The Cypriot wine industry ranks 50th in the world in terms of total production quantity (10,302 tonnes), [1] and much higher on a per-capita basis. The wine industry is a significant contributor to the Cypriot economy through cultivation, production, employment, export and tourism.
Cyprus has been a vine-growing and wine-producing country for millennia and wine used to be a major factor of the Cypriot diet. There is archeological evidence that winemaking on the Mediterranean island may have existed as many as 6000 years ago. [2] Most wine production remains based on a few varieties of local grapes such as Mavro and Xynisteri (see table below) [3] [4] [5]
The most planted grape type is Mavro, it has dark color and literally translates as ‘black’ from Greek. Mavro is mainly used for producing the region's renowned wine Commandaria. The wine combines natural sweetness with high alcohol level and has similarities with a Passito or fortified wine. Commandaria can also be produced with the white grape variety Xynisteri. [6]
The history of wine in Cyprus can be broken down into four distinct periods.
Exactly how far back wine production in Cyprus goes is unknown. Wine was being traded at least as early as 2300 BC, the date of a shipwreck (similar to the Kyrenia ship) carrying over 2,500 amphorae, discovered in 1999. Its origin and destination are unknown, but must have been along the trade route between Greece and Egypt. [7]
More recently, two discoveries have put that date back by a few more years. The first was the discovery of a Bronze Age (2500–2000 BC) perfumery near the village of Pyrgos. [8] [9] Near this perfumery, an olive press, a winery, and copper smelting works were also discovered. Wine containers and even the seeds of grapes were unearthed. [10]
The second discovery involved an intriguing sequence of events. Dr. Porphyrios Dikaios, a major figure in Cypriot archaeology and once curator of the Cyprus Museum, had carried out excavations on the outskirts of Erimi village between 1932 and 1935. During these excavations, several fragments of round flasks were unearthed (amongst other artefacts). These pottery fragments ended up in the stores of the Cyprus Museum still unwashed in wooden boxes. They were dated to the chalcolithic period (between 3500BC-3000BC). In 2005, well after Dr Dikaios' death, the chemical signatures of 18 of these were examined by a team of Italian archaeologists led by Maria-Rosaria Belgiorno. Twelve of these showed traces of tartaric acid (a component of wine) proving that the 5,500-year-old vases were used for wine. [11]
The history of wine on the island closely relates to its political and administrative history. During Lusignan rule, the island had close ties with the Crusader nations and especially the nobility of France. During this period, Commandaria wine won the Battle of the Wines, the first recorded wine tasting competition, which was staged by the French king Philip Augustus in the 13th century. [12] The event was recorded in a poem by Henry d'Andeli in 1224. [13]
During the Ottoman occupation of the island, wine production went into decline. This was attributed to two factors: Islamic tradition and heavy taxation. Indicative are reports written mainly by French [14] and British travelers of the time; Cyrus Redding writes in 1851:
the vine grower of Cyprus hides from his neighbour the amount of his vintage, and always buries part of his produce for concealment; the exactions of the government are so great, that his profit upon what he allows to be seen is too little to remunerate him for his loss in time and labour. [15]
The quality of the wine produced also lagged behind times with Samuel Baker writing in 1879 "It should be understood that no quality of Cyprus wines is suitable to the English palate". [16]
1878 marked the handover of the island from Ottoman rule to the British Empire. British occupation brought a revival in the winemaking industry. Taxation rules changed and the local cottage industry began to expand. 1844 saw the foundation of one of the largest wineries surviving to date, that of ETKO by the Hadjipavlou family. [17] The Chaplin family (at Per Pedhi) was Hadjipavlou's main competitor until the arrival of KEO a company formed by a group of prominent local businessmen. KEO bought the Chaplin winery in 1928. In 1943, following a strike, a breakaway of trade union members from ETKO created a cooperative, LOEL. [18] In 1947 the vine-growers themselves created SODAP, a co-operative to "protect the rights of the growers". [19] These "big four" wine producers (a term widely used to refer to KEO, ETKO, SODAP and LOEL [20] ) dominated the industry scene and survive to date.
The first wave of expansion for Cypriot wines came with the misfortunes of the European viticulture sector. The phylloxera epidemic that affected mainland Europe in the late 19th century had destroyed the majority of wine-producing vines. Cyprus, an island with strict quarantine controls, managed to remain unaffected. [21] As a consequence, demand for Cyprus grapes and wines coupled to the relatively high prices offered resulted in a mini boom for the industry. Further demand early in the early 20th century came from local consumption and from the regional forces of Britain and France in the Middle East. Cyprus produced quality cheap wine and spirits (mainly in the form of Cyprus brandy) and the big four companies prospered as a result.
