Spectacular wine routes in Cyprus- the island's world known grape varieties

Cyprus, the island of sun, quality, and culture. Cyprus is not only famous for its gastronomy and culture, but also for the incredible wine that they produce. As you already read in my previous story "Spectacular wine routes", there are various wine routes that you can follow in Cyprus. If you didn't get enough, these are the rest of the routes that you should visit while on our beautiful island! Most of those are particularly well known all over the world since they offer some of the greatest grape varieties!  Let's discover them...

PITSILIA

This route passes through the east part of the mountain Troodos, Olympos. Quaint villages with welcoming hospitality, as well as a charming countryside with its pine trees, make you feel like home, while tasting the wines of this magnificent area.

The villages in this area- including Pitsilia that it is the winner of the Nom d´Origine- are spread around the mountains of Madari, Machairas, and Papoutsa. In the slopes of these mountains, the locals have planted and built vineyards basically in every part. In this route, you can taste exquisite wine from red to white varieties. Some of its most known white varieties that you shouldn't miss out on trying are Xynisteri, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malaga, and red varieties: Ofthalmo, Vamvakada (Maratheftiko), Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mattaro, Mavro, Shiraz, Lefkada, Yiannoudi. 

COMMANDARIA

This route includes fourteen "commandarian villages" and dates back to the 12th century, when the Knights of S. John were producing and exporting this amazing local wine. It is considered one of the most ancient wines that ever existed in Cyprus. The area is surrounded by vineyards of indigenous red "Mavro" and white "Xynisteri",  the grapes of which have been the backbone of the whole area. Maybe it is the route with the fewer varieties of wine, but with the most important and ancient ones.

Commandaria wine is world famous. Commandaria is amber in color and very sweet, with a flavor that reminds one of raisins, caramel, and dried fruits. These flavors originate from the distinctive wine-making process that involves sun-drying the grapes before pressing and fermenting and yielding into these smoky caramelized tones. This process follows a documented ancient wine-making style that dates back to 800 BCE, making Commandaria the oldest named wine still in production.

LARNAKA-LEFKOSIA (LARNAKA-NICOSIA)

This route passes through the rural areas of Larnaka and Lefkosia, with small villages that are hanging in the slopes of the mountains and flora and fauna that mesmerizes the visitor. This route is not considered to be among the traditional ones, because it is located outside the traditional wine regions. However, there are active winemakers who have planted vineyards with unique and traditional grape varieties, such as the Assyrtiko, Malvasia Aromatica, Chardonnay and Maratheftiko. This route also passes from the village Lefkara and Fikardou, that are two very popular destinations, where the oldest traditional wine presses in Cyprus can be found.

So remember, if you find yourself in Cyprus, don´t miss out on trying wine in one of those seven magnificent locations! Cheers!