Ta' Mena part deu

I was trying to get the baby goat to come a bit closer so I could pet it, I used a bit of bribery in the form of cactus leaves.

We took my husbands Aunt and Uncle to Ta'Mena Estate when we were visiting Gozo a few weeks ago. I was so pleased that we finally got a chance to see the baby goats and explore a bit more. We went up to see all the crazy farm animals of course the dogs led the way. We even ran into Grandpa picking olives, he is in his 80's and still working hard, amazing!!! We couldn't leave with out buying a fab bottle of wine, and their delicious sun dried tomato paste which is to die for it's so yummy!!! I think we are addicted to it. Not sure what we are going to do when we leave Malta!

That is one thing I have really been enjoying since living in Malta all of the incredible fresh produce. I've been cooking a lot of Mediterranean inspired dishes, last night I made a tasty Sicilian fish stew. I can't get enough of the tomatoes and olive oil, it's been such a treat. I do have to be careful not to go crazy with the pasta, because everyone knows what happens when you eat too much pasta!!! Not a pretty sight. I have found a tasty gluten free alternative which is pretty similar to the original thing.

Ta' Mena Vineyard visit

This is Joe, he is the one we were looking for. We had a lovely time asking him about how he got into making wine, ask him if you ever go to Ta' Mena.

This is George, he thinks he is a person.

One of the crazy farm dogs, he kept licking the grapes.

They are very proud of all of the products they make, but special pride is taken in this hand made Strawberry Jam.

When my brother and sister were here last month, we took a day trip up to Gozo. At the Northern tip of Malta is a small little island called Gozo. It's a much slower pace up there and because it's so small you can see much of it in a day. We had been told by a friend of my brothers, that we needed to go to the vineyard in Gozo... We weren't totally sure where to find it so we started asking around... We knew that the owner was named "Joe" and that they had baby goats... It wasn't much to go on but we were hopeful.

We stopped for ice cream as you do in Malta, cause it was SO hot. My brother asked the girl serving us ice cream if she knew of a vineyard with a guy named "Joe" and some baby goats.... I was thinking yah of course she knows someone named Joe, everyone in Malta is named Joe! But sure enough she knew THE Joe we were looking for... and she happily pointed us in the right direction....

When we got to Ta' Mena Estate, Joe's wife greeted us and made us feel right at home. She asked us if we were hungry and thirsty, which we were... she then proceeded to serve us a home made tomato paste on Maltese crackers slathered in their own incredible olive oil!!! It was divine, a small slice of heaven on earth Then we started tasting the wines.... They were awesome, My sis, bro, and I each had a different  favorite. We ended up taking home one of each of the ones we liked!

If you ever visit Gozo please say hi to Joe and his wife, and try their wines and all of their other goodies... You won't be disappointed. They are located on the Rabat Road  Xaghra – XRA 9010, Isle of Gozo, Malta On your way from Victoria to Marsalforn, on the right side of the road, you can't miss it!