Grand Excitement for Prowein, Good luck Vasos

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As all the wine converges in Dusseldorf,

proweinIt isn’t without some regret that two years ago we set our sight onto attending the Dusseldorf Wine Exhibition, and on the eve of the official opening, we can feel the energy, even if miles away, unpacking and sorting the wines before grand opening.

It’s our understanding that after the hellish week experienced to reach a Cyprus Bailout compromise, there is nothing like renewing bonds around wine.

To Another Great Year in Wine – See you next year 2014.

Coincidentally, also embarking for a World Wine Adventure, would be Vasos Manoli, Cyprus Sommelier Association candidate to the World Sommelier Championship by ASI in Tokyo, Japan – and to whom we extend are best of wishes in the competition. Years in waiting have finally proven worth it’s while.  Best of Luck Vasos

vasos manoli world sommelier

Vasos Manoli, Cyprus Sommelier Association Candidate

OIV rules apply to the Cyprus Wine Competition

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Cyprus Wine Competition adheres to the OIV rules for judging and  the process can strongly impact  judges unfamiliar with the strict judging protocol.

OIV rules apply to the Cyprus Wine Competition

Judging under OIV rules in Cyprus, work with more feel

If the judging competitions risks resembling a grammar school dream class (not the case above), achieving consensus can in some cases provoke for discussions and re-tasting wines until final note is awarded, dexterity here to be played by the judge presiding the panel.

The 2012 juding in Cyprus presided for the third consecutive year by Rowald Hepp, included testimonial of exception in the name of Tom Cannavan as participating judge can also  attests that the OIV rules can be needlessly strict, especially in the case of those categories where the set of participating wines is extremely reduced.

Although we’re less optimistic about the OIV reviewing it’s rules by the next edition of the Cyprus Wine Competition, we do count that the same high level of performance and world class judging will be performed under the OIV rules as in the past editions.

The upcoming edition of the 2013 Cyprus Wine Competition will be celebrated in Cyprus during the last week of May, from the 28th until the 31st of May, 2013 in Cyprus.

2012 Judging panel was composed of 9 judges: Miroslav Kalinic, Vasos Manoli, Denis Rudenko, Tamas Oroszlan,Maria Tzitzi, David Seijas, Jean Luc Berger, and Tom Cannavan presided by Rowald Hepp.

Thessaloniki smiles at Fikardos Wines

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The International Wine Competition of Thessaloniki rewards outstanding wine effort by Fikardos Winery

Grand Gold Thessaloniki fikardos cabernetThe results from judging were annouced at the awards ceremony celebrated during the detrop Oenos event on the occasion of the Helexpo in Thessaloniki, where Cyprus Wines distinguished themselves, where Fikardos Cabernet Sauvignon topped the classification with Grand Gold medal among other Cyprus Wine participants Sodap and Keo Commandaria and Kolios wines which obtained gold. Fikardos shares Grand Gold distinction with wineries from the Peloponese and Crete also in the red wine category.
The awards ceremony was  held Saturday, March 9, 2013 in Thessaloniki organised by the  Wine Producers Association of the Northern Greece Vineyard which operates according to OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) standard for International Wine and Spiritious Beverages of Vitivinicultural Origin Competitions.

 

Fikardos Winery elaborates Regional Wines from Paphos under leadership of Theo Fikardos in Mesogi, Paphos.

Befriending Chardonnay and a taste for International Grapes

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The world’s most celebrated grape? Chardonnay may be among the most planted grape variety and perhaps also the friendliest grape in the world.  

From it’s natural adaptability,  it reflects trust-worthily either the terroir of where it’s grown or the art of the winemaker, it acquires willingly a certain sense of place.

“Queen” of white wine grapes, it is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.  Burgundy being it’s spiritual home where some of the finest dry white wines are poised to express dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvelous elegance and balance.

Continue reading →

Baïcchus: The high altitude Tour of Europe’s vineyards

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What has cycling, vineyards, wine and altitude have to do with Cyprus? On paper, apparently nothing.


Baïcchus Tour

European Travel Tour in search of Vineyards of Altitude

Following the path from the Alps to the Caucasian mountain tops of Georgia, there is an adventure to be made to the remote winemaking and vine caring regions of Europe. Inspired by a CERVIM collaborator through the Rhône Chamber of Agriculture, Mickaël Olivon, will take him on a route to to understand high altitude Viticulture, their climate, topography their soils and human task in the adventure of cultivating vines at such challenging heights and wine regions remote to industrial winemaking. This is an effort that focuses on binding mutual experiences and federating know-how to put into value the uniqueness of winemaking.  But as you can observe from the red-dot line, there is a slight glitch to the diagram from this position which I slightly find annoying. None of this explorative trip will come in touch with viticulture as practiced in Cyprus such as Panayia and Pitsilia wine regions.

