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Cyprus

Cyprus

7 000 ha under vine

Soils
Volcanic diabase and chalk on the foothills of the Troodos
Climate
Hot island Mediterranean tempered by altitude — vines up to 1,400 metres

On the map

Cyprus — 7 000 haLanguedoc — 220 000 haBordeaux — 110 000 haSicily — 98 000 haVeneto — 96 000 haPuglia — 87 000 haSouthern Rhône — 66 000 haRioja — 66 000 haTuscany — 60 000 haLoire Valley — 57 000 haEmilia-Romagna — 50 000 haKakheti — 48 000 haSouth-West France — 45 000 haPiedmont — 43 000 haDouro — 43 000 haChampagne — 34 000 haAbruzzo — 33 000 haUtiel-Requena — 32 000 haBurgundy — 29 500 haRheinhessen — 27 000 haProvence — 27 000 haSardinia — 27 000 haFriuli — 25 000 haRibera del Duero — 25 000 haPenedès — 25 000 haPfalz — 23 000 haCampania — 23 000 haLombardy — 22 000 haAlentejo — 22 000 haJumilla — 22 000 haMinho — 21 000 haRoussillon — 20 000 haRueda — 20 000 haDão — 20 000 haMarche — 16 000 haBaden — 15 800 haAlsace — 15 600 haBeaujolais — 13 500 haBurgenland — 13 000 haUmbria — 12 000 haBairrada — 12 000 haNavarra — 11 000 haTrentino — 10 000 haŠtajerska — 9 000 haCalabria — 9 000 haMosel — 8 800 haDalmatia — 8 000 haJerez — 7 000 haAttica — 6 500 haFranken — 6 100 haCorsica — 6 000 haTokaj — 5 800 haAlto Adige — 5 600 haToro — 5 600 haEger — 5 000 haImereti — 5 000 haBasilicata — 5 000 haValais — 4 800 haNorthern Rhône — 4 400 haRías Baixas — 4 300 haNahe — 4 200 haSussex & Kent — 4 000 haRheingau — 3 200 haBierzo — 3 000 haNemea — 3 000 haMantinia — 2 400 haSavoie — 2 200 haJura — 2 000 haPriorat — 2 000 haBekaa Valley — 2 000 haWachau — 1 350 haValdeorras — 1 300 haVayots Dzor — 1 300 haSantorini — 1 100 haRacha-Lechkhumi — 700 haNaoussa — 700 haMadeira — 450 haRapsani — 400 haColares — 20 haCyprusLanguedocBordeauxSicilyVenetoPugliaSouthern RhôneRiojaTuscanyLoire ValleyEmilia-RomagnaKakhetiSouth-West FrancePiedmontDouroChampagneAbruzzoUtiel-RequenaBurgundyRheinhessenProvenceSardiniaFriuliRibera del DueroPenedèsPfalzCampaniaLombardyAlentejoJumillaMinhoRoussillonRuedaDãoMarcheBadenAlsaceBeaujolaisBurgenlandUmbriaBairradaNavarraTrentinoŠtajerskaCalabriaMoselDalmatiaJerezAtticaFrankenCorsicaTokajAlto AdigeToroEgerImeretiBasilicataValaisNorthern RhôneRías BaixasNaheSussex & KentRheingauBierzoNemeaMantiniaSavoieJuraPrioratBekaa ValleyWachauValdeorrasVayots DzorSantoriniRacha-LechkhumiNaoussaMadeiraRapsaniColares
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

Cyprus may have five and a half millennia of wine behind it: the residue-bearing jars found at Erimi are among the oldest evidence of winemaking in the Mediterranean. Under the Crusader kingdoms the island's fame peaked, when commandaria — a sun-dried sweet wine still made in the Troodos villages — became the luxury of medieval Europe's courts.

Altitude was the island's second protector: phylloxera never reached the high Troodos vineyards, so old bush vines of xynisteri and mavro stand ungrafted at up to 1,400 metres, among the highest in the Mediterranean. The wine world largely forgot Cyprus in the twentieth century; a new generation of small mountain wineries is rediscovering the island vineyard by vineyard.

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Commandaria Sweet white

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 45The Monastic Middle Ages — 40Exploration & the Fortified Age — 30Classifications & the Golden Age — 20Phylloxera & the World Crises — 15The Modern & New World Era — 30Antiquity45500150017001875195030
Origins & Antiquity Antiquity The Monastic Middle Ages 500 Exploration & the Fortified Age 1500 Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950