First Septemner 2021

ISSUE 327 SEPTEMBER 2021

A CAPSULE OF THE WORLD

Exclusive new series+

THIS IS WINE POMEROL ON A SHOESTRING

SPIRITUALITY IN THE KITCHEN "When I was very young, very foolish, and very much alone, you paid attention to me and, without seeming to, you opened for me the door to everything I love in the world.”

Albert Camus

EDITORIAL

SPIRITUALITY

“I

IN THE KITCHEN

t is easier to believe that the people you hate aren’t people at all – but they are. They have a deep yearning for joy, and they have fears, and dreams, and 11 different sounding laughs for all different situations. They are more like you than not. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you will be able to truly care for the stories of your neighbours and of the world. Choose love over hate. Choose kindness over judgement. Choose to keep your eyes and heart wide open.”

Sterling Graves, photographer + creative consultant based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Source Instagram/Sterling Graves.

The new series on wine premiering in this edition of First Magazine, This is Wine, is dedicated to our Prosecco guzzling family.

ON THE COVER: Yves Saint Laurent's Marrakech home in the magnificent Majorelle Garden, Morocco. Photography Raissa Lara Lütolf (-Fasel).

THIS PAGE: Fresh crop of Maltese oranges. Photography First Magazine team.

EDITORIAL CONTENT AND SALES MANAGER SEAN ELLUL SELLUL@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT DESIGNER CONRAD BONDIN CBONDIN@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT PRODUCTION MANAGER ANDRE CAMILLERI ACAMILLERI@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT PUBLISHER STANDARD PUBLICATIONS, STANDARD HOUSE, BIRKIKARA HILL, ST JULIAN’S. TEL: 00356 2134 5888, WEB: WWW.INDEPENDENT.COM.MT FACEBOOK FIRSTMAGAZINE PRINTER PRINT-IT. FIRST IS PUBLISHED AS A COMPLIMENTARY MAGAZINE WITH THE MALTA INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY AND IS NOT TO BE SOLD SEPARATELY. NO PART OF THE PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE PRIOR AGREEMENT OF THE PUBLISHER. FIRST MAGAZINE SINCE 1993. ISSUE NUMBER 327.

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CONTENTS

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Morocco’s Magnificent Jardin Majorelle. Photograph Mehmet Ugur Turkyilmaz.

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VENICE. Rialto Bridge restored. Photograph Damiano Baschiera.

The Divine Smile in Heritage Malta’s exhibition Masterpieces at MUŻA. Madonna and Child – Milanese School (Studio of Leonardo da Vinci), courtesy Heritage Malta.

43 THiS IS WiNE premieres in this issue

NEW EXCLUSIVE SERIES: THIS IS WINE. Pomerol on a Shoestring. Photograph: Château de Sales, courtesy Vinconnexion.

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VALLETTA RENAISSANCE. Inside a new city.

Photograph Frederick Muscat courtesy Halmann Vella.

CONTENTS [ISSUE 327. SEPTEMBER 2021]

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54

Restoration.

Ponte di Rialto.

Modern English Interiors.

Creating places of sanctuary, comfort and delight.

VENICE

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54

COFFEE TABLE

MARRAKECH

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VALLETTA

Maltese Teatime Treats with Mediterranean Culinary Academy.

VALLETTA RENAISSANCE

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Magnificent Majorelle.

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A different perspective.

Inside a new city.

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MUZA, VALLETTA

MALTESE CLASSICS

DEMENTIA & ALZHEIMER’S

Getting to know more about dementia.

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The Divine Smile.

PRIDE

CREATIVITY

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The Valletta Design Cluster.

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VALLETTA’S SECRET TUNNELS

Inside the underground Combined Operations Room.

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IN FULL SWING

Fountain of Youth. Swimming and Dreaming of Capri.

Photograph Will Truettner.

6 reasons why Pride is important.

PARIS

Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped.

Coffee Table. Modern English Interiors.

Photograph courtesy Vendome Press.

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The Grand Harbour clean-up.

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HEALTH & FITNESS Fountain of Youth.

Dreaming of Capri.

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THIS IS WINE

Pomerol on a Shoestring.

The first chapter in This is wine: its storied place and taste.

PARIS. Fabric panels unfurled over the outer walls of the Arc de Triomphe, September 12, 2021.

Photograph Benjamin Loyseau © 2021 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.

Maltese Teatime Classics with Mediterranean Culinary Academy. Photograph Jessica Zammit.

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VENICE

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VENICE “When I seek another word for ‘music’, I never find any other word than ‘Venice’.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo

RESTORATION

PONTE DI RIALTO T

he Rialto Bridge is one of Venice’s top attractions, as well as the oldest of four bridges that cross the Canale Grande. It was inaugurated in 1591 and built by Antonio Da Ponte who designed the bridge with a 28-metre arch and 12,000 Elm wood poles that support its weight. In 2012, Renzo Rosso, the founder of the fashion brand Diesel, donated 5 million euro through his holding company OTB (Only the Brave) to fund restoration of the Rialto Bridge, marking the first complete restoration since it was built.

The work was completed with less time and money in 2016, with cost savings that Renzo Rosso decided to reinvest in the restoration of the floors of the adjacent arcades, leading to the famous Fish Market. Works were fully completed by the end of 2019, however celebrations were postponed twice due to the pandemic. This September 7th the project was finally inaugurated alla grande during the Venice Film Festival and in time for Venice’s 1,600th anniversary with tenor Andrea Bocelli opening the ceremony with Italy’s national anthem, while Venice Patriarch Francesco Moraglia blessed the bridge. “We returned the Rialto Bridge to its magnificence for the city and the travelers of the whole world to enjoy,” wrote Renzo Rosso on Instagram, “nothing gives more joy and pride. Because Brave Actions Make A Better World.”

Photography and filter effect Denys Barabanov.

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MARRAKECH

“For many years, I have found in Majorelle Garden an inexhaustible source of inspiration and I have often dreamed of its unique colours”.

Yves Saint Laurent

In 1923 the French artist Jacques Majorelle purchased a four-acre plot on the border of a palm grove in Marrakech and constructed the home known as Villa Oasis in the Moroccan style. Over time he purchased additional land, extending his property to 10 acres, and began planting a luxuriant garden which would become known as Jardin Majorelle. He would develop the garden for almost forty years. Photograph Viault.

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MARRAKECH

‫ليروجام ةقيدح‬ MAGNIFICENT MAJORELLE ⵓⵔⵜⵉ ⵎⴰⵊⵓⵔⵉⵍ Jardin Majorelle is an enchanting and mystical botanical garden in Marrakech, Morocco. Created in the space of forty years, starting in 1922, the whole garden consists of a labyrinth of intersecting alleys, intertwining levels and Moorish buildings in Art Deco style in bold colors. The garden is an opulent collection of exotic plants and trees, designed as a sanctuary by the French painter Jacques Majorelle. In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought the garden to save it from a hotel complex project. They worked to restore it and lived in Majorelle’s former villa – Villa Oasis. The garden and villa complex are open to the public, and the villa houses the Berber Museum and has recently opened the Yves Saint Laurent Museum.

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MARRAKECH During his lifetime, Majorelle (1886-1962) was a celebrated Orientalist painter. The special shade of bold cobalt blue, inspired by the coloured tiles he had seen around Marrakech, was used extensively in the garden and its buildings and is named after him, bleu Majorelle. The garden features a Cubist villa designed by the French architect, Paul Sinoir which Majorelle commissioned as an atelier in the 1930s. Photograph Hazy Momo.

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MARRAKECH

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MARRAKECH

The garden proved costly to run and by 1947, Majorelle opened it to the public with an admission fee to defray maintenance costs. Following his divorce in the 50s he was forced to sell the house and land, and the garden – although it remained open – was neglected and fell into disrepair. Photograph JR Harris.

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MARRAKECH In 1966 the garden was discovered by Yves Saint-Laurent and long-time business partner (and onetime life partner) Pierre Bergé, during their first stay in Marrakech. They were enchanted by the oasis of plants and colour combinations. They eventually bought Jardin Majorelle in 1980 and set about restoring and saving the villa and gardens, leaving the main gardens open to the public, while the villa retained its private spaces and gardens. The original atelier was also transformed into a Berber museum. The pair owned the villa until 2008, and after Yves Saint Laurent died in 2008 his ashes were scattered in Majorelle Garden. Photograph Raissa Lara Lütolf (-Fasel).

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MARRAKECH

In 2017, the Musee Yves Saint Laurent was opened to the public. The garden today hosts more than 15 bird species endemic to North Africa, and still has many fountains, trees, shrubs, flowers and large collection of cacti, and has remained very much a magical and inspiring oasis in Marrakech.

Photograph Alba Iglesias.

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VALLETTA A different perspective: INSIDE A NEW CITY

VALLETTA RENAISSANCE

It seems that everyone is talking about Valletta. Well, certainly if you read international newspapers like The Financial Times and The London Times both of whom have been raving of late about the beauty and many attractions we have before us in our capital city.

Media from all over the world have been arriving and marvelling at the city. They have been mostly invited by our entrepreneurial businessmen and hoteliers who have been opening up some of the most delightful small and not so small hotels over the last few years, writes Jim Dunn.

Photography Fredrick Muscat

This page: For the stunning Gracy’s Brasserie at the Civil Service Sports Club in Valletta, travertine flooring and top bars in natural stone were manufactured to Sam Rowe’ Beddoe’s design by Halmann Vella, complementing the original dynamic arches and a unique colour palette.

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VALLETTA

A

bout 40 new hotels have opened up in Valletta in recent years not to mention award winning restaurants. The foodie scene in the city has massively improved. Malta now has 5 Michelin Star Restaurants including one at the Under Grain at another spanking and sparkling new Palazzo conversion in the city centre at the wonderful Rosselli Hotel.

Another personal favourite restaurant of mine is 59 Republic which must surely be heading for a Star?

‘Come and have a look at us‘ say the hotels and the international media are liking what they see. ‘A honey- coloured UNESCO listed city’ as one put it. ‘With a touch of Dubrovnik, Venice and Havana’ said another.

And as staycations seem to be in vogue all of those hotels are offering excellent deals for a break of a few days in the city and those excellent rates apply to locals as well.