The next big export product came in the form of Cyprus sherry. It was first marketed by that name in 1937 and was exported mainly to northern Europe. By the 1960s, Britain was consuming 13.6 million litres of Cyprus wines, half the island's production, mostly as sweet sherry. A British market research study of fortified wines in 1978 showed Emva Cream was the leading Cyprus sherry in terms of brand recognition, and second in that market only to Harveys' Bristol Cream. [22] The island became the UK's third leading wine supplier behind France and Spain. [23] A major factor was that Cyprus sherry was more affordable than Spanish Sherry as British taxation favoured alcoholic beverages with an alcoholic content below the 15.5–18 percent bracket. [22] This competitive advantage was lost a few years later with the re-banding of the alcohol content taxation. The fortified wine market also began to shrink as a whole due to a change in consumer taste and as a result Cyprus sherry sales in the UK fell from their peak in the early 1970s by some 65 percent by the mid-1980s. [22] The final blow came when the EC ruled that as of January 1996 only fortified wine from Jerez could assume the title of sherry. [24]
The other big market for Cyprus wine during the same period was the Soviet bloc. [25] Large volumes of low-quality, mass-produced, blended wines were sold to the eastern bloc with the cooperative wine producers (LOEL and SODAP) taking the lion's share. This market began to dry up in the 1980s and vanished altogether with the fall of communism. [26] Indicative of the industry's mass production tactics comes in a report by The Times in 1968 commenting on "the end of an underwater pipeline off the coast of Limassol linking to tankers taking on not gas or oil but wine – 100 tons an hour of it – destined for about 40 countries throughout the world." [27]
In response to the challenges faced by the industry the Cyprus vine-products commission began efforts to overhaul the sector in order to help it survive under the new circumstances. Reforms were intended to improve the quality rather than quantity of wine. Three initiatives were launched:
The Cyprus vine products council has based wine denominations on European Union wine regulations [32] and is responsible for enforcing the regulations. Currently there are three accepted categories:
The climate allows for cultivation of most grape varieties. However local varietals (Mavro and Xynisteri) constitute the majority of current plantations. Maratheftiko today forms part of ancient red grape varietals vinified by most wineries wanting to exhibit the singularity of quality wine in Cyprus.
Table showing areas and quantities cultivated by Vines for Wines by variety: [35]
| Variety | 2016 Qty (kg) | % of total | 2012 Qty (kg) [36] | % of total | 2004 Qty (kg) | % of total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xynisteri | 4,324,005 | 33.3 | 4,067,716 | 15.4 | 11,102,700 | 15.4 |
| 2 | Mavro | 1,771,804 | 13.6 | 4,190,235 | 24,6 | 35,690,050 | 49.6 |
| 3 | Carignan noir | 1,007,063 | 7.5 | 1,605,161 | 9,7 | 8,894,350 | 12,4 |
| 4 | Shiraz | 859,724 | 6.6 | 560,352 | 3.4 | 149,750 | 0.2 |
| 5 | Maratheftiko | 443,131 | 3.4 | 430,083 | 2,6 | 204,660 | 0.3 |
| 6 | Cabernet [37] | 659,870 | 5.1 | 1,167,177 | 7.1 | 2,446,508 | 3.4 |
| 7 | Mataro | 425,045 | 3.3 | 515,035 | 3.1 | 1,196,940 | 1.7 |
| 8 | Lefkada (grape) | 303,337 | 2.3 | 372,288 | 2.3 | 149,750 | 0.2 |
| 9 | Chardonnay | 223,139 | 1.7 | 216,878 | 1.3 | n.a | n.a |
| 10 | Ofthalmo | 172,406 | 1.3 | 367,951 | 2.2 | 1,119,800 | 1.6 |
| 11 | Málaga | 153,668 | 1.2 | 128,034 | 0.8 | 1,501,930 | 2.1 |
| 12 | Merlot Noir | 151,999 | 1.2 | 166,563 | 1.0 | n.a | n.a |
| 13 | Grenache noir | 151,658 | 1.2 | 201,804 | 1.2 | 960,611 | 1.3 |
| 14 | Semillion | 147,726 | 1.1 | 162,446 | 1.0 | n.a | n.a |
| 15 | Alicante Bouschet | 140,280 | 1.1 | 219,014 | 1.3 | 589,105 | 0.8 |
| 16 | Sauvignon Blanc | 125,965 | 1.0 | 73,654 | 0.4 | n.a | n.a |
| 17 | Palomino | 84,247 | 0.7 | 300,840 | 1.8 | 2,509,350 | 3.5 |
| 18 | Spourtiko | 50,472 | 0.4 | 31,016 | 0.2 | n.a | n.a |
| 19 | Promara | 12,148 | 0.1 | 4,180 | 0.03 | n.a | n.a |
| 20 | Morokanella | 8,876 | 0.1 | 3,540 | 0.02 | n.a | n.a |
| 21 | Yiannoudi | 8,758 | 0.1 | 3,135 | 0.02 | n.a | n.a |
| Total [38] | 12,992,975 | 16,566,786 | 71,996,587 |
