Zooming out….on the current state of vinous play in Cyprus.
From time to time, its valuable to check in with gut feelings of the pros and their perceptions, as highlighted by a conversation with sommelier Eric Zwiebel MS and The World of Fine Wine interview.
Island Authenticism
Skimming over the interview, one senses that ‘the beautiful potential displayed by indigenous grape varieties’ is still a matter that is oveshadowed, by the most internationally recognisable mark of Island Authenticism, Commandaria. In his own words, he recognises and regrets perhaps, that Commandaria as the sole most internationally reputed Cyprus wine out there.
Wouldn’t it have been an error to have set aside Commandaria and the sweet wine legacy of Cyprus it carries, so that still dry wines can be able to shine in their own light?
“How many vineyards are there in Europe, planted in remote ages, with strains of vines selected and refined over centuries and styles of wine sanctified by time, where their survival through phylloxera was a matter of sheer luck…whose native millenary traditions managed to endure and fructify sic.”
One cannot be regretful, au contraire, in the words of Hugh johnson, one must embrace that ‘Authenticism’, the place and space where good wine has always been; expressing a real place and time, interpreted by a real person, for whom it can certainly make the heart skip a beat.
As authenticism isn’t a category or a style of wine, unequal to judging as a product by its label or bottle – it is the very WOW factor carried by Commandaria within itself during the ages. The very gift of a spirit that has enabled in turn the pursuit for still winemaking during the last 30 years; the very quest for native varieties to endure and in some cases, resurface on the winemaking sorting tables.
It is thus in a very positive light that a general appreciation is perceived, for the enlightened vine growing and winemaking of this era, it is proof that the present generation has stayed the course, and fortunate for us to be living this transformation.
In times of indiscriminate and instant gratification, we can only hope for the generations to come, that they will see in the identity of Cyprus Wines, a reflection of the true nature of the accomplishment of present generations, managing to preserve heritage and elevating it with renovated ambition.