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Is Cyprus wine any good? Increasingly, yes, and it is unlike anything else in Europe, because phylloxera never arrived here and every vine on the island grows on its own roots.
Roughly 90 percent of those vines are old bush vines, which makes this one of the most interesting wine countries almost nobody drinks from.
Want to taste it without the driving? Browse wine tours on Viator or winery days on GetYourGuide.
Cyprus Wine at a Glance
- Best white: Xynisteri, light and fresh, best from a good producer
- Best red: Maratheftiko, deep and structured, and rarely exported
- Most famous: Commandaria, sweet and amber, made for at least 2,800 years
- Best region to visit: the Krasochoria villages around Omodos
- Weakest part: quality still varies enormously between producers
- Getting there: about 1.5 hours from Limassol or Paphos, and 45 to 60 minutes from Larnaca Airport to Limassol
Why Is Cyprus Wine So Unusual?
In the late nineteenth century phylloxera destroyed most of Europe’s vineyards, and the solution was to graft European vines onto resistant American rootstock. Nearly every vine you have ever drunk from is grafted.
Cyprus was never infected. Along with Santorini, it is one of the very few European regions where vines still grow ungrafted on their own roots, some of them centuries old, and around 90 percent are head trained bush vines, the gnarled low growing kind that look like hands coming out of the ground.
That also means the island holds genetic material that vanished elsewhere. Roughly fifteen indigenous varieties survive here, several of which were rediscovered only in the last few decades.
Which Grapes Should You Know?
Xynisteri
The main white and around 28 to 33 percent of all plantings, with over half concentrated in the Paphos district. It is thin skinned, grown mostly on limestone, and remarkably tolerant of heat and drought.
It produces fresh light wines at around 11 to 12 percent alcohol, with apple, peach, citrus and floral notes. On its own it is a fairly neutral grape, closer to Palomino than to Sauvignon, which is why quality depends so heavily on the producer.
The best examples have improved enormously in the last five years. Under PDO rules, dry whites must be at least 85 percent Xynisteri.
Maratheftiko
The red worth caring about, also called Vamvakada, and the most interesting grape on the island. It has a genuine viticultural problem, because the male part of the flower is underdeveloped or missing entirely, so it cannot reliably self pollinate.
Historically it was interplanted among other varieties and blended in to add colour and body, which is why it nearly disappeared. Growers now deliberately co-plant it with Spourtiko or Xynisteri, which flower at the same time, to get it to set fruit.
It was effectively rediscovered around thirty five years ago, and it is deep coloured, structured and capable of real quality. Plantings remain small and very little leaves the island, so this is the bottle to bring home.
Mavro
The most widely planted grape in Cyprus and historically the workhorse of bulk production. It is light in colour and structure, and mostly used in Commandaria and in everyday reds, though some producers are now working with old Mavro vines and getting considerably better results than the grape’s reputation suggests.
The Rescued Varieties
This is the genuinely exciting part. Several varieties were saved from near extinction, largely through the work of the late Akis Zambartas and by producers like Vouni Panayia.
- Promara and Spourtiko: both white, now bottled as varietals and unavailable commercially fifteen years ago.
- Yiannoudi: a red showing real promise.
- Ofthalmo: a light red used in blends.
- Morokanella, Flouriko and others: they exist in tiny quantities.
Tracking these down takes effort, and it is the most interesting drinking on the island.
What Is Commandaria?
The famous one, and frequently described as the oldest named wine still in production. It has been made here for at least 2,800 years and was the first Cypriot wine to receive a controlled appellation, defined in 1980.
It is made from sun dried Mavro and Xynisteri grapes in fourteen designated villages in the Troodos foothills north of Limassol, all sitting between 500 and 900 metres. Richard the Lionheart is said to have served it at his wedding at Limassol in 1191, calling it the wine of kings and the king of wines.
It is sweet, amber and polarising, and worth trying once for the history. It is also a small fraction of what Cyprus actually produces, which is the misunderstanding that holds the industry back.
What Are the Wine Regions?
Cyprus recognises seven protected designations, all of them at altitude, with elevation requirements running from 400 to 1,400 metres. Vines must be at least five years old and yields are capped at 36 to 45 hectolitres per hectare, and these are the ones visitors meet most.
- Commandaria: fourteen villages, sweet wine only, on limestone and volcanic sandy soils.
- Krasochoria Lemesou: the wine villages of Limassol, twenty of them on the southern Troodos slopes, with the highest concentration of wineries on the island and the easiest region to visit, plus two sub appellations, Afames and Laona.
