Which wines should you try in Cyprus? We often hear this question from people who are eager to get acquainted with the Cyprus wines of the island. What better way to get to know them than by taking a day out on one of the wine routes of the island.
To the North-West
Our journey will take us through the villages located in the north-west area of Cyprus. Wonderful landscapes, can be enjoyed on your way to the wineries, and most of the journey take place along the secondary roads that lead to the hidden villages.
You will see over 10 villages on this route, and each will be unique in its own way. The soil mainly consists of limestone and clay on which are grown 19 varieties of grapes, but the region is mostl famous for its white grapes — sauvingnon blanc, riesling, semillion, chardonnay, muscat and, of course, xynisteri.
The trail starts from Pаphos and moves along the В7 road towards Polis. A small village Mesogi is located on this road, and there the Fikardos winery is situated, оne of the very first regional producers on the island of Cyprus.
The owner of the winery, Тhеоdoros, has inherited family traditions, which he has developed successfully thanks to the knowledge and experience he acquired during his years of producing of one of the best Cypriot wines.
Although the winery has no vineyards of its own, it has long-term contracts with local wine-growers, which allows it to get the best grapes for production of various types of table wines.
When you come to the winery, please try rose wine Valentina, white wines Amalthia and Alkisti and the wonderful red syrah.
Wine, Wine and Wine Again!
Τhe journey continues on towards the village of Stroumpi, a few kilometers from which there is the winery of one of Cyprus’ largest producers, SODAP, the Kamanterna winery.
This is the largest winery in Cyprus, where millions of bottles of wine branded Islands wines, are produced and exported to Great Britain, as well as a number of interesting limited edition wines for instance, Mountain vines: red wine made from cabernet sauvingnon, and white blended wine from a mixture of xynisteri and a small volume of grapes of the semillion variety.
A few kilometers away from SODAP you will find winery Tsalapatis, located in the village of Polemi. The owner of the winery, Andreas, will take great pleasure in telling you about the special features of wine making, about Cypriot wineries, traditions and the current conditions of the wine-making market.
The winery now produces about 60,000 bottles of wine of 8 different types a year. Rose wine and white wine produced from the xynisteri variety are worthy of special attention.
After this it’s staight on to the village of Kathikas, where it’s time to visit the wonderful winery Vasilikon.
This is оne of largest wineries in Cyprus, whose produce is delivered to the best restaurants and hotels of Cyprus. Its wines have gained an excellent reputation on the Cypriot market thanks to the efforts made by the owner the of winery, mister Yannis Kyriakides to improve the quality of wine year after year.
The white wine Vasilikon is very refreshing, it has a full flavor and taste, and is an ideal accompaniment to the local seafood and fish.
Red wine Ayios Onoufrious is a blended wine produced from such grape varieties as маvro, mataro, cabernet sauvingnon, and Grenache and is the bestseller. This wine is produced from grapes harvested from their own vineyards. If you visit the production site with its modern equipment, you will understand how much work is invested in the production!
On the other side of the village, you will find winery Sterna, which is a very popular place, where people can sit, taste wine and try authentic village dishes. The cellars, where the wine is stored, are very old, about 2,000 years old.
We suggest we finish our journey at the Vouni winery, on this stop you will have to allocate quite a bit of time — a wonderful restaurant on a beautiful terrace invites you to stay, and you will simply forget about your watch.
If you talk to the owner of the winery, Andreas Kyriakides, you will find out that about 300,000 bottles of wine, are delivered to the most prestigious hotels of Cyprus, and are produced here each year.
They also have some bestsellers on the Cypriot market. The famous Alina made from grapes of the xynisteri variety, which you already know, is one of these wines.
A tip: the winery is also famous amongst local inhabitants for its lunches, which take place еvery day at 13:00. You can try traditional Cypriot dishes and enjoy wonderful wine.
The price of the lunch is 20 еuros per person, including a bottle of wine of your choice.
The Return Journey
This is the end of another route, which was recommended by the Cyprus Tourist Organization.
The route is rather short, but we do not advise you visit all the wineries in one day. You may miss a lot of interesting things and sights, much better to take your time and enjoy the small details.
