Cyprus – return of the native grape varieties

old vines on Cyprus

Cyprus may lay claim to one of the most legendary sweet wines in the world (see Commandaria – a new face for an ancient winebut Caroline Gilby MW finds that it is the island's dry wines from unique indigenous grapes that are creating a buzz.

The Cyprus wine scene has changed dramatically since I first started writing about Aphrodite’s island around two decades ago. Back then it was still reeling from the aftermath of losing volume markets in the Soviet Union, declining exports of bulk wine and grape concentrate to Western Europe, and the fall from favour of...