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All the island’s history inside a bottle
Commandaria, the Cypriot Nama as the ancient authors call it, is the sweet wine of Cyprus which is famous for its superb taste and unique aromas.
This one-of-a-kind sweet wine comes from the depths of the ages and has managed to maintain its fame in the highest levels of Cypriot wine industry, its tradition and the island’s culture.
The trademark of local tradition
Commandaria constitutes one of the oldest wines worldwide and its first appearance is in reports created thousands of years ago.
Reports from the Homeric epics, Isiodos, Richard the Lionheart, where at his wedding he pronounced it the ‘wine of kings and the king of wines’, validate its long-lasting existence.
Its’ name is due to the Knights Templar and the island’s military administration ‘la Commanderie’ who during the crusades established their headquarters in Cyprus near Kolossi where the region was rich vineyards. The Knights Templar highlighted and perfected the sweet nectar and named it Commandaria after the name of the battalion -la Commanderie- that commanded the region.
Oenology’s pride
It is a protected and registered product with a protected designation of origin and is produced specifically in 14 villages in the region of Limassol (Agios Georgios, Agios Constantinos, Agios Mamas, Agios Pavlos, Apsiou, Gerasa, Doros, Zoopigi, Kalo Chorio, Kapileio, Lania, Louvaras, Monagri, Silikou) known as the Commandaria villages.
The grape varieties used for Commandaria production are the indigenous mavro which is a red variety and ksynisteri which is a white variety.
The grapes are placed on so called drying racks for 4-10 days or even longer depending on the weather conditions, in areas with great sunlight, so that they dehydrate. Once overripened from the sun’s exposure they are ready to be pressed.
After production Commandaria, based on legislation, must be aged in oak barrels for at least 2 years. During the aging process the aromas are enriched inside the barrel, creating the rich and pleasurable dessert wine.
It is a protected and registered product with a protected designation of origin and is produced specifically in 14 villages in the region of Limassol (Agios Georgios, Agios Constantinos, Agios Mamas, Agios Pavlos, Apsiou, Gerasa, Doros, Zoopigi, Kalo Chorio, Kapileio, Lania, Louvaras, Monagri, Silikou) known as the Commandaria villages.
The grape varieties used for Commandaria production are the indigenous mavro which is a red variety and ksynisteri which is a white variety.
The grapes are placed on so called drying racks for 4-10 days or even longer depending on the weather conditions, in areas with great sunlight, so that they dehydrate. Once overripened from the sun’s exposure they are ready to be pressed.
After production Commandaria, based on legislation, must be aged in oak barrels for at least 2 years. During the aging process the aromas are enriched inside the barrel, creating the rich and pleasurable dessert wine.
