Marathasa Winery
‘Last but not Least’ is a phrase often heard, and, in the case of the Circle of Wine Writers trip to Cyprus, couldn’t be more appropriate for our visit to Marathasa winery.
The journey from Limassol to the winery in the village of Oikos at 1125m above sea level high in the Trodos mountains took 1 hour 40 minutes, passing spectacular scenery on the way. On arrival, jaws dropped and eyes widened at the sight of the extraordinary structure in front of us. The winery is the newest in Cyprus, and was officially opened on 17th June 2023.
The winery is the vision of John Papdouris, whose main business is, fittingly, construction. Wine was in John’s blood as his grandfather was a wine merchant, and as a child he helped to crush grapes. The Papadouris family hail from Kalopanayiotis, which is overlooked by the winery, and John has done much to revitalise the village breathing life into the remote community. He has even built a luxury hotel resort and spa retreat, Casale Panayiotis.
The project involved replanting abandoned vineyards and planting new ones. The ‘vineyard area’ is 2km2 square kilometres and includes a small forest. But only 40% to 60% of the land can be planted to vines as ALL the vineyards are hewn out of steep terraces, so there are actually 13 hectares of vines. The altitude is of course used to temper Cyprus’ scorching hot summers, and in addition, vines are planted on north-facing slopes.
All of the vineyards are within 10 minutes driving distance of the winery, so grapes arrive at the winery very shortly after picking. After chilling overnight, they are double sorted – manually on a sorting table and then mechanically by roller. A Bucher press is used for whites and rosés. The design of the winery into three sections (fermentation, ageing and storage) with high-ceilinged structures topped by latticed wooden roofs, was inspired by the local monastery with three domes.
The winemaker Viktor Finopoulos, who has worked harvests in Alentejo, Chablis and Marlborough, told us that there are three main geological formations in the region – Gavro (whitestone) which is rich in magnesium and iron; Plagio granite; and Diabase. The main soil type is volcanic. Incidentally, as the region has had incredibly low rainfall in the last three years – 26mm each year – it could be considered viticulturally, a desert.
Viktor took us through an interesting tasting of local, Greek and ‘international’ varietals – Xynisteri, Sauvignon Blanc, Moschofilero, Assyrtiko, Yanoudi (for me the standout wine) and Syrah.
As for lunch, after several days of ‘traditional’ mezes served in vast quantities, we enjoyed some delicious dishes of beautifully cooked and presented food which wouldn’t be out of place in a fancy winery restaurant in California:
- Spinach and feta phyllo cigars
- Blue-cheese aioli, hiromeri and baby rocket phyllo tartlets
- Sesame-crumbed chicken strips with herb aioli
- Mini lamb-burgers with beetroot marmalade in brioche
- Dukkah-crusted pork-kebabs with mustard dip
Marathasa is an exciting, country-leading project which is guaranteed to deliver wonderful wines as well as legendary Cypriot hospitality.
