Thursday 15th October
The weather forecast was not great but a lighter day was in store as we headed to another historic and famous village called Omodos. Only around forty minutes from Limassol but again taking in some lovely countryside, we saw at first hand some of the devastation caused by a huge wildfire last August.
The first winery to be visited was Gerolemou. Family owned and currently run by Haris Athinodourou- a charming and funny character who took our group by storm as soon as we arrived. Looking out on some of their vineyards from their delightful terrace, Haris took us through the family story and told us a bit about the area.
Haris held court in the cellar as we tasted our way through a great selection of wines culminating in 2019 Commandaria and the famous Zivania – Cypriot grappa!
From Gerolemou, it was just 1km to Oenou Yi. Family owned by the Vassiliades family, this is a winery but on a completely different scale. Completed in 2017, it is a very modern and very stylish winery with fabulous entertaining spaces, a restaurant, a variety of smart tasting rooms and loads of state of the art equipment.
We headed into the private tasting room and were introduced to Hippocrates – the sommelier. Hippocrates was charming and friendly and hosted out tasting with a laconic charm.
Omodos has a very pretty square, cobbled streets and a myriad of little boutiques, cafes, a famous bakery, many wine tasting outlets and lovely tavernas. The Katoi taverna was our destination and another top class Cypriot mezze was served. Another example of a table groaning with delicious cold and cold starters, fabulous grilled meats, delicious breads and a complete lack of restraint as we tucked into it all.
Friday 16th October
Our first stop in the Paphos region was another family owned estate – Vouni Paniya. Yiannis, one of the three owners, hosted our visit which started on a lovely terrace commanding fabulous views of the hills and valleys. He talked about their organic production and dedication to non filtration of their wines. We tasted a fascinating selection of eight wines incorporating all the usual suspects of indigenous Cypriot viticulture including Vasilissa, Mavro and Promara amongst others. The profile of this selection felt notably different to other ranges, partly due to the unfiltered approach to winemaking, the use of lees ageing in many of the wines and perhaps the different microclimate of the Panagias-Ampelitis PDO.
From Vouni-Paniya, it was a 35 minute drive to another family estate – Makarounas. Accessed by traversing an array of small villages and impossibly tight turns, we walked the last 200 metres up a narrow farm road to the winery. They have a lovely rustic tasting space where we settled in to listen to Theodoros Makarounas talk about his wines, and demonstrate how Soutzoukos (a wine coated almond delicacy) are made (a tour first).
Back to the Alasia and then it was out for dinner. The esteemed Dionysus Mansion – a renowned Limassol restaurant was our destination. We sat outside in the warm air and experienced another fabulous selection of Cypriot cuisine. Washed down with more delicious Cypriot wines – it was a great final night meal.
Saturday 17th October
We had one more visit and a snack lunch on our last day at our final family winery – Tsiakkas. Situated in the Pitsilia PDO, Kostas and Marina Tsiakkas set up the winery in the mid 90’s. Now run by three brothers and a sister, Tsiakkas is regarded as a leading Cypriot winery. They also command a magnificent view over the hills. Katerina, one of their oenologists, hosted the first part of the visit and delivered a fabulously succinct summary of Cypriot viticulture and history and virtually summarised everything we had learnt over the past four days. It was extremely impressive. Into the winery we saw barrels and amphorae before heading back into their tasting room. Kostas Tsiakkas, founder and dad, hosted part of the tasting before Andreas Tsiakkas completed the rest . Another array of local grapes ensued culminating in a truly magnificent Commandaria.
From Tsiakkas people were delivered to the airport, some to make their way home, others to continue enjoying Cyprus. A very easy task!