Panayia Wine Region - Cyprus Wine

The question we put forward today: If to knowledgeable professionals you’re not making it on the map to be visited, explored and understood for it’s uniqueness and singularities- Are there higher chances to be on the wine tasting map of consumers?

Isn’t progress in wine appreciation today about cultivating uniqueness and singularities? I’m not asking how we have come to this and who’s responsibility this is, I’m only signaling out a symptom of a reality as seen from the outside. But is it a reality we wish to change? Because we can talk about high altitude viticulture, terrasses, soils, terroirs and even highest altitude wineries, but if we’re not on the map, this can be too easily be confused with cheap talk and waist of opportunity that no ProWein event can compensate.

So while we work on these and many other issues, I do invite you to explore the work of the Cervim (Centre de Recherches, d’Etudes et de Valorisation de la Viticulture de Montage) presided by François Murisier, who’s bi-anual symposium brought together last year more than 600 wines to compete according to specific mountain viticulture  – and do follow the Baïchus Tour throught the links provided below in hope that more tours such as these can also be pursued on the island.

As it is still bottling season do join us in wishing Good wines and  Kαλά κρασιά σε ολους.

Media links of Baïcchus Tour
* Bourgogne Live et ses fortes pentes
* VinoVelo.fr  baicchus-tour
* The Baïcchus Web Presents

* Update 13/2/13

We are happy to announce that  Mickaël Olivon will be in condition to foresee  the Baïcchus tour of  mountain viticulture to be coming in Cyprus around February 2014.  Great news confirmed to us by email.

Cyprus Wine: A Mediterranean Quintessence

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Cyprus can be known its amalgam of flavors distilled and interlaced for centuries anchored in the cultural pot of the eastern Mediterranean.

An inspiration of tastes from different culinary traditions in the Eastern Mediterranean basin; Cyprus has influences from Greece, Turkey, Lebanon & Syria and with clear traces from from Egypt, Southern Italy, France, and Spain.

cyprus-wines-experience-taste.jpg Beyond the fruit of the wild abundance of natural ingredients that the generous soils of Cyprus withhold, it’s undeniable that the island bears the gift of goodness.
It is therefore only natural that Cyprus Wines breathes this heritage, and serves as a unique platform for tasty experiences.

Gladly, we are not alone in sharing this belief, thus the present effort through the Cyprus Wine Project is made to agglutinate the best in Winemaking from Cyprus with the hope sharing aspirations and exceeding expectations in taste and experiences

It is not without countless collaborations, do we hope to achieve this purpose and hope that you join us in this Journey.

Thank you for your visit.

commandaria Cyprus wine gold

Commandaria – golden lining of Cyprus Wine

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‘L’incontournable’ of Cyprus Wines

Stars are never dormant, otherwise we would never know of them.

Such is Commandaria wine, the classic style of fortified wine from Cyprus, perceived as a dormant gem yet with a reputation anchored in history, whose quality remains defiant to all modern still wines made on the island.

The Golden standard set by Commandaria, as judged annually in competitions, is today not only a  standard in wine making but also one of wine appreciation, a unique taste that has resisted yesterday’s rush for homogenization and market standardization by maintaining the innate qualities that are borne out from the sun, the vineyards and a wine making process that is authentically Cypriot. Continue reading →

Taste to a Wine Journey with character while in Cyprus

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Can you picture a Journey of 5000 years of Winemaking tradition?

It’s only too often that an industry employs itself to modernize itself and sometimes at the expense of valuing its heritage and enhancing the past.

The efforts of consolidated work with international varieties has been accomplished and if we’re to judge by the outstanding results from the 7th Annual awards, vinification of traditional indigenous varieties as Maratheftiko (for red and rosé wines) and the white grape Xynisteri have experimented a renewed interest for a promising future.   Continue reading →

Cyprus Wine Awards distinguishes Cyprus Wine Products Council Mission

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In it’s 7th year edition, the Cyprus Wine Competition held during April 25-27, has consolidated itself as the launch pad for quality wines in Cyprus.

Cyprus Gold Awards - 7th Wine competitionAt the award ceremony last night,  while addressing invited authorities, winemakers, international judges and distinguished guests, Mr. Ionnides, deputy director of the Cyprus Wine Products Council, highlighted the importance of the competition as a lauch pad for Cyprus Wines but also as a demonstration of strict quality from the guiding rules of blind tastings as specified by the cannons of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, OIV. Continue reading →

Harvesting wine experiences in Cyprus

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Guest Blog Post by Kailash Gurnani –

Cyprus promised to be a new experience for the grape varieties, climate and nature of the wine industry – terraced hills slopes across the Limassol and Paphos regions that used to be vineyards signaled the history and significance of grape growing and winemaking in the country. Continue reading →