Wine & Commandaria
We report about Cyprus' wine. The history, the grape varieties and the wineries.
History
Viticulture dates back to the third millennium BC. According to mythology, the Greek wine god Dionysus preferred wines from this island for his drinking parties.
The Phoenicians and Greeks established the tradition of sweet wines in antiquity. Floor mosaics with wine motifs in the port city of Paphos on the southwest coast bear witness to this ancient wine-growing culture.
The Order of St. John managed so-called commends (estates with vineyards). Their headquarters was the still existing castle "Kolossi", called "Grand Commandery", which gave the name to the famous wine-growing area and the legendary sweet wine Commandaria.
The first Winery (ETKO) was founded in 1844. ETKO was renamed Olympus in 1992.
Grape varieties
Cyprus has its own grape varieties which, despite great heat, little rain and usually no additional irrigation, produce good yields.
White grape varieties:
Xynisteri, Spourtiko, Promara, Morkanella, Kanella, Michalias, Katomilitiko.
Red grape varieties:
Maratheftiko, Mavro, Ofthalmo, Gianoudi, Lefkada.
By far the most important indigenous grape varieties in Cyprus are:
Xynisteri and Mavro
Wineries
There are more than 50 wineries to discover on the island.
Cyprus is divided into 5 wine regions (AOC) and 7 wine routes.
The famous sweet wine "Commandaria" is produced in 14 wineries along the southern foothills of the Troodos Mountains north of Limassol. Wine Route 5 shows you the way.
We have made it our goal to visit all the Cypriot wineries on the island once.
Cyprus' largest wine producers are:
- LOEL (approx. 3,000,000 litres; wine route 4)
- KEO (approx. 2,000,000 litres; wine route 4)
- SODAP (approx. 3,000,000 litres; wine route 1)
These 3 large wineries produce mainly for export, and mainly wine for industrial processing (e.g. for mulled wine, vermouth and sangria).
Status 2018
To find Wineries consult the pro85 business directory.
Our culinary recommendations
On pro85 tips you will find wineries that we have tried ourselves. Of course, this is our personal opinion. We will not describe a bar that does not meet our expectations. Fortunately, tastes are different.