The weight of Xynisteri

At the heart of Cyprus grape harvest with Xynisteri

Harvest season progresses in Cyprus with the main native grapes varieties among which, the white grape Xynisteri. Independent grape growers carry the weight of farming grapes and thankfully in the last 30 years, wineries have been progressively moving in areas of vineyards thus altering the productive structure of the principal winemaking entities in Cyprus. Wineries sit now closer to the concerns and challenges of grape growers.

xynisteri grape load

Cyprus harvest begins….

If it weren’t for the grapes, we wouldn’t have known

Some are quick to rush with the news, yet when continental Europe’s harvest begins, one almost automatically knows that Cyprus has already harvested its own grapes 10 to 15 days earlier.
It started with Soultanina, moves with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon….#Cyharvest17 Grapes to Press – A good harvest to all – καλό τρύγο.


Pictures above: Mallia Winery

Terroir has to be discovered

If terroir is everything, yet it’s not discovered, then does it actually even exist?

Bold it is to zip around the world to discover them – that’s the essence of the World Explorers Project Comes to Cyprus.

To bring to light emerging countries. To visit regions in the making. To meet atypical winegrowers. To taste out of the ordinary wines. This is the ambition of WINE Explorers, a unique project to take an inventory of all the wine producing countries of the world.

Cyprus being among those 250 winegrowing regions targeted, the vineyards to be surveyed and wines to be tasted starts today, as project collaborators fly in this evening into Larnaca.
Wish them good luck and let the vineyards speak, because terroir can be everything.

She rises above

A familiar art form or a tradition, women in the vineyards since time immemorial have helped sustain the wine trade and bring it to where it is today. Her progression hasn’t stop here thankfully.

For her presence, ever-lasting contributions, which makes us feel very blessed to join them as travel companions towards the unending feat of balanced authenticity.

women do wine

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lefteris mohianakis anama wines

Grape moves inspiring Cyprus winemaking

High altitude harvest in Cyprus, brings out it’s true nature of wine

Cyprus Grape harvest

Grapes, vines and people – generations of family led vine-keeping takes a special turn during harvest. A space in time where all uncertainties affecting nature can be put to rest and where the human mind can now focus on synchronicity of work.

It’s in the Commandaria region where it all happening integrally for Cyprus Wine, lot’s of humility for your winemakers and a readiness for reciprocate exchanges.

Baïcchus: The high altitude Tour of Europe’s vineyards

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.