A Long History On Cyprus Of Family-Made Commandaria At Karseras Winery
Filippos Karseras and Panayiotis Karseras of the Karseras Family Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography
BKWine Photography
Commandaria is probably the oldest recognised wine denomination still in use. Its name refers to an estate conquered during one of the crusades, 700 or 800 years ago. More recently, in the 20th century, it lived a quiet and peaceful life, produced by only a handful of big producers, not much seen outside of Cyprus. But in recent decades, there's a new dynamism in the region. Small family producers with new ideas have started to make new-wave commandaria. I talked with Filippos Karseras who owns the Karseras Winery, one of the first 'growers' commandaria', together with his father Panayiotis.
Some olive trees in Cyprus are estimated to be over 2,000 years old. That means that even though commandaria is the oldest named wine type in the world (wine of a recognised name), some of the trees on the island had been growing for more than 1000 years before commandaria became famous. But even if it is an ancient wine type, until recently, there were only a handful of very large producers making it.
An ancient olive tree at the Karseras Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography
BKWine Photography
But having a long history does not guarantee fame, so what is commandaria wine? It is a sweet wine made in Cyprus. Two grape varieties are used, both indigenous, the red mavro and the white xynisteri. After harvest the grapes are left in the sun to dry. It is then fermented into a sweet wine, usually fortified. One can compare it to a sweet port or madeira or to a vin santo or vin de paille, but it is a limping comparison. Commandaria is a style of its own.
One of the pioneers of 'growers' commandaria' is the Karseras Winery. It was established as a commandaria-producing winery in 1998. But the family had been growing grapes long before that. The winery was founded by Panayiotis Karseras and his wife Lenia. One of their four sons, also named Panayiotis Karseras, and the grandson Filippos Karseras, now run the winery.
The old Karseras Family Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography
BKWine Photography
Clay jars, "pitharia", used for winemaking in Cyprus fur hundreds of years at the Karseras Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography
BKWine Photography
However, even though it is a young winery, it has a long history. I asked Filippos how long his family had been making wine, 'Literally, since forever. The University has told us that the first Karseras in our area were mentioned in the 11th century,' Filippos explained. No doubt there has been a family production from the vineyards they own since, well, probably not forever, but for a long, long time. But this was not commercially sold. The commercial market was dominated for most of the 20th century by four large companies until what I could call the revival of the Cypriot wine industry around the time Karseras began.
The Karseras Winery is in the Doros (Dhoros) village, just half an hour from the city of Limassol on the south coast of Cyprus. It is one of the fourteen villages on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountain range making commandaria. Karseras is entirely focused on producing Commandaria. They don't make any table wine on a commercial scale.
They have around 15 hectares of vines. The vineyards are spread across six of the 14 commandaria villages. The main grape variety is the red (black) mavro, with a little bit of the white xynisteri.
Vines in the vineyard of the Karseras Family Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography
BKWine Photography
Today, there are two different types of commandaria: fortified and non-fortified. Both are made from very sweet sun-dried grapes. Traditionally, fortified was the only method used commercially, but now it is also allowed to produce non-fortified commandaria, This seems to be the preferred method among smaller producers. Filippos is a firm believer in the non-fortified approach. 'When you put spirit in it, you kill everything,' he says. They use stainless steel for vinification, then let the wine age in barrels, and finally in bottles.
The 'Family Edition' of their commandaria has spent two years in barrel and undergoes a light filtering before bottling. For this wine, they use 90-95% mavro and the rest is xynisteri. It is sold in a curious short and tubby bottle with an original label with an old man with wispy hair and a long beard. But that's why it is called the Family edition. The man on the label is a portrait of the founder of the winery, who was also a priest in the village for 60 years, namely Father Panayiotis Karseras. The wine is quite light, sweet, of course, but modestly so and very elegant with a distinctly refreshing acidity.
Karseras Winery Commandaria, Family Edition and Platinum, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography
BKWine Photography
For their more expensive prestige wine, called 'Platinum', they don't do any filtering; instead, they let it age for twenty years. The current vintage is 2005. It is intensely sweet, with 155 grams of sugar per litre. But this, too, is comparatively light in body, in a very elegant style, with intense flavours of sweet apricot marmalade and fresh apricots, honey, spices... Since this wine is unfiltered it can have a slight deposit.
In the yard outside the winery, there is a row of some ancient-looking olive trees. They may not be thousands of years old, but they were certainly there and already old when Father Panayiotis, founder of the winery, was born—a history to nurture with care.