The Cyprus Wine Museum is located in the heart of the wine-producing area in Erimi village. The Museum is housed in the site where archaeologists have discovered wine dating back to 3.500 BC. The area has a 5500-year history of wine making and is located at the crossroads of the Cyprus wine routes, in close proximity to the prehistoric settlement of Sotira, where the oldest remains of grape seeds have been found and near to Kolossi Castle, a medieval Commanderie of The Knights Hospitaller that give the name to the Commandaria Wine first produced by them. Photographic material and audiovisual presentations, as well as ancient jars, crocks, medieval pots, old documents and instruments can be found relating to the history of wine in Cyprus.[ citation needed ]
For Turkish Cypriots, the first commercial wine projects began with research in the 1990s, [39] with Chateau St Hilarion as a notable winery based in the Village of Gećitköy to the west of Lapithos. It was established in 2000, and with the aid of international wine consultant, Keith Grainger, the first commercial vintage was produced in 2004. [40] Today, there are two ranges of wines produced by the winery: Chateau St Hilarion, the domaine wine produced from grapes grown in the vineyards at Gećitköy and Morphou, and the Levant, which is produced from grapes purchased from local farmers. Chateau St Hilarion is currently researching the viability of using and introducing various new grape varieties to the island. [40]
ETEL Winery in Ilgaz village was established in 2016.
Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commandaria wine, and the aromatised wine vermouth.
Madeira is a fortified wine made on the Portuguese island of Madeira, in the North Atlantic Ocean. Madeira is produced in a variety of styles ranging from dry wines which can be consumed on their own, as an apéritif, to sweet wines usually consumed with dessert. Cheaper cooking versions are often flavoured with salt and pepper for use in cooking, but these are not fit for consumption as a beverage.
Icewine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing for a more concentrated grape juice to develop. The grapes' must is then pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet juice. With icewines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterwards. Unlike the grapes from which other dessert wines are made, such as Sauternes, Tokaji, or Trockenbeerenauslese, icewine grapes should not be affected by Botrytis cinerea or noble rot, at least not to any great degree. Only healthy grapes keep in good shape until the opportunity arises for an icewine harvest, which in extreme cases can occur after the New Year, on a northern hemisphere calendar. This gives icewine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high acidity. When the grapes are free of Botrytis, they are said to come in "clean". This results in a very complex and sweet wine. Much icewine is made from the grapes Riesling, Vidal, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, but there is also icewine made from Shiraz, Merlot, Sangiovese and others.
Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in South West France, though the grape is grown worldwide. It is also available as an Argentine varietal.
Commandaria is an amber-coloured sweet dessert wine made in the Commandaria region of Cyprus on the foothills of the Troödos Mountains. Commandaria is made from sun-dried grapes of the varieties Xynisteri and Mavro. While often a fortified wine, through its production method it often reaches high alcohol levels, around 15%, already before fortification. It represents an ancient wine style documented in Cyprus back to 800 BC and has the distinction of being the world's oldest named wine still in production, with the name Commandaria dating back to the crusades in the 12th century.
Moldova has a well-established wine industry. With a production of around 2 million hectolitres of wine, it is the 11th largest European wine-producing country. Moldova has a vineyard area of 148,500 hectares of which 107,800 hectares are used for commercial production. The remaining 40,700 hectares are vineyards planted in villages around the houses used to make home-made wine. Many families have their own recipes and strands of grapes that have been passed down through the generations. There are 3 historical wine regions: Valul lui Traian, Stefan Voda and Codru (center), destined for the production of wines with protected geographic indication.
Zivania or zivana is a Cypriot pomace brandy produced from the distillation of a mixture of grape pomace and local dry wines made from Xynisteri and Mavro grapes. The name of zivania is derived from zivana which means pomace in the Greek dialect of Cyprus. Zivania is colourless and alcoholic with a light aroma of raisins. Its alcohol content varies, with 45% by volume being the typical value. As defined by law, zivania cannot have more than 60% alcohol content. Zivania contains no sugar and has no acidity.
