Rediscover Dacoutros

It was only fitting that the business that gave the name to the street where it was located, reopens its doors in that same street, in Marsa. Triq L-Ghassara ta’ l-Gheneb (Wine Pressers Street) was named after the Dacoutros winery that was established in that same location as far back as the late 1800s.

Revamped, the Dacoutros winery is now relaunching itself and has introduced three of its new wines on the Maltese market. This is the 4th generation of the family that is holding the fort. And, ironically enough for a company called John Dacoutros and Sons Ltd, it is actually the daughters who are at the helm. Kudos to them, we say. 118 Wines is all for women in the wine industry, of course. We have interviewed enough successful women in this sphere to know that this once maledominated environment is, today, far less so.

Diana Cutajar Dacoutros and her younger sister Cristina Dacoutros have thrown themselves into reviving the winery, whilst maintaining a healthy respect for their family’s achievements of the past. They believe in breathing life back into the wine business that John, their father, was such an integral part of in his younger days.

People of middle-age and above will certainly remember the surname, and associate it, in fact, with wine. Though we have recently heard, in various sections of the media, the Dacoutros family recount how the business originated, maybe there are some who are still not familiar with the story; a classic case of humble beginnings going back to 1881 when the current generation’s great grandfather Giovanni walked off a wine ship from Santorini, Greece, and decided to set himself up in business in Malta, at the grand old age of, er, 10!

“This business is a sentimental comeback for us as well. We’re going back to what we know and love… It was our father’s dream to see us going back to our roots,” the sisters agree. And they are intent on going about it the right way, bringing on board two top Greek Oenologists and introducing state-of-the-art Californian technology into their considerably revamped winery at Marsa, which proudly displays the Maltese, Greek and EU flags on its facade.

But behind the flags and fanfare lies a major investment of €8.8 million (Lm3.8m), an overhaul that they believe reflects the prevalent opportunity and growth of the wine business in Malta today, as well as the business acumen of the family that has served them well in past years.

The current management and staff, however, is also highly motivated, progressive and young. And as a result Dacoutros Wines is offering the public an interesting array of novel wines, with names that are just as interesting: Merino, Perla Nera and Regatta, the latter being a relaunch of a previous product of theirs, this time, though, being offered to consumers as party wine, in double sized Magnum Venetian bottles, and 3-litre and 5-litre bag in box packaging of French design and make. The latter seems to be a new trend that is hitting the market, probably because of the economic and environmental advantages this packaging offers. Diana hastens to add, “Bag-in-box does not mean cheap wine” as she went on to emphasise that the quality of their Regatta has been very well received and favourably compared with foreign wines that are more widely known.

Perla Nera and Merino are in the same quality range, the Perla Nera being marketed and acknowledged as a value for money wine. The Merino brands are a white Venetian Chardonnay, a Red Tuscan Merlot and a very popular Rosato. This range is targeted at the high end market and will be expanded shortly to include also Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet-Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano, Pinot Noir and Nero d’Avola varietals. And all three brands are available in over 1,500 outlets in Malta and Gozo.

A forward looking duo like this cannot fail to be looking towards the future. In fact, Dacoutros intends to increase its range of high quality wines. The target? To be one of the leading merchants of only high quality wines in Malta.