Wine Mavericks of Cyprus

Wine Mavericks of Cyprus

text Matthew Stowell

If variety is truly the spice of life, Cypriot winemakers are a spicy lot indeed. In the past decade they have shown themselves to be completely fearless in the face of economic adversity. Here are five cultivators of the noble grape who are never afraid to take chances and to oenologically stir things up.

With well-matured vineyards increasingly producing top quality wines every year, some courageous winemakers are beginning – or continuing – to experiment with little known but intriguing grape varieties.

Cyprus winemakers have come a long way in the last ten years. Gold medals and passionate accolades are regularly bestowed upon Cypriot wines from all corners of the viticultural world (the French in particular are mad about Maratheftiko). And with well-matured vineyards increasingly producing top quality wines every year, some courageous winemakers are beginning – or continuing – to experiment with little known but intriguing grape varieties.

Up to now, the grapes most often used have been the classic standards (Vitas Vinifera) that are fermented all over the civilised world: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Merlot, Mourvédre, and Grenache for the reds, and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sémillon for the white. Cyprus has its own indigenous varieties, first classified in 1893 by Professor Mouillefert of France, and the most commonly employed of the seventeen are Xinisteri, Maratheftiko and Mavro. But there are several forwardlooking wineries that have been diligently pursuing the possibilities of other grapes – some indigenous, some not – and are starting to see promising results.

Domaine Argyrides

The late Pambos Argyrides was a tenacious innovator who believed in following his instincts. In some of the finest vineyards in Cyprus, high in the lush foothills of Troodos, he planted mostly traditional French grapes – Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvédre. But his Maratheftiko, the now iconic Cypriot red, has been praised in the Cyprus Wine Guide as “aromatically perhaps the most interesting red wine produced on the island”. Several years ago, on one of his frequent investigatory sojourns to France, he was deeply impressed by the Rhone variety, Viognier. He had an instinct the grape would do well in Cyprus, and after further research, he planted and began to cultivate it. The first vintages, 2013 and 2014, were produced by daughter Rebecca, who continues his legacy. Rebecca says: “What we created from the Viognier vineyards is a wine that is nothing less than spectacular. And that’s not just our opinion. Everyone who tastes it literally swoons over it. We are doubling the size of the Viognier vineyard.” It is an extremely rich, intensely bodied white wine – Viognier is often called a white wine for people who drink only red – with an enchanting aroma and a pleasing buttery aftertaste.

Tsiakkas

Costas Tsiakkas, in close collaboration with wife Marina, enjoys an enviable reputation in Cyprus as a winemaker of integrity and gutsy intelligence. Like many other Cypriot vintners, he began with the tried-and-true grapes of continental Europe: Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling; but in the past few years his vision has become more focused on homegrown varieties. His Commandaria is considered one of the best ever produced (ditto his international award winning Zivania, the fiery Cypriot spirit similar to grappa). He has tinkered with the Promara, Ambelisimo and Pambatzies grapes. Lately he has been most passionate about Yiannoudi, a difficult and unpredictable variety that produces good crops only intermittently, but which he envisions as the up-and-coming Cypriot alpha grape. Costas says: “Yiannoudi does have similarities with Maratheftiko, even more so Cabernet; but I believe it has greater potential than either one.” The 2014 vintage produced only 1,000 bottles, but it is a complex, headstrong wine that benefitted greatly from many months in French oak barrels. An ideal quaff for steak, grilled or oven-roasted pork, or aged, strong-willed cheeses, it will be released at Christmas or in early 2016.

Zambartas

Agis Zambartas (1947-2014) worked for decades as chief winemaker and director for KEO, the island’s largest beer and wine producer, during which time he re-discovered 12 grape varieties native to Cyprus. Over a period of three years of scientific research he planted and vinified these varieties. And in 2008, he and son Marcos (also a wellqualified oenologist) established their own winery in Ayios Amvrosios, 29km north of Limassol. It followed that local grapes would be the winery’s focus, but the Zambartas team favoured adding a soupçon of French to each blend. Marcos says: “My father earned his chemistry and oenology degrees in France, and I studied in Australia, where they use almost exclusively French grapes. You might say French is our second winemaking language. But Cyprus grapes really are the future.” Their justifiably famous rosé is a mix of Lefkada and Cabernet Franc, while the red Epicurean, after various combinations, is now perfected with Yiannoudi and Mourvédre. Even the Xinisteri, the most recognisably Cypriot of white wines, had up until its latest rendition a smattering of Semillon. The winery’s newest release, however, is 100% Cypriot: the Single Vineyard Xinisteri, boasting an abundantly bodied, rarified construction that takes the humble indigenous grape to a whole new level.

Vouni Panayia

Andreas Kyriakides of Vouni Panayia is unique in that all his wine, from when he first began bottling it in 1987, is made exclusively from indigenous grapes. He says: “I worked at the Ministry of Agriculture for many years, and I came to love and respect our homegrown products. Cyprus is rich in natural resources; why not celebrate and promote our products rather than just turn out carbon copies of what other countries are producing?”

Andreas was one of the first in Cyprus to plant, harvest and vinify the indigenous Spourtiko, Promara and Yiannoudi grapes. He has been making Spourtiko for four years.

“Why should I make an imitation Pinot Grigio or Chablis when I can create a fantastic Spourtiko? Everyone who visits tells me it is their favourite summer wine!” It is a fruity, aromatic white wine that is perfect with fish, fresh fruit or nuts. His Promara, now in its third year of production, is a fine, straw-coloured white with aromas and taste notes of tropical fruit, making it another good choice for al fresco summer drinking. In contrast, his Yiannoudi is a bold fullbodied red with strong characteristics and is in several ways similar to Maratheftiko (a most masculine wine, if you will). Andreas only began to seriously bottle Yiannoudi three years ago, and the 2013 vintage will be released next year. His next big project will be with the indigenous but rare Morokanella.

Fikardos

Theodoros Fikardos is known among Cyprus winemakers as an indefatigable experimenter. Every year he has at least 12 to 16 different varieties in the works. He is the first to admit that some of his early efforts with new-to-Cyprus grapes, such as Riesling (it prefers a cold climate), were not successful, but he simply abandoned them, replanted and spirited ahead. In 2004, he attended a viticultural exhibition in Paris with his Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but the French wine enthusiasts said, “Sorry, but we have plenty of these wines here. Please show us something Cypriot.” This convinced him that his own inclination to work with local grapes had been prescient, and he concentrated on Maratheftiko, Spourtiko, Lefkada, Yiannoudi and, very recently, Altesse, an exotically aromatic white grape once thought to be French, but now proven to be Cypriot.

Theodoros explains: “It makes robust concentrated wines with distinct notes of bergamot, hazelnut and almond. This and its high level of acidity also make it well-suited to the production of sparkling wine. We’ll see what we can do with it, either still or sparkling. I’m very excited about it, either way.”