Canadian wine is wine produced in Canada. Ontario and British Columbia are the two largest wine-producing provinces in Canada, with two-thirds of Canada's vineyard acreage situated in Ontario. However, wine producing regions are also present in other provinces, including Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Washington wine is a wine produced from grape varieties grown in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine. By 2017, the state had over 55,000 acres of vineyards, a harvest of 229,000 short tons of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 940+ wineries located in the state. While there are some viticultural activities in the cooler, wetter western half of the state, the majority (99.9%) of wine grape production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half. The rain shadow of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia River Basin with around 8 inches (200 mm) of annual rain fall, making irrigation and water rights of paramount interest to the Washington wine industry. Viticulture in the state is also influenced by long sunlight hours and consistent temperatures.
Xynisteri is an indigenous white grape grown on Cyprus.
Mavro is an indigenous red grape cultivated on the island of Cyprus. The grape takes its name from its dark colour. The Italian ampelographer, Count Giuseppe di Rovasenda refers to it in 1877 as Cipro Nero (Cyprus black). An ancient variety, its suitability to the hot Cypriot climate has made it the dominant cultivated vine on the island. It accounts for 70% of cultivated vines. Of note is that Mavro continues to grow on ancient rootstock unlike most mainland European grapes that are grafted on North American rootstock. This is a consequence of Cyprus’ escape from the phylloxera epidemic that had devastated most other European vineyards, in the 19th century.
KEO plc, the Greek abbreviation for Cyprus Wine Company, is a European beverage company based on the island of Cyprus. It was formed in 1927 and it represents one of the largest industrial employers on the island with more than 90 brands in its portfolio. Its shares are traded on the Cyprus Stock Exchange.
Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried off the vine to concentrate their juice. Under the classic method, after a careful hand harvest, selected bunches of ripe grapes will be laid out on mats in full sun.. This drying will probably be done on well exposed terraces somewhere near the wine press and the drying process will take around a week or longer. Small scale productions were laid out on flat roofs; however, if this still happens, it is extremely rare nowadays.
Ontario wine is Canadian wine produced in the province of Ontario. The province has three official wine-growing regions, the Niagara Peninsula, the north shore of Lake Erie, and Prince Edward County, although wineries also exist in other regions in Ontario. Approximately two-thirds of Canada's vineyard acreage is situated in Ontario, with over 150 vineyards spread across 6,900 hectares. As a result, the province is the country's largest producer of wine, accounting for 62 per cent of Canadian wine production, and 68 per cent of all Canadian wine exports.
Texas has a long history of wine production. The sunny and dry climate of the major winemaking regions in the state have drawn comparison to Portuguese wines, in addition to other regions in Europe like Spain, France, and Italy. Some of the earliest recorded Texas wines were produced by Spanish missionaries in the 1650s near El Paso. Texas ranked as the fifth largest wine producing state by 2019.
Russian wine refers to wine made in Russia, at times also including the disputed region of Crimea. The vast majority of Russia's territory is unsuitable for grape growing, with most of the production concentrated in parts of Krasnodar and Rostov regions, as well as Crimea.
Laneia is a village at the foot of Mount Troodos on the main Limassol to Troodos road, about 26 km from Limassol in the country of Cyprus. Lania is one of the country's main wine producing villages.
California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted Vitis vinifera vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. In the 1770s, Spanish missionaries continued the practice under the direction of the Father Junípero Serra who planted California's first vineyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano.
The early history of the South African wine industry can be traced to the founding of a supply station at the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch East India Company. Jan van Riebeeck was given the task of managing the station and planting vineyards to produce wine and grapes in the Wijnberg ; that could be used to ward off scurvy for sailors continuing on their voyages along the spice route. In 1685, another Cape Governor, Simon van der Stel, purchased a large 750-hectare (1,900-acre) estate, founding what later became the world-renowned Constantia wine estate. In the 19th century, South Africa fell under British rule which proved lucrative for the wine industry as South African wine flowed into the British market. This prosperity lasted until the 1860s when the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty signed by the Palmerston government and France reduced the preferential tariffs that benefited South African wine in favor of French wine exports.
Nova Scotia wine is Canadian wine produced in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia's wineries are primarily organized under the Wine Association of Nova Scotia, though not all wineries are members. The industry began in the late 1970s with the original Grand Pré Winery in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) Wines and winemaking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
