ΚΟΥΜΑΝΔΑΡΙΑ - COMMANDARIA

BarSomWizard
Feb 26, 2019
2 min read

Updated: Apr 18, 2020

Commandaria is a dessert wine, with rich flavor, aroma and history.

It is said to have been named after the crusaders of the 13th century , but it was discovered much earlier, around 2000 b.c.

Legends want this wine to be loved by King Richard the Lionheart of England, who in his marriage called her "the wine of kings and the king of wine". knights of St John, the ecclesiastical military order of St John (the Baptist) of Jerusalem.

These knights had their administrative headquarters – the Commanderie or Commandaria – in a castle west of Lemesos, known today as "Kolossi Castle". The castle was situated in a large fertile area of land with extensive plantations of wheat, cotton, sugar cane and vineyards. The area was known as "Grande Commanderie" to distinguish it from two smaller commanderies, that of the Phoenix of Paphos and that of Templos in Kyrenia.

The Commandaria wine also holds the title of the oldest wine with the oldest name.

Cyprus acquires the first wine of Appellation of Origin and the method of production are registered in 1990.

The production of Commandaria is made from the varieties Mavro and Xynisteri, which are left in the vineyard to mature before the harvest.

A special element in the production of the Commandaria is that after the grapes are harvested for their winemaking , they are left in the sun for 10 days to increase the quantity of sugar . Commandaria is aged in barrels of wood oak for a period of at least 2 years.

It is produced exclusively from grapes of vines not less than 5 years of age.

The region of Commandaria includes 14 communities of the Limassol District (Agios Georgios, Ag.Konstantinos, Ag.Mamas, Ag.Pavlos, Apsiou, Gerasas, Doros, Zoopigi, Kalo Horio, Kapilio, Lania, Louvaras, Monagri, Sylikou )