The Vines of Aphrodite

CYPRUS | WINEMAKING

TEXTMATTHEW STOWELL

T H E

VINES

O

F

APHRODITE

66 | AMATHUS MAGAZINE

A FEW THOUSAND YEARS AGO THE GODDESS APHRODITE WAS TAUGHT HOW TO CULTIVATE GRAPES AND TURN THEM INTO WINE BY HER BESOTTED LOVER, DIONYSUS. YOU CAN STILL ENJOY THE RESULT OF THAT HAPPY UNION EVERY TIME YOU SIP A WINE MADE WITH THOSE SAME CYPRUS-BORN GRAPES.

Recent archaeological findings near the village of Erimi have revealed that Cyprus was most likely the first country in Europe to vinify grapes into wine. Indeed, Cyprus’s iconic port-like Commandaria is the world’s oldest regionally identified wine (Apellation d’Origine) still in production and still made from the same two indigenous grape varieties, Mavro and Xynisteri.

A HISTORY OF WINEMAKING For many hundreds of years, Cyprus wine, or nama, was exported and celebrated all over Europe and the Middle East. It won first place in the world’s first international wine competition in 1224 and was called by King Philip Augustus of France “the Apostle of Wines”. The Mavro and Xynisteri grapes dominated the island’s vineyards, but there were several other indigenous varieties privately cultivated for table and bottle. During the 300 years of Ottoman rule, however, due to religious strictures and stultifying tax laws, wine production nearly ceased altogether. When it was revived in the late 1800s, many of those native grape varieties had all but disappeared and much of the remaining vineyards produced only cheap brandy, sherry and inferior table wine. Cyprus lost its hard-won reputation as a producer of world-class wines. In the 1980s, the Cyprus government began to support the growth of boutique wineries that would produce superior wines to compete with imports from continental Europe and the New World. A handful of entrepreneurial Cypriot men and women decided to leave their various professions to take up the vocation of their grandparents and return to the family vineyards. But whereas their ancestors had sold most of their grapes to the big wine companies, this new generation would learn how to make their own wine and, with any luck, return Cyprus to the oenological forefront.

At about this same time, Akis Zambartas, oenologist for KEO, the nation’s largest winery, turned his attention to the indigenous grapes of his homeland. He and a small team methodically gathered cuttings of native grapes from villages all over the island. After three years of research, he rediscovered 12 indigenous varieties that local farmers had been using to make wine for family and friends, and with the generous assistance of Father Dionisios of the Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery he set up a vineyard to micro-vinify them and explore their potential to deliver quality wines. All of the varieties (thriving best at high altitudes) had been growing in Cyprus for centuries but weren’t officially recorded as indigenous until the official visit of French ampelographer, Pierre Galet, in the 1980s. Over the intervening years, four of those rediscovered varieties – Maratheftiko, Yiannoudi, Spourtiko and Morokanella – along with the two native standbys, Mavro and Xynisteri, have shown themselves to have the capability to be crafted into wine that can win medals in international competitions.

CHOOSING THE BEST Amathus Hotel’s Head Sommelier, Alissa Tosoudi, has been for the past three years quietly seeking out the best expressions of these indigenous varieties, testing them alongside the cuisine of the hotel’s five restaurants and adding select bottles to build an eclectic but comprehensive wine list. “As a hotel, we are always trying to bring something new to our customers, and these excellent wines, made from grapes unique to Cyprus, provide a distinctive and pleasurable way to experience the charm and special personality of the island.” That wine list includes five Maratheftikos, two of which are rosés; six Xynisteris (including a dessert wine), four

AMATHUS MAGAZINE | 67

CYPRUS | WINEMAKING

The late oenologist Akis Zambartas focused his attention on the indigenous grapes of Cyprus and after three years of research managed to rediscover 12 indigenous varieties.

Xynisteri is the straw-coloured, reigning queen of Cyprus whites, produced by virtually every Cypriot winemaker

Sophocles Vlassides, one of the island’s leading oenologists, shares his expertise with several winemakers.

AMATHUS ILLUPTASIM HOTEL’S FU- HEAD GIASP SOMMELIER, ERCHIL ALISSA ET TOSOUDI,

EATEMPO HAS REPERSPERUM

BEEN QUIETLY SEEKING RE VOLUPTA-

OUT THE BEST EXPRESSIONS TEM VENDIAN OF

THESE INDIGENOUS DERUMQUID

VARIETIES, MAXIMUS TESTING QUI THEM VOLUPTATUR,

ALONGSIDE THE ET OMNIHITATE

CUISINE OF THE HOTEL’S PARIS FIVE

RESTAURANTS.