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VALLETTA

Above: Rosselli Hotel is a hub of fresh architectural details, exposing guests to the perfect combination of new versus old. Some of the show-stopping features found at the entrance include restored Carrara marble flooring and Bardiglio marble borders, to the fine bamboo textured Carrara cladding for the reception desk. Halmann Vella supplied, fabricated and installed hundreds of square meters of marble and terrazzo slabs for the whole project. Left: Rosselli’s concept revolves around 6 well-thought-out sets of themed rooms, each furnished with distinctive features which render the suites bold, beautiful and elegant; such as the use of made to measure Nero Portoro terrazzo slabs flooring.

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e, of course, have understood all along this gem of a city we have before us and we have all watched quietly as gradually the city has changed and evolved. I would say that all the major changes have happened in the last 10 years or so from the somewhat rundown capital I found when I first arrived on ‘the rock’ more than 13 years’ ago. A neglected city would be perhaps putting it too strongly but certainly crying out for that much needed sprucing up and a dusting down of the cobwebs... it is called investment.

And it has happened and is still happening.

The Valletta Design Cluster, Malta’s first hub for communitycentred design, which operates under the Valletta Cultural Agency, is in full swing, and is a welcome innovation - in a city brimming with al fresco dining and luxury hotels, the Cluster prioritises people and creativity. Its roof garden is certainly worth a visit, with its stunning Mediterranean flora creating a calming atmosphere in the heart of the city.

Valletta has changed dramatically since the city was made European Capital of Culture in 2018. Malta received well deserved world-wide publicity for this initiative, and visitors in their thousands packed flights, streets, hotels, restaurants, shows and concerts. European grants also helped. Malta was suddenly ‘in’ and the chief attraction was Valletta. The Valletta Design Cluster, a legacy project of this Valletta 2018 Foundation, lives up to the hype.

Valletta is packed with adventurous art and sculpture exhibits on show and every nook and cranny around the city including some empty Palazzos, with the owners’ permission of course, is being populated by an aspiring artist with exhibits and much is for sale.

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VALLETTA

Above: Rosselli’s interiors find a balance merging classical Renaissance architecture with a contemporary use of traditional finishes to provide a good balance of luxury and practicality.

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pearheading this resurgence and development of the city by buying up lots of the dilapidated Palazzos or refurbishing family-owned properties has not only been our own local businessmen, that does not surprise me, local businessmen investing in their own Island is to be expected but what is so encouraging is the fact that many of the recent investors are foreigners with three Brits heading up the renaissance of the city.

Just before you enter the old city through Renzo Piano’s Parliament and City Gate, a masterpiece in its own right, you see the grand old lady of Mediterranean hotels The Phoenicia now emerging as one of the great hotels of the region thanks to British businessmen Mark Shaw. He has invested millions in upgrading and redecorating this grand old lady and the work continues. The gardens overlooking Manoel Island, and such a luxury in Malta, are looking their best ever and the infinity pool area cuddling up to the Valletta Bastions, with distant views over the Island, must be one of the best hotel outdoor areas. The hotel is loved by locals and historically cherished by many who have stayed there over the years, returning every year and enjoying the new look.

Then there’s Greg Nasmyth, the British mediaman and entrepreneur, and his wife Samantha Rowe-Beddoe and their business partner Timmy Grech who have refurbished and opened the beautifully interior designed, Gracy’s Brasserie at the Civil Service Club just

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off St George’s Square on Archbishop Street.

Here again we have a great addition to the eating out scene. Alas not yet ready for that elusive Michelin star.

It is however Manchester born derivatives millionaire Mark Weingard who has arrived on these shores and created a stunning ‘6-star’ world class 23-roomed hotel, Iniala Harbour House at the best address on the Island, St Barbara Bastion, and with the best views across the world- famous Grand Harbour.

Here he has bought a whole series of Maltese Townhouses, joined them all up and kitted it all out with the most luxurious fittings. The view from the rooms is to the World Heritage listed the Three Cities, another emerging tourist attraction also in the midst of a major refurbishment.

An amazing amount of refurbishment has happened over recent years in the Cities area with the refurbishment of many old homes and there’s also a new influx of young Maltese moving into the area.

It’s in the Three Cities, now a resting place for many a superyacht at the Vittoriosa marina, that we bought all those years’ ago having been told by local friends not to buy in Valletta then as it was ‘empty, rundown and nothing happened at night’. What a difference a decade makes? Valletta is now one of the liveliest cities in the Mediterranean.

Hotels and restaurants are not the only sector which is helping to change the city.

Young artisans have opened up tiny shops and art galleries to sell and display their unique work.

Take Gozo perfumier and professional ‘nose’ Stephen Cordina. He’s among the bravest of entrepreneurs, I would suggest, having opened during the pandemic a huge contemporary shop and workplace in the vast basement of St Ursula’s Church in Archbishop Street. Here customers can browse and purchase his products and watch as he creates his famous lotions and perfumes popular locally and gradually being exported abroad.

Nearby in St Ursula Street, Kane Cali the young Maltese creative artist has a small studio which is certainly worth a visit.

St Lucia’s Street is another hive of creativity with small shops such as Lucentini offering limited edition pottery much of it made in Malta by locals and foreign artists now living here. Pop in for a coffee at the ingeniously named Sunday in Scotland on ‘a chocolate café’ and a good all round coffee shop. Or there’s Babancú bringing chic accessories from throughout the world.

The old Valletta still survives, the cool, in the summer, cellar restaurants which are warm in the winter, the tiny haberdashery shops selling everything for the needle, those terrific greengrocers on the side streets selling only fresh Maltese and Sicilian produce and those small watch repairs shops so essential when you need a battery change.

The list is endless but these are just a few of the new ‘retail therapy’ attractions in the city.

Valletta is back and many will say it never went away. This is also true but it’s back with a new-look and it seems to have something for everyone.

Interior deisgn: Rebirth design Studio. Photography and retouching: Malcolm Abela Sciberras.

Surfacing the most beautiful spaces

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VALLETTA EXHIBITION

Above: The Madonna and Child with the young St John the Baptist, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci (Anchiano, 1452 - Amboise, 1519) and circle, late 15th / early 16th century, 72.5 x 51 cm, oil and tempera on panel.

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VALLETTA EXHIBITION

MUŻA, VALLETTA

The Divine Smile Pensive and protective, benevolent and regal, tender and devoted; the many iconic representations of the Madonna shift from the hieratic and majestic Queen of Heaven to a young, humble, maternal mother. Enjoying immense popularity in Christian Art, the ‘Madonna and Child’ theme is actually not based on any specific Biblical narrative. The idea of the Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus finds its prototype in Byzantine art following the decree of the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. when Mary’s role as the ‘Theotokos’ or ‘God-bearer’ was established. The popularity of the Madonna and Child theme is captured in four panel paintings on show in Heritage Malta's exhibition Masterpieces at MUŻA currently showcasing 13 Old Master paintings on a long-term loan from an international collection.

Photography courtesy Heritage Malta.

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he exhibition Masterpieces at MUŻA, which has reintroduced artwork into the public arena after decades out of sight, is an extension of Heritage Malta’s mission to make cultural patrimony accessible to the public. Completed between the 15th and 16th centuries, the four Madonna and Child paintings forming part of the exhibition are the outcome of highly competent Italian High Renaissance artists, emerging from the studios and circles of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), and Lorenzo di Credi (c.1456-1536), all of whose unprecedented and prodigious mastery had taken the Florentine, Milanese and Roman cultural scenes by storm. Originally intended for private devotion inside family chapels or private settings this exhibition allows for an encounter with these works.

In the painting The Madonna and Child with the young St John the Baptist (facing page), attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and circle, Mary wears a dark blue mantle over a crimson garment which forms part of her iconography.

The colour blue, symbolizes her purity and royal status as Queen of Heaven, while red refers to her motherhood, love, and the blood and Passion of Christ.

Set against an idyllic rocky landscape dotted with dense shrubbery, patches of a lake in the background, and staggered tall trees that enhance the sense of depth, the smiling Madonna’s open and very expressive hands protect her Son and the Baptist, who are depicted as cherubic, playful infants.

Above: Madonna and Child, Milanese School (Studio of Leonardo da Vinci, Anchiano, 1452 - Amboise, 1519), 16th century, 38 x 28.5 cm, oil and tempera on panel.

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VALLETTA EXHIBITION

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nother painting on the same theme, this time the strikingly intimate Madonna and Child from the studio of Leonardo da Vinci, captures a quiet, private moment between the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus ((previous page). The dark background offsets the warm light that falls softly on Mary’s face and neck and sculpts the rotund Christ Child who rests on a parapet. Mary‘s subtle smile reveals her maternal love as she gazes in awe of Baby Jesus, whose attention appears to be arrested by something he is pointing at that lies outside the painting. Again, the gesture of her right hand serves to safeguard and reverently present this divine Child to the world as the Son of God and Saviour of Mankind. Da Vinci’s far-reaching influence is evident in the sfumato finish of the muted brushwork, which transitions from dark to light.

As the name implies, the tondo, bordered by an exquisite reproduction frame of the period, is a circular painting, plausibly ascribed to Maestro Tommaso, who spent a considerable part of his career training and working in the studio of the Florentine painter and sculptor, Lorenzo di Credi. The calming blue and green tones that imbue The Madonna and Child with the young St John the Baptist and an Angel in a Landscape (above right) reflect the serene and peaceful composition of ordered nature and the symmetrical arrangement of the painting’s subjects in the foreground. A thickly foliaged tree that stands tall in the centre and rises splayed behind the Madonna symbolically acts like the back of a high throne that recalls her royal status. The venerated Queen of Heaven is ‘enthroned’ in Nature, her seated position on the ground following on the tradition of the nativity of Christ. The placidity of the scene is only slightly counterbalanced by the Virgin’s pensive, slightly aloof gaze as she looks down at the cross the Baptist holds in his fingers, a premonition of future woes to come.

A similar scene unfolds in The Madonna of 24

Left: Madonna of Divine Love, attributed to Raffaello Sanzio (Urbino, 1483-Rome, 1520) and workshop, 16th century, 140 x 110 cm, oil and tempera on panel.

Right: The Madonna and Child with the Infant St John the Baptist, Maestro Tommaso (active 1490-1510) and Lorenzo di Credi (Florence, 1459-1537), late 15th / early 16th century, 87 cm diameter, oil and tempera on panel. Bottom: Installation view of Masterpieces at MUŻA which includes artworks ranging from the late 15th to the mid-18th centuries, displayed in five thematic sections. Photograph Steven Psaila.

