Nine wineries to put on your 'must try' list

Wine has been an integral part of Cyprus’ cultural and economic heritage for millennia. The sun-kissed slopes of Limassol’s hill villages, the warm Mediterranean climate, the welcoming, fertile soil, and the island’s long winemaking history that dates back over 6,000 years, constitute the most valuable and refined ingredients for the production of a wide variety of wines ranging from the sweet-tasting Commandaria (Cyprus’ oldest named wine still in production) to the world’s best-known dry red, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Every September, visitors to Limassol’s annual wine festival are greeted by a giant statue of a Cypriot village winegrower in his traditional Cypriot costume. The festival, which has been taking place since 1961, is a testament to the district’s longstanding wine production and its role as the host of many leading wineries. Here, we present nine of them.

Argyrides Winery

The Argyrides family and crew have produced Cypriot wines for five generations and, today, a new generation is tending to the family’s eight hectares of vineyards. Argyrides Winery is housed in the family’s 200-year-old listed ancestral home in the village of Vasa Koilaniou and its facilities have been meticulously restored and expanded, matching life as it was decades ago with the needs and functionalities of a modern winery.

LOEL Winery

LOEL, established in 1943, was the first public company in Cyprus. Its first products were spirits and fortified wines made from indigenous varieties. In 2020, it invested in new state-of-the-art winery at Ayios Silas, which has been designed to produce the finest wines from local indigenous varieties. LOEL supports the local winemaking industry through its annual purchases of millions of kilos of grapes.

Kyperounda Winery

The winery, which is located some 50km from Limassol, prides itself on its unusually high-altitude location (1,200 metres) in the village of Kyperounda, from which it takes its name. The winery began operations in 1998, when a group of local winemakers chose to fully utilise the wine-growing potential of the area. In 2000, Photos Photiades Group joined as a major shareholder and today production exceeds 300,000 bottles annually.

ETKO/Olympus Winery

ETKO, the oldest winemaker in Cyprus, whose tradition and experience date back to 1844, opened the Olympus Winery in 1992 in the village of Omodos, to where it eventually moved most of its winemaking activities. With the sixth generation of the family now at the helm of the company, ETKO is equipped with up-to-date plant and equipment and carries out research and experiments into new wines.

Mallia Winery

Located on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountains, KEO’s Mallia Winery dates back to 1927. The winery lies in the heart of 50 hectares of vineyards planted with indigenous and international grape varieties at an altitude of 700 metres. Mallia Winery prides itself for pioneering research into the rediscovery of Cyprus indigenous grape varieties which, due to their scarcity, were once threatened with extinction.

Oenou Yi Winery

Oenou Yi Winery was founded in 2017 in the mountain village of Omodhos, exploiting the unique altitude of the area. It produces fine wines from Cypriot grape varieties (Xynisteri, Maratheftiko, etc.) and international varieties (Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.). At the 2022 Decanter Awards, Oenou Yi won six medals, including silver for its Alba Dómina, made from the indigenous Promara variety.

Vlassides Winery

Located in Kilani since 2012, Vlassiades Winery in run by Sophocles Vlassides, a third generation winemaker, who deliberately chose to study in the USA to discover unconventional, modern and alternative vinification processes. Today, Vlassiades cultivate 21 hectares of vineyards with both international and indigenous varieties and has an overall production capacity of 200,000 bottles per year.

Tsiakkas Winery

Tsiakkas Winery was founded just outside Pelendri village in 1988 by newlyweds Kostas and Marina Tsiakkas. Their first year yielded just 500 bottles of red wine but, during the 1990s, the winery underwent its first expansion and is currently led by the second generation of the family. Tsiakkas Winery consists of over 18 hectares of private and partnered vineyards, producing approximately 200,000 bottles of wine a year.

Zambartas Wineries

Zambartas Wineries, founded in 2006 by oenologist Akis Zambartas and later expanded by his son Marcos., lies on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountains. The winery makes conscious efforts to preserve the unique centenarian vineyards that thrive in Cyprus' dry, chalky soils, while also planting new vineyards. Today, its team manages over 13 hectares of vineyards, producing over 120,000 bottles a year.

(This article first appeared in the July issue of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it)