Mavro-based wines; two Yiannoudis (one of which is partly Mourvedre); and a EPIPHANY single Morokanella CELEBRATION and Spourtiko. The word Epiphany comes from the Greek word ‘Epiphania’, which means ‘to reveal’, and marks the end FROM of the GRAPE twelve days TO of TABLE Christmas. A religious procession towards the harbour follows the morning “Maratheftiko,” church service, claimed led by the the priest late, who highly blesses respected the waters winemaster and throws Akis the Holy Zambartas, Cross into “is the sea. Members without doubt of ross, the and best the one variety who of succeeds Cyprus. is blessed It has with its own good character luck foross, and despite the one its who succeeds is problems blessed with being good a female luck fothe variety congregation that does dive not in self-pollinate, to retrieve the cross, it is recognized, and the one who both succeeds is blessed here and with abroad, good luck as a for wine the with whole great of the potential. new year. Renowned You can observe British the wine cross critic retrieval Jancis ceremony on the Robinson beach outside described the Four it as producing Seasons. wines with the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon. Epudissus Currently, aligent we believe que lam it quo to be exerios closer denet to Pinot vel idicidu Noir.” ciisque Amathus et lam is rehendania presently nimusciur offering ab ipsam, id Maratheftiko que vellautatur from arum Cypriot et volupicil producers in reium Vasilikon, con prate nobite Argyrides, perferspid Mystes, ut audiatu Zambartas, saeriatume dolori sunt Vouni ipsam, Panayia ommosseque and Ezousa velignimpe (Rosé) – quibust plus the et qui house ut eosamet red, Dafermou, ant videm which aribusandae is a blend que consequi with quibus Syrah. dolut They maximin are all num bold, aut full-bodied quis utatur, wines totatem that inimporis pair well maximol with steaks, uptaquam, kleftiko sapeditatur amusam, (slow-cooked te aris lamb), as aut que beef plibus carpaccio quamendam, and rack od of maximagnis lamb. aceprae dolorectem fugit fugia dit dolestrum The Mavro dolorrum grape is exerovi represented tiorem. Sundi by an doluptat. astonishing rosé from Vassiliades, a velvety Otaspero blend with earistrum Maratheftiko nonsequo from vellibus Kolios, dit quunt plus a expla superb incillor rosé arum and powerhouse qui vent ommos red nus from cores derum ium Santa re ommossunt Irene. The quos relatively dolo que new est,Duciet (2012) ut Santa magnat Irene harunt winery, aut perepedit which mi, can ut boast lacerorio of offic testiur, 100-year-old quatecab vines, imporitae. is dedicated Cerem to faccum reviving que and dolecea expanding voloritatem. the indigenous Nem quate nos vineyards essendia ipsam quiEdis of the small derumetur, village conetus of Farmakas. ea et et, Its tem ebullient as assus.Olupta owner, velis Daniel aut Anastasi, ut qui ut et has quam won endaepratiis thirty et occat.Isqui awards for ant his pro wines vendest in faceperum a mere six voluptatur?Da years; from the eatem Mavro hit litem grape nobis alone dusam, he has officiument. created It an lande excellent re sunt red minverat.Itatent (highly recommended occat voluptae with officaborit, the cheese inusdam plate), a sum rosé velit (perfect repro with molorem. the Facerro quiducimi, tuna carpaccio) illeces and velitatur, a white excesenis (Blanc et de is mossit, Noir). consequ “I consult iscium an oenologist sit, conse ni from aut ame Greece voluptasi quamusdae and I have nem a faccum full-time voluptae winemaker; quibus dem but rati the dersperrovid most valuable quuntis knowledge aut pligenducit I’ve gained audam is ratur aut

68 | AMATHUS MAGAZINE

The Morokanella grape (left) has the advantage of being perfectly adapted to the soil and climate of Cyprus, as produced here by Aes Ambelis winery.

from the older generation of Farmakas growers. I seek out the ones who make exceptional wines and I follow their lead.” Yiannoudi (“little John”, named after an early grower) grapes produce wines that are deep red in colour and very expressive of the Cypriot terroir. Amathus Hotel’s Yiannoudi is from Vouni Panayia, a winery high in the Paphos mountains that from its beginning has worked almost exclusively, and to great success, with indigenous grapes. Like Maratheftiko, the Yiannoudi grape is single-sexed (female), which means other grapes, often Spourtiko, must be grown alongside it. But unlike its difficult, miserly sister, its clusters are not stingy, though the grapes can often be smallish. Yiannoudi wines, which Alissa sees as future stars of the Cyprus vineyard, have great ageing potential. Xynisteri (which means “lacking acidity” though the wine can possess this quality if grown high enough), is the strawcoloured, reigning queen of Cyprus whites. It is produced by virtually every Cypriot winemaker, but Alissa has chosen bottles from only six of the island’s top wineries. This refreshing wine, slightly fruity on the tongue and light on the alcohol content, is versatile as a companion for most seafood dishes. Xynisteri grapes are well-suited for creating dessert wines, and the Sweet Xynisteri from Vassiliades is a fine partner for foie gras.

Spourtiko (which means “easily breakable”) is thin-skinned and must be handled carefully in the picking and processing phases, to produce a medium-bodied, nearly transparent wine with a pleasingly long finish. The offering from Vouni Panayia, which has been working with this grape for many years, achieves its best gastronomic synthesis with sea bass carpaccio, Cyprus dips such as tahini and hoummos, and grilled halloumi. The Morokanella grape, probably descended from the nolonger-vinified Kanella (“moro” means “baby”) is also a bit thin-skinned, but has the advantage of being perfectly adapted to the soil and climate of Cyprus. “Morokanella,” asserts Alissa, “is a very promising variety. It displays strong fruit and a very different acidity from its cousin, Xynisteri, but it provides a bigger mouth feel.” To finish off your meal in style, with or without something from the delectable sweets tray, you must try a glass of Commandaria, made from indigenous grapes only and comprising all that is Cyprus reduced to a single distillation. And for a well-rounded Cyprus experience, make sure to visit at least some of the boutique wineries in the hills of Limassol and Paphos. Alissa or the Amathus Concierge will point you in the right direction for an extract of the wine-steeped heritage of Cyprus.

AMATHUS MAGAZINE | 69