Divine Love (above left) attributed to Raffaello Sanzio and workshop. The Madonna’s gaze is one of a melancholic-tinged veneration, her hands placed together in prayer as she watches the Christ Child blessing a genuflecting St John the Baptist who is also holding a cross. Her mother St Anne tilts her head against her daughter’s as she gently holds Baby Jesus’s arm.

The contemplative atmosphere of the painting extends to the top left of the painting, where a confused yet resigned St Joseph inhabits a darkened arcade, lost in deep thought over his foster-fatherhood. The saint’s psychological distance is enforced by the dark shadow in which he is cast as opposed to the intense illumination over the foreground sacred actors in this mystery.

Masterpieces at MUŻA offers a unique opportunity to experience these four Madonna and Child paintings as part of the complete

collection of thirteen Old Master paintings from an international private collection making a welcome entry into the National Collection on a long-loan basis through this exhibition.

Masterpieces at MUŻA is supported by Visit Malta; the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government; the Ministry for Finance; and the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Malta. The exhibition is open all week except Tuesdays, from 10am till 4.30pm. There is an entry fee of 10 euros which covers both the exhibition and a visit to MUŻA. It is open until the end of October 2021. For further information log onto www.muza.mt MUŻA is a project part-financed by the European Union under the European Regional Developmental Fund – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020.

Add colour to your spaces and canvas Visit us in-store or at www.vgb.mt

VALLETTA

CREATIVITY’S OASIS

THE VALLETTA DESIGN CLUSTER The Valletta Design Cluster is the capital’s sustainable new hub for Malta’s creatives. Nestled between centuries-old houses, grand palazzos, and Valletta’s ubiquitous boutique hotels, the recently opened Valletta Design Cluster offers its visitors respite from the capital’s fast pace, and a new, exciting space where ideas can be brought to life. We value collaborations and believe in the potential that communityembedded knowledge and resources have to transform society and make lives better, writes the Cluster's team.

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he Cluster, a Valletta 2018 legacy project operating under the Valletta Cultural Agency, lovingly restored Valletta’s Old Abattoir, the city’s only slaughterhouse in the 17th century, into Malta’s first hub for community-centred design.

Today, the Cluster houses coworking spaces, creative studios, a fully-equipped workshop and kitchen, an artist-in-residence space, as well as Valletta’s first public roof garden.

Since opening just a few months ago, the roof garden has become an urban oasis, with residents, Cluster members, and tourists alike enjoying the unique space.

Valletta’s new green lung, designed

by Tetsuo Kondo Architects of Japan, was internationally recognised earlier this summer, winning an award from the Premio Concorso “City_Brand & Tourism Landscape Award” by Paysage Topscape. A visit to this peaceful spot set at rooftop level will confirm that the award was well deserved: its careful landscaping allows for work and play, with areas for community meet-ups, or a quiet escape and reflection. The roof garden is also a practice in sustainability, with its Mediterranean flora requiring less irrigation, thus saving water, while at the same time helping to keep the rooms underneath cooler, particularly during the sweltering summer months.

The Cluster’s exercise in sustainability, however, goes beyond brick and mortar. Today’s hub is the result of intensive consultation and communication with the neighbourhood’s residents, yet another best practice in community outreach assisted by design.

When restoration works began in the Old Abattoir, the Valletta Design Cluster team within the Valletta 2018 Foundation organised

street meetings, community workshops, and site tours, which provided unique insight into the needs and aspirations of a neighbourhood that had been overlooked for far too long. The result is a community hub that serves both residents and professionals in the creative sector.

While residents and the general public enjoy free access to the roof garden and general areas, Cluster members have exclusive access to the many facilities within the space.

With membership open to students, creatives, microenterprises, Valletta-registered NGOs, and organisations focused on cultural and social well-being, the Valletta Design Cluster is the ideal place for ideas to meet, merge, and develop into something exceptional. Within its 3,000 square metres of floor space, the Cluster provides its members with all the tools they could possibly need to breathe life into their ideas: from the Maker Space, fully equipped with both digital and traditional tools, to the Food Space, a fully equipped teaching kitchen which is also home to one of the Abattoir’s original stone ovens – the possibilities are truly endless.

With social entrepreneurship, creative empowerment and exchange in mind, the Cluster also provides a multitude of community spaces where professionals in the creative sector can easily mingle and collaborate.

The Valletta Design Cluster puts into practice its core belief in design as a user-centred approach for the improvement of social wellbeing, and for driving innovation in all spheres by putting people first.

The Cluster’s team is inviting interested individuals or organisations to become Cluster members, either by visiting www.vca.gov.mt, or, better still, by paying a visit to the Valletta Design Cluster, and enjoy a truly immersive – and empowering – experience.

Photography facing page: Valletta Cultural Agency.

Photography top and top centre: Matthew Kenely.

Bottom centre and left: Jason Borg.

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VALLETTA

Above: The Combined Operations Room features an impressive restored 20-metre-wide map, used by NATO in the 1960s to plot Russian submarine movements in the Mediterranean.

During the restoration process of the map, which is hand-painted on wood panels, two even older maps were uncovered. Bottom left: The Filter Room. Bottom right: The Gun Room.

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VALLETTA

VALLETTA'S SECRET TUNNELS

INSIDE THE UNDERGROUND COMBINED OPERATIONS ROOM

Malta’s picturesque capital, Valletta, is often likened to an open-air museum by virtue of the many monuments and sites contained in a relatively small area, and which have earned the city prestigious Unesco world heritage status. But there is more to Valletta than initially meets the eye, and no visit would be complete without a tour of the underground wartime complex which snakes deep beneath the city’s bustling streets and peaceful gardens. Now, in a mammoth restoration project, the Combined Operations Room and ancillary rooms, a once-secret subterranean complex found underneath the Upper Barrakka in Valletta, were recently restored and re-opened their doors with the support of the Malta Airport Foundation. Photography courtesy Malta Airport Foundation.

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ixty metres below the city, a subterranean warren of wartime tunnels and chambers stretches from the Upper Barrakka Gardens all the way to the Saint Peter and Paul Counterguard across Valletta’s main ditch, covering an impressive area of 28,000 square metres. This sprawling complex was originally dug out by the Knights in 1566, and was later expanded and converted into war headquarters by the British in 1940.

The hidden complex continued to buzz with action and activity well after the war was won by the Allies, going on to serve as a NATO submarine tracking centre and playing important roles in both the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, before falling silent in the 1970s.

More than three decades of history-defining moments unfolded here, notably during the first years of the Second World War when, despite the merciless bombings and devastating loss suffered, Malta remained unbeaten. Back then, a particular room within this complex – the Combined Operations Room – served as the nerve centre for all defensive and offensive naval and military action in and from Malta, providing some of the top military figures of the time the likes of Air Vice-Marshals Hugh Pugh Lloyd and Keith Park and the brains behind the torpedo attack in the Battle of Taranto Admiral Andrew Cunningham – with a sheltered space away from the enemy’s gaze from where to direct operations and take strategic decisions.

The rock-hewn Combined Operations Room, aptly nicknamed ‘the cave’ by servicemen stationed in it during the war, has an almost theatre-like structure, with a balcony positioned on the right, a dais providing the controller in charge of all operations and other

liaison officers with a vantage point from where they could give timely cues, and a ‘well’ where the main plotting table takes centre stage. The most striking feature of the room is a 20-metre-wide wall map facing the dais and covering one of the walls of the room entirely, which was used by NATO in the 1960s to plot Russian submarine movements.

Dimly lit stairs, where a faint musty smell lingers in the air and adds to the experience, lead from the Combined Operations Room to a number of ancillary rooms which could either act independently or in support of ‘the cave’ by relaying important information to the officers and controllers stationed here. Two of these chambers are the Radar Filter Room and the Gun Operations Room. While the former was linked to all air, land, and sea radar available at any given time and would receive real-time information about all enemy movements of interest to Malta, the Gun Operations Room was linked to all the anti-aircraft gun sites in Malta.

There are more rooms to be explored and wartime stories to be uncovered, and only a visit can do justice to the historical value of this site. This subterranean complex has recently re-opened its doors to the public following a mammoth restoration project undertaken

by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna with the financial support of the Malta Airport Foundation.

Open Monday to Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

Entrance from Lascaris War Rooms, Lascaris Ditch, Valletta.

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VALLETTA

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VALLETTA IN FULL SWING

THE GRAND HARBOUR CLEAN-UP 2021 has been an eventful year for the Grand Harbour because of an ongoing general clean-up that was and still is currently underway and in full swing, to make way for the continuation of the ongoing Grand Harbour Regeneration Programme, thus restoring Malta’s main port to its former glory, writes the team at Transport Malta. Photography Peter Paul Barbara.

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alletta's natural harbour is marked with splendour and natural creeks and adorned by unique cultural heritage dating back to the Middle Ages, making it one of the most beautiful ports in the Mediterranean. The Valletta Grand Harbour is indeed a window to the rest of the Maltese Islands, and a showcase to thousands of visitors, especially tourists visiting our islands through this unique and majestic port.

In a press statement Hon Minister Dr. Ian Borg said, “This Government is aware of the potential and reputation that Malta has in the maritime sector, and we are committed to maintaining this standard as well as to improving it. With this initiative and policy to clean the Grand Harbour from these ships, we will also be complementing other interventions such as the Grand Harbour Regeneration Plan, as well as other projects such as the Grand Harbour Clean Air Project and the new wharf at Ras Ħanżir. We are aware of the degree that the maritime industry in Malta is a pillar of the national economy and how it generates many jobs, and so it is our duty to safeguard and improve it.”

The Minister also referred to the initiative to remove laid-up vessels in various parts of the Harbour, an action which will also serve to prevent potential damage to the marine environment. He also reiterated that both Government and Transport Malta officials will be in contact with representatives of industry, NGOs, and all stakeholders, so that the maritime sector flourishes while also being sensitive to social expectations and needs.

The maritime and shipping industries are two of the most important contributors to our economy, through which it is ensured that there is a continuous supply of most commodities to the islands, on which every local household and business is dependent for its well-being and to a certain extent, survival.

It is for these reasons that the Authority for Transport in Malta, together with other entities, embarked on several projects set to regenerate the port of Valletta, thus enhancing the services that can be offered, not to mention the flexibility

that the port can offer to the shipping and maritime industries in Malta as a whole.

One of the projects includes the maintenance dredging of several areas within the port, thus providing deeper waters and additional flexibility to the types of vessels that can be accommodated within our harbour. Areas known as Ras Ħanżir, Church Wharf, and Bridge Wharf, together with other areas, are all earmarked for this intervention, which will ultimately maximise the operational options and efficiency of Industry stakeholders.

