Wines
Commandaria
St. John Commandaria
The historical sweet desert wine. Harvested grapes are spread out in the sun to dry until their sugar density reaches 19-23 Baume. Once achieved, the grapes are crushed and fermented until the process stops naturally due to the high sugar content. The must is then aged in oak barrels for a minimum of two years. Similar to the solera system, the barrels are never completely emptied. New juice is added to the barrel containing old juice and the process begins again. St. John Commandaria is a sweet wine with a powerful bouquet filled with dried fruits, spices and oak. It is luscious and full-bodied.
Commandaria St. Nicholas
This unique liqueur wine, possessing the aroma and sweetness of honey, matures in oak wood for
an extended period and has a tradition and history behind it. Hesiod, who lived around 735 B.C.
described how this wine was made from sun exposed grapes. The island of Cyprus was later a favourite
resting ground for Crusades returning from battle and later became a centre for the Knights of
the Order of St.John. It was the members of this order who discovered a wine that was been produced
in the Troodos Mountains. This wine they named Commanderie after their headquarters,
finding it to be not only an excellent drink but also to possess therapeutic properties.
Made from the indigenous grape varieties Mavro and Xynesteri, the Commandaria St. Nicholas
remains a traditional wine of Cyprus and one of the oldest traded wines in the world.