—Per Karlsson
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A Long History On Cyprus Of Family-Made Commandaria At Karseras Winery
Filippos Karseras and Panayiotis Karseras of the Karseras Family Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Commandaria is probably the oldest recognised wine denomination still in use. Its name refers to an estate conquered during one of the crusades, 700 or 800 years ago. More recently, in the 20th century, it lived a quiet and peaceful life, produced by only a handful of big producers, not much seen outside of Cyprus. But in recent decades, there's a new dynamism in the region. Small family producers with new ideas have started to make new-wave commandaria. I talked with Filippos Karseras who owns the Karseras Winery, one of the first 'growers' commandaria', together with his father Panayiotis. Some olive trees in Cyprus are estimated to be over 2,000 years old. That means that even though commandaria is the oldest named wine type in the world (wine of a recognised name), some of the trees on the island had been growing for more than 1000 years before commandaria became famous. But even if it is an ancient wine type, until recently, there were only a handful of very large producers making it. An ancient olive tree at the Karseras Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography But having a long history does not guarantee fame, so what is commandaria wine? It is a sweet wine made in Cyprus. Two grape varieties are used, both indigenous, the red mavro and the white xynisteri. After harvest the grapes are left in the sun to dry. It is then fermented into a sweet wine, usually fortified. One can compare it to a sweet port or madeira or to a vin santo or vin de paille, but it is a limping comparison. Commandaria is a style of its own. One of the pioneers of 'growers' commandaria' is the Karseras Winery. It was established as a commandaria-producing winery in 1998. But the family had been growing grapes long before that. The winery was founded by Panayiotis Karseras and his wife Lenia. One of their four sons, also named Panayiotis Karseras, and the grandson Filippos Karseras, now run the winery. The old Karseras Family Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Clay jars, "pitharia", used for winemaking in Cyprus fur hundreds of years at the Karseras Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography However, even though it is a young winery, it has a long history. I asked Filippos how long his family had been making wine, 'Literally, since forever. The University has told us that the first Karseras in our area were mentioned in the 11th century,' Filippos explained. No doubt there has been a family production from the vineyards they own since, well, probably not forever, but for a long, long time. But this was not commercially sold. The commercial market was dominated for most of the 20th century by four large companies until what I could call the revival of the Cypriot wine industry around the time Karseras began. The Karseras Winery is in the Doros (Dhoros) village, just half an hour from the city of Limassol on the south coast of Cyprus. It is one of the fourteen villages on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountain range making commandaria. Karseras is entirely focused on producing Commandaria. They don't make any table wine on a commercial scale. They have around 15 hectares of vines. The vineyards are spread across six of the 14 commandaria villages. The main grape variety is the red (black) mavro, with a little bit of the white xynisteri. Vines in the vineyard of the Karseras Family Winery, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Today, there are two different types of commandaria: fortified and non-fortified. Both are made from very sweet sun-dried grapes. Traditionally, fortified was the only method used commercially, but now it is also allowed to produce non-fortified commandaria, This seems to be the preferred method among smaller producers. Filippos is a firm believer in the non-fortified approach. 'When you put spirit in it, you kill everything,' he says. They use stainless steel for vinification, then let the wine age in barrels, and finally in bottles. The 'Family Edition' of their commandaria has spent two years in barrel and undergoes a light filtering before bottling. For this wine, they use 90-95% mavro and the rest is xynisteri. It is sold in a curious short and tubby bottle with an original label with an old man with wispy hair and a long beard. But that's why it is called the Family edition. The man on the label is a portrait of the founder of the winery, who was also a priest in the village for 60 years, namely Father Panayiotis Karseras. The wine is quite light, sweet, of course, but modestly so and very elegant with a distinctly refreshing acidity. Karseras Winery Commandaria, Family Edition and Platinum, Doros, Cyprus, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography For their more expensive prestige wine, called 'Platinum', they don't do any filtering; instead, they let it age for twenty years. The current vintage is 2005. It is intensely sweet, with 155 grams of sugar per litre. But this, too, is comparatively light in body, in a very elegant style, with intense flavours of sweet apricot marmalade and fresh apricots, honey, spices... Since this wine is unfiltered it can have a slight deposit. In the yard outside the winery, there is a row of some ancient-looking olive trees. They may not be thousands of years old, but they were certainly there and already old when Father Panayiotis, founder of the winery, was born—a history to nurture with care. —Per Karlsson
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Bitterly divided Nicosia has become one of Europe's most exciting city breaks
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Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
