The great grape debate
Just because it’s Mavro, is it Cyprus?
ONCE upon a time, not so long ago, winemakers in Cyprus – probably too embarrassed to tell consumers that they depended upon Xinisteri for most of the country’s white wines – used vague and nondescript terms or covered up under names from the Greek mythology before the truth finally emerged. By then, a significant percentage of very ordinary Xinisteri plantings had been uprooted while premium Xinisteri had acquired a sufficient reputation – blending and modern methods in winemaking, appellation areas helped – for producers to be proud enough to disclose the cultivar on the label.
On the other hand Mavro (black) grape potential for quality red wine is particularly limited, as in most cases the wines produced from it are poor in colour, dull and simple in aroma and subtle in taste. They are not amenable to ageing and they need drinking very young. The main grape player on the island that can express Cyprus in wine terms needs partners.
Someone said that history repeats itself – the first time as tragedy, the second time as comedy. Now that it is becoming increasingly difficult to sell ordinary Mavro, the case of blends, modern technology in winemaking and appellation areas is been resurrected. Just as Mavro grape volumes dip, so Mavro blend litreage grows. The public debate has also shifted: instead of discussions about fermentation temperature and maturation strategies, we now hear about the requisite Mavro percentage set at 60 per cent by the government in a “legitimate” Mavro blend.
It seems that if Mavro blends are to succeed they must have a defensible aesthetic purpose. A hiding place for Mavro is currently not an acceptable starting point – though it is true that Mavro is the most Cypriot thing about a Cyprus blend. However this is to confuse origin with content. If Mavro blends are to express the real Cypriot grape then they must speak of the place in which the grapes have been grown – not the citizenship of the grape’s gene pool.
It is true that conventionally Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blends are identified by the word “Bordeaux” but this is, I would guess, a diminishing marketing point. Certainly premium producers in California (a region which has never been shy about hijacking appellation if it suits its sale objectives) do not refer to their Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot under the moniker of “Bordeaux”. I would hazard that the generic term “meritage” (trademark especially for the Californian producers) is also on the decline. Where wineries still depend on cultivar names to sell their wines, the blend components are adequately disclosed. Once they believe their proprietary name has some kind of status, they move away from varietal descriptions entirely.
All this is by way of saying that the Cyprus wine industry is at risk of hurtling down a cul de sac if it becomes obsessed with ground rules of so-called Mavro blends. Surely the exercise should be about producing the best blend from a particular site? Of course if this means that the component parts are Cabernet Sauvignon and Mataro then the only thing “Cyprus” about the blend is the geographic location of the vineyards.
But what would happen if a particular site produced Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, Syrah and Mavro of sufficient quantity that these four varieties regularly comprised the blending components of the estate’s proprietary wine? In terms of the current debate, providing an acceptable level of Mavro was included in the wine, this producer would have a Cyprus blend to offer in the market.
More next week.
Wine of the week
2003 Ayios Onoufrios, Vasilikon Winery, Kathikas Alcohol volume 12%, Price approximately £2.70
If I have to name a winery that has managed to keep its quality above the average since 1993, when the first Ayios Onoufrios was poured into our glasses, then the Vasilikon winery and brothers Kyriakides are high on my list. The winery produces only two wines, the xinisteri-based Vasilikon and the blended Ayios Onoufrios (Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Mataro 25%, Grenache 15%, Carignan 10% and Mavro 10%).
The 2003 vintage of this latter wine is exceptional. Deep, vivid red this is a crackingly good brute of a wine. Intense ripe red fruits waft from the nose which possesses scents of herbaceous notes. The palate is ripe with good intensity and concentration without going over the top. Silky tannins and balanced acidity compose the palate, a mass of forest fruit runs through to the finish. Served at 17ºC, this wine is ideal to drink with tomato-based pasta, pizzas, chicken and white meat, especially pork. No need to age for more than couple of years – best enjoy now while stocks last.