- Pitsilia: the largest region at thirty two villages, on the eastern edge of the Troodos beneath Olympus, Madari and Papoutsa, with the highest vineyards in the country and the longest ripening, on ophiolite soils.
- Laona Akama: six villages in the northwest above Paphos, cooler, with sea facing winds and limestone soils.
- Vouni Panayia Ampelitis: west of the Troodos northeast of Paphos, reaching 1,140 metres, and the region that has done most to revive the rare varieties.
Where Should You Go for a Wine Day?
Start in the Krasochoria. It has the most wineries and the best infrastructure, and you can comfortably visit three or four in a day. Omodos is the practical base, with several producers in and around the village.
From there, head to Commandaria for the sweet wines and Pitsilia for high altitude whites, or to Vouni Panayia if you are serious about the rare grapes. Most wineries are small and family run, and many will show you round personally, so call ahead, particularly midweek and out of season.
Our guide to the best Troodos villages covers where to stay and eat, and the mountain taverns covers lunch.
Tasting properly means not driving. Join a guided wine day on Klook or try Viator, or hire a car on DiscoverCars and nominate a driver.
How Do You Get to the Wineries and Where Should You Stay?
Fly into Larnaca, which is 45 to 60 minutes from Limassol, or Paphos, and base yourself in Limassol or Paphos. The wine villages are around 1.5 hours from either, and Commandaria villages are nearer Limassol. A private driver booked in advance is the simplest way to cover the villages without driving.
For hotels, our Limassol guide, Paphos guide and where to stay in Cyprus compare the bases. For dinner in the city afterwards, Meze Taverna and ORIS are the Limassol places we have reviewed.
Hotels across Cyprus
When Is the Best Time to Visit?
September is harvest and the most interesting time to be there, though it is also when producers are busiest. The Limassol Wine Festival runs in September and has done since 1961, and spring and autumn are the comfortable months for driving the mountain roads.
One practical point: tasting properly means not driving, so a wine tour is one of the few guided trips genuinely worth booking here.
What Is Village Wine?
It is separate from all of the above and central to tavern culture. Many taverns serve their own wine or a neighbour’s by the carafe, unlabelled and unrefined, and quality varies enormously, though the good ones are very good. Our guide to the best restaurants in Cyprus covers where to drink it.
What Should You Order in a Restaurant?
Ask for Xynisteri by name rather than accepting the house white. It suits grilled fish and halloumi particularly well, and for red you should ask whether they have Maratheftiko, and order it if they do.
Our guide to traditional Cypriot drinks covers everything else on the list, including the zivania that arrives at the end whether you asked for it or not.
Who Is Cyprus Wine For?
It suits curious drinkers who like unusual grapes and small producers, and anyone who enjoys a winery visit with the person who made the wine. It also suits people who want to bring something home that they cannot buy abroad.
Look elsewhere if you want consistency and big brand names. Quality varies, and you need to ask for the local varieties by name.
Basing yourself near the vineyards? Compare Limassol stays on Booking.com or Vio.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cypriot Wine Any Good?
Increasingly so. Quality has risen sharply over the past two decades as producers shifted from bulk production to indigenous varieties, and the best Xynisteri and Maratheftiko are genuinely good.
Why Are Cyprus Vines Ungrafted?
Phylloxera never reached the island. Along with Santorini, Cyprus is one of the only European regions where vines still grow on their own roots.
What Is the Main Grape of Cyprus?
Xynisteri for white, at roughly a third of all plantings. Mavro is the most widely planted red, though Maratheftiko is the more interesting one.
How Many Wine Regions Does Cyprus Have?
Seven PDO regions, all at altitude. Krasochoria Lemesou holds the highest concentration of wineries.
Is Cyprus Wine Only Sweet?
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. Commandaria is the famous export and represents a small fraction of production, and most Cyprus wine today is dry.
Can I Buy Cyprus Wine Abroad?
Rarely, outside Commandaria. Production is small and most of it is drunk on the island, which is a reason to bring some back.
How Do I Visit the Wineries Without Driving?
Book a private driver or a guided wine day in advance. Buses rarely reach the villages, and a designated driver works if you hire a car.
Where Should I Stay for a Wine Trip?
Limassol or Paphos, with the wine villages about 1.5 hours away.
Final Thoughts
Cyprus spent decades making bulk wine and has spent the last twenty years rediscovering what it actually has, which is ungrafted old vines and a set of grapes that exist nowhere else on earth. Try the Commandaria once for the history, then spend the afternoon on Xynisteri, Maratheftiko and whichever rescued variety the winemaker is most excited about.
That is the part you cannot drink anywhere else.