To make sure that these works, that commenced during the last quarter of 2020, proceed without any delays, the Ports & Yachting Directorate within Transport Malta, together with the assistance of other Directorates of the Authority and in line with legislation, have initiated several operations to remove vessels and wrecks scattered around various locations within the harbour.

The complexity of these operations is not to be underestimated. Several vessels, now considered wrecks, are fully submerged, which adds to the complexity of the equipment and experience required in their removal.

In addition, the circumstances surrounding each vessel, which are now considered as unseaworthy, vary to the extent that each vessel must be looked at and treated differently, with processes ranging from legal to strictly logistical, tailor-made for each vessel. These preparations and processes are already underway, together with several operations through which, to date, have already recovered and removed a number of vessels.

These operations will continue taking place throughout the coming months until the objectives are reached, with related Notices to Mariners issued in the interest of safety of navigation, preservation of good order, and the prevention of pollution. This, together with the collaboration of all industry stakeholders, will result in a more efficient and multimodal port.

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PROMOTION

PLUG TO THE FUTURE

The Ministry for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development has launched the first national policy on public charging infrastructure. Together with the Ministry, we are taking a look at one of the EU’s first policy papers to encourage the use of zero and low-emission vehicles. Photography this page Kurt Mizzi, portrait photography Francesca Vella

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PROMOTION

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he latest report by the United Nation’s Intergovernment al Panel on Climate Change has reaffirmed the state of the global climate in a way that provides clarity and precision on how and why we need to address climate changes.

Malta was among the first signatories of The Paris Agreement - an agreement to mitigate the rising temperatures.

Since then, Malta has worked tirelessly to implement projects and initiatives that support the environment.

Now, we are pushing harder for sustainability across all economic sectors, including mobility.

A few weeks ago, the Ministry for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development launched the first National Policy on Public Charging Pillars Infrastructure. This was coupled with regulations providing favourable charging tariffs for electric vehicles.

Together with a generous number of off-peak hours, the rates are amongst the most competitive rates in the EU.

COMPETITIVE TARIFFS

INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY

he policy paper is proposing two different tariffs residential and non-residential. The first set of tariffs will be applicable to private residences that wish to install a charging point in their garage. An off-peak rate of less than 13c will be applied for those who charge their vehicle between noon and 4pm or from midnight to 6am. This will also be applied on Sunday throughout the day.

An EV owner will benefit from up to 84 hours per week at the off-peak rate. With an additional meter, authorized

by Enemalta, consumers will be able to charge their vehicle during off-peak hours at the preferential rate.

When the vehicle is charged during peak hours, the normal residential tariff bands will apply. A study by Enemalta has shown that drivers rarely charge their vehicles outside off-peak hours.

The second set of tariffs is for public charging pillars, where the off-peak tariff is also less than 13c. For the remaining hours, a tariff of less than 15c will be applied.

his policy paper will address the need for charging pillars infrastructure to be widely accessible without any restrictions. By introducing the concept of interoperability, it will become easier for EV users to register with a service provide whilst continue using the same service from other operators.

To continue offering a transparent and high-quality service, operators will need to be licensed, with a license that will be valid for 10 years. Apart from this, public charging pillars will be registered on a national registry, and all the information will be publicly accessible.

WHY IT PAYS

t is a policy that also gives direction and visibility to investors. Just like the telephony sector, the government is giving the private sector the opportunity to invest in the charging infrastructure and act as service providers as well. Additionally, the policy paper is proposing measures to ensure that the needs of the public are met.

The ultimate aim of this policy paper is to keep on encouraging the transition towards zero and low emission vehicles and help deliver cleaner air to our future generations.

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esearch analysis shows that electric vehicles owners in Malta will be benefiting from the cheapest tariffs in Europe: Norway offers a rate at 18c, Poland’s average rate is 36c and Italy’s rates go up to 45c; Germany’s operators offer an average rate of 31c5.

The savings for vehicle owners also transpire when comparing fuel costs. A vehicle running on an internal combustion engine, driving an average of 50km daily, will consume around €30 per week. On the other hand, with an electric vehicle, the average consumption is €13 per week.

This will result in close to €68 difference per month… an annual average difference of €800.

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NEW OPPORTUNITIES

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HEALTH & FITNESS

“Put a compass to paper and trace a circle.

Then tell me which other country has such a concentration of places like Amalfi, Naples, Ischia, Procida, Sorrento, Positano, Pompeii, and Capri.”

Diego Della Valla, Chairman of Tod's

Capri's crystal blue waters can tempt even the most die hard sunbather that doesn't like swimming. For centuries, people have been in search of a fountain of youth. Swimming just might be the closest we can get. We think that these images can tempt us to jump in and enjoy splashing about with the kids.

Fountain of youth For centuries, people have been in search of a fountain of youth. Swimming just might be the closest we can get. Science has already shown that aerobic exercise can slow ageing. However, a growing body of research suggests that swimming in particular produces brain-enhancing effects, such as better immune response. Neuroscientists are still working to understand exactly why swimming is particularly beneficial in preventing aging - and may be close to the answer. These are the brain-boosting benefits of swimming, according to health experts, writes Seena Mathew.

Capri photography Will Truettner.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

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t’s no secret that aerobic exercise can help stave off some of the ravages of aging. But a growing body of research suggests that swimming might provide a unique boost to brain health.

Regular swimming has been shown to improve memory, cognitive function, immune response and mood.

Swimming may also help repair damage from stress and forge new neural connections in the brain.

But scientists are still trying to unravel how and why swimming, in particular, produces these brain-enhancing effects.

As a neurobiologist trained in brain physiology, a fitness enthusiast and a mum, I spend hours at the pool during the summer. It’s not unusual to see children gleefully splashing and swimming while their parents sunbathe at a distance – and I’ve been one of those parents observing from the poolside plenty of times. But if more adults recognized the cognitive and mental health benefits of swimming, they might be more inclined to jump in the pool alongside their kids.

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ew and improved brain cells and connections. Until the 1960s, scientists believed that the number of neurons and synaptic connections in the human brain were finite and that, once damaged, these brain cells could not be replaced. But that idea was debunked as researchers began to see ample evidence for the birth of neurons, or neurogenesis, in adult brains of humans and other animals.

Now, there is clear evidence that aerobic exercise can contribute to neurogenesis and play a key role in helping to reverse or repair damage to neurons and their connections in both mammals and fish.

Capri has been a summer playground since Roman times. Augustus developed Capri, building temples, villas, aqueducts, and planted gardens so he could enjoy his private paradise.

His successor Tiberius built a series of villas at Capri, the most famous of which is the Villa Jovis, one of the best-preserved Roman villas in Italy.

In 27 AD, Tiberius permanently moved to Capri, running the Empire from there until his death in 37 AD.

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esearch shows that one of the key ways these changes occur in response to exercise is through increased levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The neural plasticity, or ability of the brain to change, that this protein stimulates has been shown to boost cognitive function, including learning and memory.

Studies in people have found a strong relationship between concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor circulating in the brain and an increase in the size of the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning and memory. Increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor have also been shown to sharpen cognitive performance and to help reduce anxiety and depression. In contrast, researchers have observed mood disorders in patients with lower concentrations of brainderived neurotrophic factor.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

A

erobic exercise also promotes the release of specific chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. One of these is serotonin, which – when present at increased levels – is known to reduce depression and anxiety and improve mood.

In studies in fish, scientists have observed changes in genes responsible for increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels as well as enhanced development of the dendritic spines –

protrusions on the dendrites, or elongated portions of nerve cells – after eight weeks of exercise compared with controls. This complements studies in mammals where brain-derived neurotrophic factor is known to increase neuronal spine density.

These changes have been shown to contribute to improved memory, mood and enhanced cognition in mammals. The greater spine density helps neurons build new connections and send more signals to other nerve cells. With the repetition of signals, connections can become stronger.

During the second half of the 19th century, Capri became a popular resort for European artists, writers and celebrities.

The book that spawned this fascination was the German book Entdeckung der blauen Grotte auf der Insel Capri (Discovery of the Blue Grotto on the Isle of Capri) by artist and writer August Kopisch, which described his 1826 stay on the island and his rediscovery of the Blue Grotto.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

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ut what’s special about swimming? Researchers don’t yet know what swimming’s secret sauce might be. But they’re getting closer to understanding it. Swimming has long been recognized for its cardiovascular benefits. Because swimming involves all of the major muscle groups, the heart has to work hard, which increases blood flow throughout the body. This leads to the creation of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. The greater blood flow can also lead to a large release of endorphins – hormones that act as a natural pain reducer throughout the body. This surge brings about the sense of euphoria that often follows exercise.

Most of the research to understand how swimming affects the brain has been done in rats. Rats are a good lab model because of their genetic and anatomic similarity to humans.

In one study in rats, swimming was shown to stimulate brain pathways that suppress inflammation in the hippocampus and inhibit apoptosis, or cell death. The study also showed that swimming can help support neuron survival and reduce the cognitive impacts of aging. Although researchers do not yet have a way to visualize apoptosis and neuronal survival in people, they do observe similar cognitive outcomes.

One of the more enticing questions is how, specifically, swimming enhances short- and long-term memory. To pinpoint how long the beneficial effects may last, researchers trained rats to swim for 60 minutes daily for five days per week. The team then tested the rats’ memory by having them swim through a radial arm water maze containing six arms, including one with a hidden platform.

The Greeks, who were the first recorded colonists to populate the island, called it Kapreai (Kαπρέαι), while the Romans called Capri “goat island”.

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ats got six attempts to swim freely and find the hidden platform.

After just seven days of swim training, researchers saw improvements in both short- and long-term memories, based on a reduction in the errors rats made each day. The researchers suggested that this boost in cognitive function could provide a basis for using swimming as a way to repair learning and memory damage caused by neuropsychiatric diseases in humans.

Although the leap from studies in rats to humans is substantial, research in people is producing similar results that suggest a clear cognitive benefit from swimming across all ages. For instance, in one study looking at the impact of swimming on mental acuity in the elderly, researchers concluded that swimmers had improved mental speed and attention compared with nonswimmers. However, this study is limited in its research design, since participants were not randomized and thus those who were swimmers prior to the study may have had an unfair edge.

Another study compared cognition between land-based athletes and swimmers in the young adult age range. While water immersion itself did not make a difference, the researchers found that 20 minutes of moderate-intensity breaststroke swimming improved cognitive function in both groups.