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‘They speak English, drive on the left and even have chippies': Britain's enduring legacy in Cyprus
Britain's legacy in Cyprus was evident as soon as I turned out of the airport. The busy road was lined with signs urging 'Drive on the Left!' 'We're part of the EU, so people think we drive on the right here. You wouldn't believe the number of accidents on the road from the airport – we call it death row,' Giorgos at the car hire company told me. A British protectorate from 1878 to 1914, occupied from 1914 to 1925 and finally a Crown Colony, Britain relinquished control over Cyprus in 1960. As a condition of the handover, however, they kept two Sovereign Base areas: Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Covering roughly three per cent of the island, they are among the 14 surviving British Overseas Territories, alongside the likes of Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and (for now) the British Indian Ocean Territory. 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'Our clients are really intrigued by this little-known British territory in the Mediterranean with its red postboxes, riding clubs and British supermarket chains,' Morgan Bourven of YPT, a British company that leads tours of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, told me. According to local newspaper The Cyprus Mail, some 40,000 British citizens – mostly retirees – live in Cyprus. I was staying in Paphos, a seaside resort which is home to around 20,000 of them. Unlike the downtrodden Sovereign Base areas, Paphos was a busy jumble of brand new apartment blocks, many with plunge pools and pocket-sized gardens. At the sandy beach opposite the city's Tombs of the Kings, a subterranean necropolis where local aristocrats were buried from the 4th century BC, I met Rob and Jules from Birmingham. They have lived in Paphos for the past two years and adore it. 'They speak our language, drive on our side of the road. It's hot here most of the year, and they even have chippies – what's not to like?' said Jules. A short drive from the ice-cream vans circling the yacht-studded harbour of Kato Paphos, Vassiliki showed me another remnant of British rule. Built in 1958, Polemi Concentration Camp occupies scrubland near the village of Stroumpi. It is where the British incarcerated – and allegedly tortured – Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA) guerrillas during its uprising against colonial rule. A watchtower survives, the entrance gate yawned wide, and grass grew wild around a lone Nissen hut housing a crude model of the original camp, along with black-and-white photos of internees. 'You could say it's a little-known piece of local history – one that most Cypriots don't want to remember, and many British want to forget,' Vassiliki said as I flicked through the dog-eared pages of a visitors book where Magadalena from Liverpool said she 'couldn't believe this shameful episode in British history' and Cliff from Kent scribbled that it was 'amazing that the Cypriot people still like us'. In Nicosia, Europe's last divided capital, I lunched at Giagia Victoria. Celebrity chef Paul Hollywood is said to be a fan of this vintage café, with its 1950s décor, which backs directly onto the city's buffer zone, still filled with barbed wire, anti-tank ditches and minefields. It was an odd sensation to sip treacly Turkish coffee roasted over hot coals in a briki (copper pot) and chomp syrupy semolina cake politika, while gazing out over acres of empty buildings, their walls riddled with bullet holes and their roofs sprouting grass. They were abandoned in 1974 during the Turkish invasion. 'My home was over there,' waiter Andreas said, pointing to a crumbled apartment block with a tree growing through the middle. 'We took what we could and left in the middle of the night. We were never able to go back. From 1974 up until 2003, when the first crossing opened, we could not even go to the Turkish occupied side. I was going to be married to a Turkish-Cypriot girl – I never saw her again.' A short drive away in Nicosia's bustling suburbs, I visited a prison where EOKA fighters were kept in dark, cramped cells. 'Some were executed, but in order to avoid provoking riots, they were buried secretly near the prison in a tiny courtyard, now known as The Imprisoned Graves,' the guide explained. Just as in India in the days of the Raj, the British in Cyprus also had their hill stations where they went to escape the summer heat. Lieutenant-General Sir Garnet Wolseley established the first such outpost in the 1870s. Sometimes called 'the Simla of Cyprus', Platres sits in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains. The leafy streets of this colonial relic are lined with an eclectic mix of architecture, ranging from chunky alpine chalets to no-nonsense brick bungalows and whimsical turreted follies. At the height of its splendour, this high-flung village was a magnet for celebrities and royalty, including Egypt's King Farouk, for whom the Brandy Sour was invented, and Daphne Du Maurier, who wrote Rebecca, her dark study of suppressed desire, at the (soon to be refurbished) Forest Park Hotel. Over dinner in the wood-panelled confines of The New Helvetia, one of the oldest hotels in Platres, I got chatting to a Canadian couple. 'This village is a real timewarp,' I remarked. Brian from Toronto chuckled, before replying: 'Just like the British in Cyprus!' EasyJet has flights to Paphos from £174 return. Luxury golf resort Minthis has suites from £275 per night, including breakfast. Young Pioneer Tours operates tours of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. In Nicosia, book a private tour of Northern Cyprus with Cemal from Get Your Guide from £420 for a group of four. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
