and all the participating artists in the exhibition and pub- lic programme approach it with sensitivity and depth. Through months of research and collab- oration, they developed works that do not seek to illustrate his- tory, but to sense what persists at its edges: the unseen, the un- documented, the gestures that linger. I am grateful to the BOV Foundation for trusting this vi- sion and supporting the kind of rigorous, process-based work that Malta urgently needs." Ernest Agius, Deputy Chair of the BOV Foundation and BOV Chief Operations Officer, said, "The BOV Foundation is deeply committed to supporting pro- jects that broaden cultural par- ticipation and encourage artistic experimentation. The success- ful launch of 'Moving with the Wind, Like Waves' affirms our belief in art's ability to transform how we engage with heritage spaces and contemporary narra- tives. We are proud to support a project that brings together ex- ceptional Maltese and interna- tional talent and opens up new ways of experiencing one of Mal- ta's most historically significant sites." 'Moving with the Wind, Like Waves' is open to the public at the Inquisitor's Palace in Birgu until the 4th of January 2026. Visitors can experience the full exhibition during regular muse- um hours, with access included in the standard Heritage Mal- ta entry ticket. Throughout its run, the project will continue to evolve through its public pro- gramme, curatorial tours and a series of closing-day interven- tions that further activate the site.