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ids get a boost from swimming too. The brain-enhancing benefits from swimming appear to also boost learning in children. Another research group recently looked at the link between physical activity and how children learn new vocabulary words. Researchers taught children age 6-12 the names of unfamiliar objects. Then they tested their accuracy at recognizing those words after doing three activities: colouring (resting activity), swimming (aerobic activity) and a CrossFit-like exercise (anaerobic activity) for three minutes.

They found that children’s accuracy was much higher for words learned following swimming compared with colouring and CrossFit, which resulted in the same level of recall. This shows a clear cognitive benefit from swimming versus anaerobic exercise, though the study does not compare swimming with other aerobic exercises.

These findings imply that swimming for even short periods of time is highly beneficial to young, developing brains.

The details of the time or laps required, the style of swim and what cognitive adaptations and pathways are activated by swimming are still being worked out. But neuroscientists are getting much closer to putting all the clues together.

For centuries, people have been in search of a fountain of youth. Swimming just might be the closest we can get.

Seena Mathew is an Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

This article was published on The World Economic Forum in collaboration with The Conversation.

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POMEROL The first chapter in This is wine: its storied place and taste.

“Fruit of the earth, work of human hands, blessed be God forever” FRANCE - BORDEAUX - RIGHT BANK - POMEROL

POMEROL ON A SHOESTRING

In the spring of the year 1204, the Fourth Crusade, upon their quest to secure a safe route for pilgrims to the Holy Land, decided it would be more expedient and profitable to sack Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium as it was known at the time.

So began the steady decline and eventual fall of the Eastern Mediterranean to the Ottomans, and with it pilgrim access to the Holy Land; and half the knowledge and culture of winemaking and drinking that was synonymous with the Greco Roman world, writes Kris Bonavita.

This brings us to Pomerol, a sleepy backwater of orchards resettled in the 12th century by returning Knight Hospitallers of St John who opened hostels and made wine to care for pilgrims on their way to the sanctuary, Santiago di Compostella. From those modest beginnings of sporadic vineyards, the area gave rise to some of the most valuable wines to date. But it would take centuries of planting and replanting until the right grape was found for the right soil with the right winemaking techniques to produce bottles that are prized the world over for their complex yet understated elegance.

Photography this page CAB. Place de la Bourse, designed by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel and built from 1730 to 1775 along the Garonne River in Bordeaux. The Miroir d'eau, built in 2006, is the world's largest reflecting pool.

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THIS IS WINE

THE BURGUNDY OF BORDEAUX WHERE TERROIR IS KING

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f there is any region to start wine tasting it happens to be one of the most famous in producing wine yet equally both palatable and full of expression even without much cellaring.

Pomerol is Merlot grown on a small plateau of varying clays, gravels and sands with an iron-rich under soil and the occasional dash of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon for added aromatic structure. But this severely understates the sophistication of winemaking and pedigree of vine and wine that compliments such a unique terroir (ecosystem dependent upon the specific soils and microclimate). While each wine is tied to its winemaker and the worldwide unique soils of vineyards each chateau possesses, Pomerol has the envious quality of being equally drinkable at a young age or settled into cellars to be drunk famously even many decades later.

In other regions of Bordeaux the focus is on the winemaker’s skill in blending varieties of grape to create a chateau and appellation style. In Pomerol it is more about letting the land and the grape speak for itself. The skill is rather in the winemakers’ ability to get the best expression of the specific terroir in tandem with meticulous caretaking of grape from vine to bottle. Pomerol is also unique in the Bordeaux world as having no grand chateaux; being the smallest in area and one of the last to reach official recognition and popularity; it has no grand cru classifications; no rich history of economic success; nor is it particularly picturesque, with just a small church and a couple of hamlets and sporadic wine estates.

What was previously a white wine growing region popular with the Dutch and northern European countries, gradually turned to red wine as the English market interested in the Bordeaux clarets of the more famous St Emilion next door took over. However, it would take the devastation of a severe blight in the mid-19th century that destroyed a great proportion of vineyards in France, for the area to be replanted entirely in red grapes. And the further disaster of a fluke frost in 1956 for Pomerol to switch predominantly to Merlot. New grafts and plantings of Merlot would take over from the less bold Cabernet Franc to result in a match like no other. The opulent soft tannins and complexity of this variety and its earlier harvesting resulted in a more pronounced wine that lent itself well and flourished diversely on the rich clay and iron laden soils of the plateau. This resulted in a range of wines that go from light and elegant to deep sophistication purely based on the diversity of soils and their concentrations of blue clay. This is most patently the case in the rise of one grand vin by one well placed chateau intrinsically linked to the growth of Pomerol’s fame.

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HOW PÉTRUS MADE IT TO TOWN

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n broad brushstrokes, Pétrus is Merlot harvested perfectly early from venerably old vines (some seventy years old) grown uniquely on forty million year old blue clay on the highest part of Pomerol. Clay considered hard enough and mineral rich enough to produce grapes which have easily the highest level of tannins but remarkably some of the softest.

Anecdotally, Pétrus wine was considered only humble enough to grace the lunch tables of the 19th century before it became the wonder child of the wine world commanding prices upwards of 2000 euros for a single new bottle.

It would take the brazen passion and ingenuity of a widow of the best hotelier and restaurateur of the nearby wine trading town of Libourne, who deemed that the humble Pétrus was not realizing its full potential, to buy over the small estate from a frequent patron of her restaurant and establish the chateau as equal to the greatest of Bordeaux. Madame Loubat tried her luck in winemaking and bought the estate entirely in 1945 and under her meticulous guidance and partnership with another legendary winemaker and merchant Jean Pierre Moueix, Pétrus never looked back.

Ironically the fabled frost of 1956 was the turning point in Pétrus’ fortune, when two thirds of the Pétrus vineyard were wiped out. Madam Loubat took the brave and innovative decision not to replant but cut back severely the vines on the surviving root stocks (an entirely new process to the region known as recepage which from then on became the gold standard). This ensured that the average vine age was high, with all its ensuing depth of character and flavour in the fruit. Bereft of the classification system that more established appellations were endowed with, Madame Loubat together with Moueix decided that Pétrus would sell for not a franc less than whatever price the top estate Cheval Blanc next door in St Emilion was selling for. And so it was and so it is that Pétrus and Pomerol in tag enjoy the status of not being classified and yet equally sought after as other more historical appellations. The added bonus of being the favourite tipple of President John F Kennedy, his wife Jackie, and Onassis as well as rave reviews of one of America’s most influential wine critics in the recent past, Robert Parker, propelled Pétrus to new heights.

This is mainly due to the brilliant stewardship of the Moueix family, large winemaking holders and wine merchants for many Pomerol chateaux, and their philosophy of maintaining and fostering exceptional wines out of the greatest fruit possible from immaculately kept vineyards with a respect for nature. Stringent hand picking and selection of what ends up in the grand vin and perfect timing on how much or how little to do to the vine and wine result in vastly reduced output but exceptional quality.

Producing a maximum of 30,000 bottles, Pétrus, which can take twenty to thirty years cellaring to develop, has best been described as the most aromatically complex of Pomerols filled with cherries, spice, coffee and cinnamon with undertones of truffles, wet earth and fresh flowers, and having an opulent richness and silky viscosity that feels like no other Bordeaux. If it were a meal rather than a wine, Pétrus would be like indulging in a liquid form of plum pudding at a picnic on a morning dewed meadow with a side order of buttered truffles.

POMEROL

In other regions of Bordeaux the focus is on the winemaker’s skill in blending varieties of grape to create a chateau and appellation style. In Pomerol it is more about letting the land and the grape speak for itself. The skill is rather in the winemakers’ ability to get the best expression of the specific terroir in tandem with meticulous caretaking of grape from vine to bottle. Pomerol is also unique in the Bordeaux world as having no grand chateaux, although Château de Sales built in the middle of the 17th century and located in the north-west of the Pomerol appellation, has beautiful grounds.

Photography this page and overleaf: Château de Sales, courtesy Vinconnexion 45

THIS IS WINE

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POMEROL

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POMEROL

LUSH AND OPULENT, PLUM AND TRUFFLE….POMEROL WINE GUIDE GEOGRAPHY AND GRAPE VARIETIES

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omerol is delineated by a small limestone plateau far from any major river with 800 hectares of vinified land (roughly twice the size of Comino) under the direction of just about 150 producers some of which have less than a hectare of vineyard (roughly 2.5 football pitches large).

Pétrus is shy of 20 hectares (smaller than Cominotto).

Pomerol together with St Emilion are the two most established appellations in the Libourne or right bank of the Dordogne river that form part of the Bordeaux wine world. The chief distinguishing factor is that they are Merlot based blends as opposed to the left bank appellations, such as Margaux or St Julien, which are Cabernet Sauvignon based blends. In the case of Pomerol, Merlot is often used almost exclusively, where St Emilion is more of a middling blend of varieties. Merlot based blends when grown on clayey soils in colder climates tend to be more drinkable at a younger age and have softer tannins that develop richly with age. The grape varieties grown are roughly 80 % Merlot, 15 % Cabernet Franc, and 5 % Cabernet Sauvignon.

VINTAGES AND CLASSIFICATION

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he last six years are all considered good vintages with the most stellar being 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2010 and 2009. In general, early harvesting and good drainage give an advantage to Pomerol in years of heavy rains or late summer hails in contrast to the rest of Bordeaux.

Refreshingly there is no classification of chateaux but some of the most hallowed after Pétrus are La Fleur, Trotanoy, Le Pin, La Conseillante, L’Eglise Clinet and Vieux Château Certan. In practice perceived quality and ensuing demand dictate the price of individual vintages and chateau ratings. It’s best to check a wine rating website and app like Vivino.com for specific acclaimed and popular wine ratings. The wine expert Jeff Leve gives detailed information on a range of chateaux and their wines on thewinecellarinsider.com.

Above: An early 1900s postcard of Château Nenin, which lies near the blue clay area at the centre of the Pomerol plateau.

TERROIR: MICRO-CLIMATE AND SOIL

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he micro-climate of Pomerol is similar to the rest of Bordeaux in having the maritime effect of the nearby sea and rivers, however being the most northern of the great appellations and furthest from the sea and rivers, it has more extreme daytime high and night time low temperatures.

This allows for prolonged hanging of the Merlot grape to reach peak ripening with high levels of sweetness and deep soft tannins, yet without an ensuing loss of acidity (an important factor in the retention, development and balance of flavours in the aging process).

