Wineday Uk Just got back from a week of glorious winter sun on Cyprus. Whilst there we took the opportunity to sample the local wines which vary from pretty bad to really quite good.  In Cyprus wines produced on the island are generally offered as a choice of Sweet or dry whites or Medium to dry reds.  Not normally how most of us choose a wine these days but when in Rome…

 

Winemaking in Cyprus has come on leaps and bounds in recent years with a lot more blending of grape varieties happening than in years gone by. For centuries Cypriot wines were produced only from the locally grown varieties – Mavro and Xynisteri, which are notoriously difficult to achieve consistent results with so wines varied from awful to half decent until techniques improved. 

 

Cyprus has been producing wine for millennia with definite evidence of wine trading on the Island going back to 2300 BC. There are many references to Dionysos the god of wine to be found all over Cyprus.

 

We visited the Sterna winery on the fantastically scenic road to Kathicas. We opted for the free wine tasting of six wines and a Port and the brief tour of the winery's natural cave cellars. All six wines were good if a little underwhelming (they won't be for sale at www.wineday.co.uk  any time soon).  The port  however was very nice.

 

I've since heard that the tour of the wine museum is quite entertaining so if you are visiting you should give it a go. Don't expect a highly informative experience though!

We purchased a bottle of the Kelaidonis dry white aromatic which stood out at the tasting and 10€ didn't seem a lot for an entertaining if slightly surreal hour.