Cyprus has been producing wine for longer than almost any other country — documented records go back to 800 BC and Commandaria, the sweet dessert wine made in the Troodos foothills, is often cited as the world’s oldest named wine still in continuous production. The modern industry has improved dramatically over the past two decades, moving well beyond the rough table wines that characterised the island’s reputation for most of the 20th century. Here’s where to go, what to taste, and how to plan a wine-focused day in Cyprus.
The Troodos foothills: the main wine region
The villages south and west of the Troodos mountains — roughly the area between Limassol and the mountains, at altitudes between 400 and 1,000 metres — form Cyprus’s primary wine region. The altitude gives cooler temperatures and more varied soils than the coast, producing wines with more acidity and structure than you’d get from lowland vineyards. The villages here — Omodos, Kilani, Arsos, Agios Amvrosios, Vouni — are attractive in their own right. A wine-focused driving day through several of them is one of the better day trips from the Limassol area.
Omodos
The most visited of the wine villages — a preserved medieval village with a monastery, a cobbled central square, and more wine shops and small wineries than anywhere else in the region. It’s tourist-facing but not spoiled; the setting is genuinely lovely and the wine available for tasting and buying is plentiful. Allow an hour including a walk around the lanes and monastery courtyard.
The Holy Cross Monastery in the centre of Omodos contains fragments of the rope used to bind Christ during the crucifixion according to local tradition — it’s a significant pilgrimage site as well as a tourist attraction. The monastery itself dates to Byzantine times and has been rebuilt several times since.
Kilani
Quieter than Omodos and less polished for tourism, which is part of the appeal. Kilani has a small wine museum and a handful of producers making wines from indigenous grape varieties. The village is compact and almost entirely stone-built — one of the best-preserved Troodos villages in the region. Less than 20 minutes from Omodos by car.
Arsos
Home to the Arsos Village Winery, one of the better small producers in the region focused on Maratheftiko and Xynisteri with genuine attention to terroir. Ring ahead if you want a proper tasting rather than just buying off the shelf. The village itself is small and worth a 20-minute walk around the stone lanes and old church.
Lofou
One of the most beautifully preserved villages in the Troodos foothills — narrow stone lanes, traditional architecture, and a central square with a good taverna. Fewer wineries than Omodos but a more authentic village atmosphere. A good lunch stop when driving between wine producers.
The Commandaria region
Commandaria has its own designated production zone — 14 villages in the Krasochoria (wine villages) area of the Limassol district. The wine must be made from sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro grapes grown within this zone, aged in oak barrels, and produced according to traditional methods to carry the Commandaria designation. It’s protected by EU PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status — one of the oldest in Europe.
The villages of Agios Konstantinos, Zoopigi, and Silikou are in the heart of the production zone. Some producers offer tastings at the winery; others sell through village shops. Commandaria tasted at source in the villages where it’s been made since antiquity is worth going out of your way for — it tastes different from the bottled version in a UK supermarket.
The Paphos wine region
The Paphos district — particularly the villages around Pegeia and the Laona plateau — has a smaller but growing wine production scene. The soils and altitude here differ from the Limassol foothills and some producers are working with international varieties as well as indigenous ones. Less established as a wine tourism destination than the Troodos villages but worth visiting if you’re based in Paphos.
The grape varieties to know
- Xynisteri: The main white grape — indigenous to Cyprus, producing light, crisp whites with citrus and herbal notes. Best drunk young. The standard house white at most tavernas. Also used for Commandaria after sun-drying.
- Maratheftiko: The most interesting indigenous red — thin-skinned, producing deeply coloured, tannic wines with good ageing potential when handled carefully. The best examples have genuine structural complexity.
- Commandaria: The famous sweet wine — made from sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro grapes, aged in oak, with nutty, figgy, almost port-like character. Try it at source in the Krasochoria villages.
- Mavro: The most widely planted red grape, historically used for bulk wine. Modern winemakers are working with it more carefully and some good single-varietal examples are emerging.
- Promara: A white variety being revived by quality producers — aromatic, with good acidity. Worth trying if you see it offered.
Larger producers with visitor facilities
Several larger producers have proper tasting rooms, tours, and restaurants open to visitors:
- ETKO/Olympus Winery (Limassol): One of the oldest wine producers on the island with a wine museum and regular tours. Good introduction to Cypriot wine history alongside tasting.
- Zambartas Winery (near Agios Amvrosios): A serious modern producer focused on indigenous varieties and minimal intervention. One of the most respected estates on the island for quality-to-price.
- Vlassides Winery: Small family winery producing some of the island’s best Maratheftiko and Shiraz. Appointments recommended.
- KEO (Limassol): One of the major commercial producers — good for understanding the mainstream end of the market, with tours of the large facility near the port.
How to plan a wine day in Cyprus
A practical day from Limassol: drive to Omodos (45 minutes), spend an hour exploring and tasting. Continue to Kilani (15 minutes) for the wine museum. Lunch at Lofou or Arsos. Afternoon tasting at one of the named estate wineries — Zambartas or Vlassides are both in this area. Back to Limassol by early evening.
If you’re driving and tasting, designate a non-drinking driver or use a taxi for the wine village section — the roads in the mountains are narrow and winding, and Cyprus driving standards require full attention. Hiring a driver for the day is an option some operators offer.
The Limassol Wine Festival in September — held in the municipal gardens — gives a useful overview of multiple producers in one afternoon, with free tasting. A good starting point before deciding which producers to visit in person.
My take: the wine villages are worth a full day
A driving day through the Troodos wine villages — Omodos, Kilani, Arsos — stopping at producers along the way, is one of the most pleasant days you can spend in Cyprus that doesn’t involve a beach. The combination of mountain landscape, medieval village architecture, genuine local food at village tavernas, and wine that’s improving every vintage makes it a day that shifts your perception of the island. Commandaria at source in the villages where it’s been produced since antiquity is genuinely one of those experiences worth building a day around.
People also ask about Cypriot wine
What is Commandaria wine?
Commandaria is a sweet dessert wine made from sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro grapes grown in 14 designated villages in the Troodos foothills. It’s aged in oak barrels, often for several years, producing a rich, nutty, amber wine with dried fruit, fig, and caramel notes. Protected by EU designation of origin, it can only be produced within its defined region. Richard I reportedly praised it after his stay in Cyprus in 1191 — making it possibly the world’s oldest named wine with a documented endorsement.
Is Cypriot wine good?
The best of it is very good — the indigenous varieties (Maratheftiko especially) are genuinely interesting and produce wines that stand comparison with quality estates in southern Italy or Greece. The challenge is variability: there’s still significant bulk production alongside the quality producers. Sticking to named estates and producer wines rather than generic supermarket bottles is the reliable approach when visiting.
Where is wine made in Cyprus?
The primary wine region is the Troodos foothills, particularly in the Limassol district villages — Omodos, Kilani, Arsos, and the surrounding area. The Commandaria production zone is a subset of this region, covering 14 specific villages. The Paphos district has a smaller and newer wine production scene. Most vineyards are at altitude (400–1,000m) where the cooler temperatures produce more structured wines than coastal growing would allow.