The geology of the region is mainly limestone with a mosaic of various clays, gravel and sand, overlying iron rich deposits known locally as crasse de fer. In particular, one area to the south east of the plateau centred on Châteaux Pétrus, La Fleur and Le Pin is famous for a concentration of unique blue clay, smectite, known as the buttonhole or Bouttonière. A second pocket of this clay with less of the ferruginous soils is found further north centred on Château L’Eglise Clinet. This blue clay allows the retention of moisture during the dry ripening season while providing the vine with rich minerals and nutrients that result in wines with more body and complexity of aroma. The iron rich deposits are thought to limit excessive leaf growth and increase yield in the vine and intensity in the grape. This is in contrast to the gravel soils around the hamlet of Cattuseau and the sandier and alluvial soils of the slopes and northern and western fringes of the plateau. Gravel and sand help in water drainage and grape ripening, important characteristics in wetter colder regions, especially appropriate for the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties.

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THIS IS WINE

SIGNATURE WINEMAKING STY LES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF POMEROL

Six great bottles if Pétrus is out of reach

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THIS IS POMEROL

omerol is nicknamed the Burgundy of Bordeaux in that each chateau is dominated by the effects of how Merlot performs on its specific terroir (which itself is often made up of fragmented parcels of differing soils). This results in a diversity of winemaking styles to complement the range of terrain. The sandier soils tend to produce lighter earlier drinking wines, while the clay based soils give rise to a deeper richer bodied Pomerol. The range of soils of some chateaux allows some wines to enjoy these differing attributes.

Two winemaking styles have come to dominate the Pomerol scene and are equally fabled. Michel Rolland is famous for his New World philosophy of delaying harvesting as much as possible to allow the fruit, seed and skin to reach full ripeness and extract more of the tannic intensity. The more Old World traditional Mouiex style of Pétrus fame places an emphasis on the vibrancy and freshness of earlier harvesting at the first signs of ripeness. Chateaux often adopt both methods to exact the best out of their terroir (such as Lafleur).

Unlike the left bank Cabernet Sauvignon dominated vintages, winemaking on the right bank relies heavily on the higher yielding Merlot with extended hanging time to fully ripen the grapes and fermentation that virtually always results in a full dryness and complete malolactic fermentation (a process where tart tasting malic acids naturally present in grapes are converted into softer tasting lactic acids), often even before barrelling.

The more gently pressed free run wine and the harder press wine are often blended during the fermentation process allowing the various components of the wine to mature together and reducing the harshness and strong tannins of the vin de presses. Some choose to blend both wines at a later stage. Pétrus is known for treating different lots of grapes separately and choosing what to blend if at all at the barrelling or even bottling stage, auctioning off any grapes deemed unworthy of the great wine without producing a second wine that is often the case in other chateaux. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are sometimes added to aid in aromatic structure, tannic levels, acidity and better aging potential to the opulent but sometimes flat nature of Merlot in more difficult years. While Merlot thrives on the cooler clays, Cabernet Franc is often grown and does well on the limestone outcrops, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec are more prevalent on the heat absorbing gravel soils. The less clay gravel based terroir tend to result in a lower Merlot blend similar to the left bank style of wine.

Pomerol wines are heavily dependent upon the particular terroir owned by each chateau and their winemaking styles but regional characteristics can be surmised. The blue clay derived wines stand out for their concentrated velvety plum and spice flavours with rounded or soft tannins and a creamy mouth feel. The Bordeaux expert Jeff Leve describes them ‘as more plum pudding than rich fruit cake of the St Emilion’ kind with deeper colours, less austerity and less tannins than the rest of the Medoc, requiring relatively less time in the cellar to fully develop and be enjoyed. A five year old Pomerol can give the same depth of expression as a ten year old other Bordeaux. Some of the best wines come from totally different terroir with more gravel and sand and less clay and are known for a fresher but equally elegant style of wine approachable at an even earlier age.

The clays are believed to convey violet and truffle undertones, while the gravel soils impart a more pronounced minerality. The ruby red wines go from a light to medium to deep intensity and cover a vast range of red fruit berries to darker and deeper cherry and plum, over and above secondary and tertiary flavours of oaky chocolate, spice, coffee and tobacco; and earthy truffle (aromas that develop in the winemaking and aging stage). If there any words to coin Pomerol wine they are opulent and decadent, with smooth textures and subtle but lush aromatics.

COMING UP: ST EMILION TO THE UNCONVERTED.

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These outstanding Pomerol wines have been chosen for their high acclaim among international wine critics, their popular ratings, attractive price point and great vintages. Our team have been graciously given complimentary bottles of these wines from local suppliers to taste and give our view on how they best express and characterize the various styles of Pomerol wine. They’ve roughly been placed in order of strength and style from full to medium to light bodied to allow you to make your preferences in taste.

Schematically L’Hospitalet de Gazin and Château Lafleur-Gazin are more Old World bijou style; Clos Beauregard and Fleur de Clinet are more New World bold style with good pedigree; and Château Bonalgue and Château des Jacobins are fresh lively easy drinkers.

Young to medium aged red wines should be decanted for a few minutes to a few of hours (depending on personal preference) to increase aeration and allow the wine to soften and unfurl its character and bouquet (it can be well worth the wait). Red wine should be served at 15 degrees.

Please note that the tasting notes are deliberately by a wine enthusiast not by a professional sommelier. If wine is good it should be distinguishable to wine amateurs otherwise there would be no public interest.

Facing page: From left to right: Clos Beauregard, L'Hospitalet de Gazin, Château des Jacobins, Château Lafleur-Gazin, Fleur de Clinet, and Château Bonalgue.

POMEROL

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THIS IS WINE

L’Hospitalet de Gazin 2016

Château Lafleur-Gazin 2016

Fleur de Clinet 2016

€42.32 from Farsonsdirect Vivino popular rating 4.3/5 Wine-searcher overall critics 90/100 82 % Merlot 18% Cabernet Sauvignon (2015 estimate) Terroir: clay, gravel, sand and iron soils with some blue clay on the highest part of the Pomerol plateau; second wine of Chateau Gazin

€59 from Mirachem Marketing Ltd Vivino popular rating 4.3/5 Jeff Leve 90/100 Wine-searcher overall critics 91/100 85% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc Terroir: 30 year old Merlot vines on gravel and clay; Cabernet Franc on silt alluvial deposits on the eastern edge of the plateau

€56.80 from Iv Cellars Vivino popular rating 4.2/5 Jeff Leve 91/100 Wine-searcher overall critics 89/100 95 % Merlot 5 % Cabernet Franc Terroir: blue clay ferruginous soils in the heart of Pomerol; second wine of Clinet

TASTING NOTES: SCARLET PIMPERNEL – HONEY ROASTED GUINEA-FOWL WITH DARK PLUMS, MUSHROOMS AND FLORAL THYME At first glance L’Hospitalet is in colour velvety soft crushed cherry red; the initial aroma; game and plum with shavings of truffle and violet. This extends itself well into the palate bursting with concentrated flavour, where dark cherry, blackberry, cranberry and vanilla are at home. A bold to medium intensity carries through and lasts long after the attack (or initial taste) with a solid bouquet backed by a depth of taste, tinged by a fresh acidity and slight minerality, almost of sweet cut grass. At this stage the tannins are perfectly supple and feminine as all good Merlot. The finish is smooth; the structure, a soft whispering balance but with an ample presence especially for a youngish wine.

Upon three hour decanting the wine evolved into one that expressed more of the secondary and tertiary oaky leather and allspice; earthy mushroom and herb flavours. The dark fruits are now more integrated but red fruit flavours are now more pronounced. This is where Pomerol hits new complex notes more familiar in older Bordeaux, possibly the Cabernet Sauvignon blend in this wine has come through. The colour has deepened to garnet and the tannins show a greater expression of terroir, a hint of things to come after a bit more cellaring. This is very much in the style of the Moueix Old World of winemaking of Pétrus fame.

At this stage this wine is perfectly lovely. If anyone out there is not too keen on their French wines, medium radiant and fresh yet decadent Pomerol like this is uniquely different, requiring little or no decanting, just for the gorgeous bouquet alone.

Supplier details: Farsonsdirect has a vast selection of Pomerol wines at all price ranges. Apart from Pétrus Farsonsdirect also have Château Trotanoy, Château Gazin, Château Certan de May, Château de Sales and Château Nenin. Farsonsdirect, The Brewery, Mdina Road, B’Kara. Tel 00356 2381 4444.

Web farsonsdirect.com 52

TASTING NOTES: SEDUCTION OF THE MINOTAUR - HONEY GLAZED ROASTED GAMMON WITH CHERRIES AND CLOVE On first opening Lafleur-Gazin is a deep dense garnet red. The initial bouquet is a complex array of fragrant aromas: violet, lavender, deep plum, red cherry, coffee, anise, even pepper. Earthy and oaky savoury notes of leather, caramelized gammon, smoke and wood also make their mark. Upon tasting, the wine has a medium bodied mouth feel with a nice fruit and spice finish. The elegance of this wine is in its balanced structure and silky tannin textures. Upon decanting for three hours the wine really opens up. The bouquet expresses a sweeter side of herby grass notes and red fruit aromas which follow through on the palate. The finish is longer and the flavours and structure of the wine seem more powerfully integrated with even more finesse.

I suggest decanting this wine even just for a short time to really savour the flavours already prevalent in the bouquet, which is already a mouthful even before tasting. If you want all the elegance of an Old World style of Pomerol with all the trappings of fruitier, younger and lighter wines look no further.

Supplier details: Mirachem also offer a great selection of other Pomerols at various price points. Worthy of note are their Château Trotanoy, Château MoulinetLaserre, Château Plince, Château La Croix St George and Château Certan de May - all top calibre wines.

Mirachem, Mira Building, Triq Kan K Pirotta, B’Kara.

Tel 00356 2148 8590. Web wine.mt

TASTING NOTES: RED POPPIES AND PURPLE BLUE ANEMONES – ROAST CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY CHESTNUT STUFFING AND PLUM CHUTNEY Upon uncorking, Fleur de Clinet is a dark deep garnet red. A very fragrant bouquet of violet, strawberry and plum hits the air. This is followed by mid tone aromas of liquorice, dark chocolate, toasted coffee and caramel with traces of dry tobacco leaf and baked spices of cloved apple and cinnamon. The wine is richly bold even before tasting. The initial palate comes through with dark fruit and spicy flavours that resonate. This medium bodied wine is full of texture with mouth drying tannins upon the finish.

