In the early 1990's Delicata embarked on an innovative project to increase the amount of land under vine, taking into account all the problems inherent with Maltese agriculture, such as land fragmentation and abandonment, owner diversity and antiquated growing techniques. Some agricultural plots are as small as a tenth of a hectare and a large amount of the available plots are not owned by skilled farmers. Delicata's 'Vines for Wines' project was thus launched with the aim of providing the land owner with all the knowledge and expertise required to set up and operate a successful modern vineyard, according to each individual vineyard's specification and its particular requirements.

Financial support was also made available, along with free vineyard management consultancy services throughout the year by Delicata's team of viticultural experts. More than a decade into the project this pioneering approach to Maltese viticulture has not only positioned Delicata as the island's largest wine grape grower but has trained and educated over 350 Vignerons in the process. Today a whole army of dedicated skilled grape growers are growing premium quality grapes for the Delicata family winemaker on an on-going basis. These 'pocket sized' boutique vineyards are scattered throughout the islands and produce newly introduced grape varieties such as; Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The success of the Delicata 'Vines for Wines' project has also led to the introduction of a similar scheme by the Maltese Government as the way forward for Maltese viticulture in general, which has now been identified as one of three strategic crops for the future development of Maltese Agriculture. In addition to the increasing amount of land being planted with these international varieties, the largest area of land under vine is planted with the two unique indigenous Maltese grape varieties, Girgentina and Gellewza. These indigenous varieties play a vital role in the winemaking philosophy of Emmanuel Delicata who have been championing their existence and revival for many years.

The harvesting of these indigenous varieties takes place at the end of August. The international varieties are harvested earlier in the month. Modern vineyard technology is used along with drip irrigation and all of Delicata's grapes are hand picked.