Somewhere along the lines smoke, buttery cream and savoury roast white meat aromas also make their mark. After five hours of decanting the wine seems fleshier with an even fuller bouquet. However the real surprise is in the drinking, where the wine now exhibits a bolder structure, a more integrated mouth feel, with dry but welcomingly smooth tannins.

It is worth decanting this wine to allow it to open up gracefully without losing its initial grandeur. At this stage this is a more approachable version of the monumental grand vin of the same vintage; almost a foretaste of years of cellaring. The wine offers a nicely integrated blend of old world terroir pedigree with young vine grapes bursting with fruit while equally plumbing new depths.

Supplier details: Iv Cellars also have Château Clinet 2010, 2012, 2015 the full bodied grand vin on par with Pétrus and Cheval Blanc only at much more reasonable prices with top score ratings of 100 in some vintages from famous wine critics Robert Parker and Jeff Leve. Iv Cellars, Sir Arturo Mercieca Street (adjacent to The Diplomat Hotel), Sliema.

Tel 00356 2746 0534. Web ivcellarsmalta.com

POMEROL

Clos Beauregard 2016

Château Bonalgue 2013

Château des Jacobins 2014

€46.60 from The Store Vivino popular rating 4.1/5 Jeff Leve (other vintages) 90/100 Wine-searcher overall critics 90/100 93% Merlot 4% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Cabernet Franc Terroir: mix of sand and clay soils with 40 year old vines on the south edge of Pomerol bordering St Emilion

€48.44 from S. Rausi Trading Ltd Vivino popular rating 3.8/5 Jeff Leve 85/100 Wine-searcher overall critics 86/100 90% Merlot 10% Cabernet Franc Terroir: sand, gravel and clay with on average 25 year old vines north of Cattuseau and Libourne

€42.13 from S. Rausi Trading Ltd Vivino popular rating 4.2/5 Wine-searcher overall critics 90/100 90% Merlot 10% Cabernet Franc Terroir: sand and gravel terroir to the southwest of the plateau

TASTING NOTES: A WALL GARDEN ENCLOSURE WITH A BEAUTIFUL VIEW - PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH SAVOURY THYME, ALLSPICE, CHERRY AND BLACKBERRY SAUCE On opening Clos Beauregard is a deep ruby red with an orange amber glow. On the nose a lush complex bouquet of full fruit; aromas of cassis, wild cherry and plum; quickly followed by undertones of coffee, spicy cinnamon and clove, treacly anise and earthy wet leaves. Savoury vegetal notes of sweet tomato, light gamey meat and rich gravy also make their mark. This wine is a feast on the nose even before tasting. The initial palate follows through with a burst of fruit of slight acidity leading to a medium bodied quite dry lasting finish. In the backdrop wafts of oaky notes of cedar and cigar box assert themselves. Upon decanting for a few hours the fleshy textures and velvety tannins become more noticeable with some of the fruit flavours adding new depths. An aura of tart red currant and red apple acidity keeps the wine fresh even at this stage. I would dip into this wine at both ends; savour upon opening with sporadic lulls to resavour.

This is a Rolland New World style of wine at full throttle: fully ripened grapes with full fruit, full alcohol and soft acidity. Yet the Pomerol terroir also rears its elegant head.

Not unexpectedly there is some resemblance to a fragrant St Emilion of the Figeac hills kind. There is a deep sense of place in the graceful aromas and flavours of this grand vin which explains what wine experts mean when they use the term connectivity.

TASTING NOTES: BACH FUGUE IN G MINOR WILD BOAR ROSEMARY RAGU WITH PAPPARDALLE Upon opening Bonalgue is a crystal clear soft ruby red with an amber glow. A perfumed bouquet of violet and rose on the nose with wild strawberry, chocolate and leather soon following. Upon tasting, very light and smooth on the palate with tangy red currant, cinnamon, cedar and spring leaf flavours, and a dry subtle finish; all welcome notes in Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends grown on lighter gravel soils.

After decanting for five hours, the bouquet is more miasmic with hints of honey and thyme giving way to tart Black Forest Cake flavours of maraschino wild cherries and raw cocoa nibs. What started off as a seemingly lighter wine has blossomed into more of a fleshy medium bodied wine with a more structured finish that follows through on the aromas.

The perfumed bouquet is elegant throughout so it’s a question of taste whether to drink up fresh, light and dynamic, or decant and wait to enjoy the graciously aged body and structure of the wine more. Either way it’s at perfect drinking age for a 2013 Bordeaux vintage.

Supplier details: S. Rausi Trading has an extensive selection of French and Italian wines. S Rausi Trading Ltd, Empire Stadium Str, Gzira. Tel 00356 2131 6210.

Web srausi.com/shop

TASTING NOTES: STRINDBERG IN AUTUMN – SMORGASBORD OF SMOKED SALMON, TOMATO, CREAM CHEESE AND DILL ON RYE BREAD Upon first uncorking, Jacobins is middling garnet red.

First aromas are of redcurrant, blackcurrant and red cherry with a soft bouquet of dry tobacco leaves.

Upon tasting fresh fruit prevail, with a medium to light mouth feel (mid-palate sensation) and medium dry tannins displaying hints of liquorice and possibly vanilla.

After five hours decanting the wine really opens up into something entirely more weighty, more complex.

The fruit aromas turn more autumnal with dark berries and pressed red apple coming through; the tannins give way to earth and oak tones of dry leaf, leather and spice; aniseed and clove. What seemed like a lighter wine blossomed into something with more texture and structure with an equally more enduring finish (aftertaste); suggesting that despite its vintage date it can easily take more years of cellaring. I really suggest decanting this wine to experience the transformation.

The sand and gravel terroir lives up to its name in providing a lighter style wine that is easy to drink young. But this betrays what lies beneath this comfortable façade – a Merlot with a Pomerol pedigree just becomes more gracious and opulent with age.

Supplier details: S. Rausi Trading has an extensive selection of French and Italian wines. S Rausi Trading Ltd, Empire Stadium Str, Gzira. Tel 00356 2131 6210.

Web srausi.com/shop

Supplier details: The Store also have a Château La Patache of Michel Rolland fame a good value lighter Pomerol at 35 euros. The Store, Triq taz-Zwejt, San Gwann (Industrial Estate). Tel 00356 2144 4364.

Web thestore.mt

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MODERN ENGLISH

Founded by Emily Todhunter and Kate Earle in 1998 and based in Chelsea, London, the Todhunter Earle design studio is renowned across the globe for creating beautiful, sensitively considered interiors. From country and contemporary townhouses to boutique hotels and restaurants, ski chalets, and even superyachts, their diverse portfolio embodies one key constant: their commitment to imbuing interiors with passion, dedication, and sensibility to place. Now in their new book, Modern English: Tod Hunter Earle Interiors, Emily and Kate present a diverse selection of projects - including their own homes – showcasing Todhunter Earle’s extraordinarily varied catalogue of work and the unpretentious interiors for which they have become famed.

Photography courtesy Vendome Press.

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“It’s not about designing houses that look like hotels or show homes; it’s about creating places of sanctuary, comfort and delight.”

Helen Chislett

This page: This impressive house in an iconic London square in Belgravia is home to an international family with a passion for contemporary art. By joining the main house and mews house into a large family home, Todhunter Earle created a contemporary interior working with a host of international furniture makers and designers. Specially commissioned furniture and lighting are by Herve Van de Straeten, Niamh Barry, Francis Sultana, Gosling and Kaizen Furniture. Rugs and flooring by Luke Irwin, Christine Vanderhurd and Schotten & Hansen.

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“

Modern English Interiors can be interpreted in a number of ways, but to us ‘modern’ is synonymous with an understanding of everyday life today. We reference the past when appropriate, but our interiors are also fresh and functional’, write Emily and Kate. “‘English’ is even harder to nail down, but we would define it as relaxed informality, an element of wit, the eclectic combination of old with new, and beauty that sometimes flirts on the edge of scruffiness.”

When Emily Todhunter and Kate Earle were first introduced, it proved to be a most serendipitous encounter. Today, their interior design partnership is recognised around the world as one of Britain’s leading studios.

They are one of only a handful of companies to have been included continuously in the Top 100 lists run by eminent interiors publications, lauded both for the breadth of their projects and the ease with which they glide from traditional country to sleekly modern.

While they have won acclaim for their work on grand heritage houses, they have also undertaken various contemporary buildings as well as new-build country homes. What underlies everything they do is a quiet assurance that they can determine elegant solutions in the best taste possible.

Underpinning this is a sense of proportion, of something being ‘right’. Rather than one object dominating a room, the orchestration of a pleasing composition of colours, textures and patterns is key. There is an Englishness in their approach that is not about chintzy florals, but instead about instinctive design that results in interiors that are relaxed, unpretentious and discreet.

What is paramount is how the client feels when he or she is in their home, and Emily and Kate create rooms that feel loved and lived-in, rather than showy, beginning not with samples and swatches, but by spending time with the client, listening to what they say and applying some psychology. How do they want their family to use the space? How will the layout best work for them? How will they experience each room? How will it make them feel? It’s not about designing houses that look like hotels or show homes; it’s about creating places of sanctuary, comfort and delight.

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This page: Ballinlough Castle, County Westmeath, Ireland has been home to the Nugent family for over 400 years. The 17th-century Georgian castle was sensitively refreshed by Todhunter Earle Interiors when the current occupants, a young family, took over the house. The bedrooms were brightened with large scale wallpapers and fabrics, beds re-dressed and new bathrooms installed.

The essence of the traditional Irish castle was retained, while updating the house for modern living.

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Right: Rather than one object dominating a room, the orchestration of a pleasing composition of colours, textures and patterns is key. Emily and Kate create rooms that feel loved and lived-in, rather than showy.

Below and facing page: With Arts & Crafts alterations to a much earlier house, this is the weekend home in Surrey to a Scandinavian family.

Large formal rooms are laid out around a grand hall and central staircase – a layout suited to family life. Using European antiques, midcentury Scandinavian and contemporary furniture, together with textiles & tapestries, the interior is fresh, light and modern.

S

howcasing 18 landmark projects, this sumptuous book encapsulates Todhunter Earle’s instinctive approach: relaxed, discreet interiors that whisper rather than shout, each one embodying the right feel for the client. Divided into three main sections - country, town and abroad - the book features insights into the pivotal factors and challenges encountered on each design journey, exemplifying the hallmark sensitivity that has become synonymous with the Todhunter Earle name. Including original photography from the studio’s own archives plus concept illustrations by noted watercolourist Marianne Topham, Modern English will inspire design enthusiasts and fellow professionals alike.

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Above: Todhunter Earler were asked to help a newly married couple renovate an exceptionally beautiful 18th-century house in the borders of Scotland. What started as a sensitive restoration escalated into a complete gut of the property. The windows and shutters were rotten and had to be replaced as did all the plumbing and electrics. The views from the house are spectacular and the proportions are perfect.

Below: On the cover: The brief for creating this ‘party barn’ in an English country house was to ensure that it was sophisticated enough for the adults in the family yet still relaxed enough for the university age children. The colour scheme was designed around this Aubusson tapestry, drawing on the deep blues and golden tones.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Helen Chislett is a widely published journalist and author who specializes in design and decoration at a luxury level, encompassing everything from interiors, art, antiques and architecture to craft, gardens and decoration. She is the author of twenty books and also runs her own consultancy, London Connoisseur, devoted to championing artisanship in design.

Marianne Topham is a visual artist whose work has influenced and supported several leading interior designers and architects. Born in 1945, she studied at Byam Shaw School of Art and later in Florence. She has worked closely with Todhunter Earle for more than twenty years.

Modern English: Todhunter Earle Interiors, by Emily Todhunter and Kate Earle.

Text by Helen Chislett. Published by Vendome Press. Hardcover, 256 pages, 250 colour illustrations.

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Joinwell Mill Street, Qormi +356 2278 2000 info@joinwell.com.mt www.joinwell.com.mt

MALTESE CLASSICS “Great love affairs start with champagne and end with tisane.”

Honoré de Balzac

MALTESE TEATIME TREATS Many who grew up in the 70s, 80s and 90s in Malta will remember their parents or grandparents with various biscuits and Biskuttini tar-rahal kept in tins which were brought out for teatime. Opening and closing, and reopening and closing over time would create dents and scuff marks on these tins which would become part of the family, keeping their contents fresh and hidden away like treasure until their next appearance at table. Firm favourites included crisp Ottijiet covered in sesame seeds and Krustini with almonds (with little hands always looking for the pieces which had most almonds). Biskuttini tallewz were kept for special occasions, often with someone's nanna, aunt or neighbour baking a batch for a Holy Communion or birthday party. David Vella, one of chef instructors at The Mediterranean Culinary Academy shares his secrets to making these Maltese treats. Photography Jessica Zammit.

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MALTESE CLASSICS

OTTIJIET Maltese Ottijiet are crumbly shortcrust biscuits seasoned with Mediterranean flavours, shaped in a figure of 8 and encrusted with sesame seeds. The composition is not very sweet, but they make a welcome treat with a cup of tea or coffee, or just on their own.

.

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MALTESE CLASSICS

MAKES 10-15 BISCUITS 300g all purpose flour 80g self-rising flour 240g sugar pinch salt 2tsp orange and lemon zest 130g butter, cubed 2 eggs, whole beaten 2 egg yolks sesame seeds as needed milk as needed

1. Add flours, sugar, pinch of salt and zest to a bowl, rub in butter to get a breadcrumb consistency.

2. Beat egg and egg yolks with a wooden spoon, slowly pour into flour mix. Mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together. Knead until dough becomes smooth.

3. Flatten dough, wrap in cling film, chill for 30 minutes.

4. Pre heat oven to 165C. 5. Flour work surface, cut dough into equal pieces and form into sausage like shape.

6. Fold to a figure of 8, wet one end and pinch together. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

7. Bake until puffed and golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.

8 Transfer to a wire rack and wait until completely cool.

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MALTESE CLASSICS

KRUSTINI Krustini are another traditional Maltese seasoned biscuit and are very similar to Italian biscotti. The etymology of the word ‘biscotti’ goes back to the Latin biscoctum; literally meaning ‘twice cooked’. Krustini are perfectly accompanied by a cup of coffee or tea.

MAKES 25-30 BISCUITS INGREDIENTS AS FOR OTTIJIET plus 50g whole roasted almonds 1. Pre heat oven to 180C. 2. Using same recipe as for Ottijiet repeat steps 1 to 3.

3. Cut in almonds and fold into dough mix.

4. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into 2 logs.

5. Bake logs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and cool about 10 minutes before slicing.

7. Place a log on a cutting board and using a sharp, serrated knife, cut diagonally into 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) slices.

8. Return biscuits to baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

9. Remove Krustini from oven and cool on a wire rack.

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W NPE ROV E D

IM CIPE RE

More than good

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MALTESE CLASSICS

BISKUTTINI TAL-LEWZ These traditional Biskuttini tallewz, are a traditional Maltese favourite usually prepared over festive holidays or celebrations.

Full of delicious almond flavour, with a slightly chewy texture.

MAKES 10-16 BISCUITS 200g almonds, ground 140g caster sugar 2g baking powder 2 egg whites almonds, whole as needed icing sugar as needed rice paper for baking

1. Pre heat oven to 200C. 2. In a bowl mix ground almonds, sugar, baking powder.

3. In another bowl whisk egg whites until foamy and frothy to a medium peak.

4. Add almond mix slowly to egg whites and fold well.

5. Line a baking tray with baking paper and put a sheet of rice paper on top.

6. Roll a tablespoon of mixture into a ball.

7. Wet bottom of almond ball with a little water and roll again.

8. Place on rice paper. Add a whole almond in the middle and press down.

9. Bake until lightly brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and cool.

Recipes are from The Mediterranean Culinary Academy's Intermediate Junior Chef Programme developed and led by David Vella, one of the chef instructors at MCA. Share your creations by tagging @mca_malta or sending MCA a photo on their socials. For more recipes, or for information on upcoming cooking classes and to book a cooking class visit www.mcamalta.com or email contact@mcamalta.com.

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PROMOTION

THE CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE

Make Your Voice Heard Have you heard about the The Conference on the Future of Europe? The Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique and timely opportunity for European citizens to debate on Europe’s challenges and priorities. With a dedicated digital platform, no matter where you are from, whatever your age or what you do, this is the place to think about what future you want for the European Union. Photography Juliane Liebermann.

A

multilingual digital platform www.futureu.europa.eu serves as the hub for The Conference on the Future of Europe and provides a way for you to get involved and speak up at the Conference.

Here you can share your thoughts on Europe and the changes which need to happen in a range of topics.

Some of the topics include climate change and the environment, health, economy, social justice and jobs, EU in the world, values and rights, rule of law and security, digital transformation, European democracy, migration, and education, culture, youth and sport.

There is also a section for other ideas not covered by these umbrella topics. You can see what others have to say, find events near you, organise your own event and

follow the progress and the outcome of the Conference.

No matter where you are from or what you do, this is the place to think about what future you want for the European Union.

The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission have committed to listen to Europeans and to follow up, within their sphere of competences, on the recommendations made.

By spring 2022, the Conference is expected to reach conclusions and provide guidance on the future of Europe.

For further information and assistance please contact Servizzi Ewropej f ’Malta (SEM), the government agency in Malta responsible to inform, engage and support citizens on EU-related matters, including EU funding, on info.sem@gov.mt or call 2200 3300.

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DEMENTIA & ALZHEIMER’S

Know Dementia, Know Alzheimer’s. With Love and Patience, Nothing is Impossible

FOOD FOR THOUGHT World Alzheimer's Month takes place every September to raise awareness and to challenge the stigma that persists around dementia, and 21 September also marks World Alzheimer’s Day. The focus for this year’s World Alzheimer’s Month is diagnosis, encouraging people to ‘Know Dementia, Know Alzheimer’s’, to help with advice and general support. Photography Elia Pellegrini.

O

ne dementia myth and the truth behind it. Myth. I should correct what a dementia sufferer says when they are wrong. Truth. You may feel compelled to correct things that are said, but it really isn't necessary and can actually be detrimental.

Constant correction of a person with dementia can lead them to develop feelings of depression, aggressiveness, or further confusion. So what can you do?

T

en requests from a person with dementia. 1. Please be patient with me. I am the helpless victim of a brain disease.

2. Talk to me. Even though I cannot always answer you. 3. Be kind to me. Each day of my life is a desperate struggle. 4. Consider my feelings. They are still very much alive within me. 5. Treat me with dignity and respect. As I would have gladly treated you.

6. Remember my past. For I was once a healthy vibrant person. 7. Remember my present. For I am still living. 8. Remember my future. Though it may seem bleak to you.

9. Pray for me. For I am a person who lingers in the mists of time and eternity. And finally 10. Love me. And the gifts of love you give will be a blessing forever.

Source: Alzheimer's Disease International and Instagram/Dementia Support.

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PRIDE “We shall never understand one another until we reduce the language to seven words.”

Khalil Gibran

Why is Pride Important?

Many people don't understand that for some people being born 'different' is their kind of normality.

Photography Stephen Leonardi.

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PRIDE

"Pride is important because someone tonight still believes they're better off dead than being themselves.

Pride is important because someone tonight still believes they're better off dead than being lesbian.

Pride is important because someone tonight still believes they're better off dead than being gay.

Pride is important because someone tonight still believes they're better off dead than being bisexual.

Pride is important because someone tonight still believes they're better off dead than being trans.

Pride is important because someone tonight still believes they're better off dead than being queer."

SOURCE STERLING GRAVES/INSTAGRAM.

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PARIS

60 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Christo and Jeanne-Claude:

L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE, WRAPPED

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n 1961, three years after they met in Paris, Christo and Jeanne-Claude began creating works of art in public spaces. One of their projects was to wrap a public building.

When he arrived in Paris, Christo rented a small room near the Arc de Triomphe and had been attracted by the monument ever since. In 1962, he made a photomontage of the Arc de Triomphe wrapped, seen from the Avenue Foch and, in 1988, a collage.

60 years later, the mammoth project has finally been concretized with one of the city’s most emblematic monuments, the Arc de Triomphe, wrapped in 25,000 square meters of recyclable polypropylene fabric in silvery blue, and with 3,000 meters of red rope. Christo and Jeanne-Claude have always made clear that their artworks in progress be continued after their deaths. Per Christo’s wishes, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped has been realized by his team. L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, a temporary artwork for Paris, will be on view until Sunday, October 3, 2021.

Top: Fabric panels being unfurled in front of the outer walls of the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, September 12, 2021. Photo Matthias Koddenberg © 2021 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation. Above: Christo in his studio with a preparatory drawing for L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, New York City, September 20, 2019. Photo Wolfgang Volz © 2019 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.

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GET IT SORTED WITH

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