Quality not quantity
The message is clear if Cyprus’ wine industry wants to survive: make decent wines that reflect the island rather than trying to copy cheaper imports
The history of Cyprus and the history of wine have been inextricably linked since the beginning of time, and indeed Cyprus is now believed to be one of the first countries in which viticulture and wine production was practised. However, the leading reputation secured thousands of years ago has led to a wine industry that now needs to pull itself together in order to sell wine both abroad and at home. A product that is not rated well internationally is also having to compete with cheaper imports at home.
There is historical evidence that wine was first produced between the years 5000 and 4000 BC in the eastern Mediterranean area, as far as Persia. The first areas to have produced wine appear to have been Mesopotamia, Persia, Cyprus, Greece and Egypt.
The significant role of wine in Cyprus over the Roman period is clearly evident in numerous mosaics, pots and sculptures, which were brought to light by archaeological excavations in Cyprus. This is not just history, though the current success of Cyprus wine is hampered due to the negative influence of the many invaders of the island, something that arguably affected the transfer of know-how within generations.
More recent history has had an impact too. Cyprus has been struggling to sell wine abroad since the demise of the Soviet bloc, which was the main market for our wines. When the Berlin wall collapsed, the island’s winemakers found it difficult to sell abroad.
Another mistake was that in the early nineties the government gave incentives to vine-growers to uproot local grape varieties and plant foreign grapes. Cyprus could never produce a cabernet sauvignon that that could compete with that produced by winemakers abroad with centuries of experience.
Now, the industry has realised the only way forward is to develop wines based on local grape varieties that foreign buyers would be interested in. It is no easy task. Cyprus wineries have got together and created a brand and image for Cyprus wine. Bacchus is the name of the Roman God of wine and intoxication, equated with the Greek god Dionysus, it is also the name of the Association of the Local Wine Producers of Cyprus.
The association was set up several years ago to try and help smaller wineries compete against their bigger and more traditional rivals. The aim was to group together to improve the quality of wine through the exchange of ideas.
Recently, the association commissioned consultants to introduce a national brand strategy for Cyprus wine. Six hundred oenologists, sommeliers, wine makers, journalists, managers/directors of wine companies, instructors at wine schools and cellar owners from across the island were asked about the current state of the wine industry in Cyprus.
International experts who filled out questionnaires about Cyprus’ quality of wine described it as average. However, they said the industry has the potential to expand and develop. To improve wine quality, winemakers should, among other things, work collectively, bring in external expertise and advice, decrease the volume of grape production, own vineyards (rather than them be owned by individuals), develop the use of technology and produce different wines for different target markets.
The survey also discovered that Cyprus has excellent potential for development if winemakers concentrate on local variety grapes that give optimum results, and promote their unique flavours and taste, as consumers are looking for something different and unique (international experts have criticised the government for encouraging the plantation of foreign grape varieties).
It was also found that Cyprus wine is currently overpriced, both in relation to its quality and to wines produced in other countries. Image must be built on and customers convinced that the current quality of wine has developed.
According to Seven’s resident wine expert, George Kassianos, the local wine industry has now committed itself to producing quality wine with a true expression of the Cypriot terroir and typicity of the local varietals. The vision of the association is to reflect the rich history of Cyprus wine and the feelings and character of the Cyprus soil and its people.
“The aim is to produce not only a superior quality wine but also a wine with an original Cypriot character,” said Kassianos. “The aim is for the consumer to enjoy an authentic Cypriot wine, and not a bad imitation of styles of wines produced in other countries. Cyprus wine will differentiate from imported ones. This will be achieved by co-ordinating all factors influencing the quality of wine during the wine production cycle. Quality and character then will be achieved with proper vineyard management, giving emphasis to the development of indigenous grape varieties, producing wine that is affordable with a ‘value for money’ price tag. The report identifies that exports in number are hard to achieve. The effort should instead be concentrated on creating quality rather than quantity. Thus any opportunity for exports should be considered as a bonus.”
He also said prices must be related to quality and the competition. “Reducing the cost of production is an absolute must. Our vineyards are not situated on flat plains to be able to use modern technology during harvest, thus labour costs are higher than in other countries.”
But there are other problems that must be overcome first. “Today, there are 40 wineries on the island and out of all the people employed, I would say that a maximum of five have professional winemaking training,” said Michel Constantin, oenologist and sommelier who runs Le Sommelier wine shop in Nicosia. “The others think they are experts, but being shown techniques by their fathers and grandfathers doesn’t qualify as professional training in my book.”
There is also a lack of consistency. “Wineries often don’t buy grapes from the same source, which is very important. You can buy two bottles of the same wine and vintage and they can taste completely different.
“And since Cyprus joined the EU, it’s cheaper to import foreign wines than it was before, meaning there is now real competition. A Cypriot shiraz retails for between £5 and £6, but a shiraz from Australia or Chile is available for the same price and is of better quality.”
It is not all bad news though, as significant progress has been made over the last few years. The biggest improvement in the quality of Cypriot wines came as a result of the creation of small, modern wineries. These so-called ‘boutique wineries’ have been built in the hills, right in the middle of the vineyards.
At the same time, the large traditional wine producers in Limassol: Keo, Etko, Sodap and Loel, have also been actively upgrading their facilities and vastly improving the quality of their wines by adding regional production centres in the area of the wine villages.
In 2001, Keo – which controls 40 per cent of the market in Cyprus, producing 3.5 million bottles annually – invested in a new, modern winery in Mallia. “The winery is a pioneer in its field,” managing director Constantinos Ioannou said. “We are the only wine producer in Cyprus to own our vineyards, where we have experimented with indigenous grape varieties as well as with foreign varieties, looking to see how they fit in with the local climate and terrain. This helps us to improve the quality of our product and is justified by our recent awards in the Limassol and Thessaloniki wine competitions.”
Despite our centuries of experience in wine-making, most producers are lagging behind the rest of the world in modern techniques. Founded in 1947, Sodap is one of the island’s big four. Alexis Machuca is an industrial wine chemist from Venezuela who has been working with Sodap for 20 y
ears.
“Ten years ago, we came up with the idea for a project to improve the quality of our wine,” he said. “Every year since then, we have been bringing an Australian winemaking expert to our facilities to teach us and this has really helped. Last year, we even sent one of our people to South Africa in order to learn from their winemaking experiences.”
Machuca said that, in his opinion, “the secret of good winemaking is in the selection of the vineyard and grape. Temperature control is also very important.” Stories abound in Cyprus of grapes being taken from vineyards to the wineries in Limassol in the midday heat, resulting in them fermenting in the back of lorries.
Speaking on the issue of a lack of consistency, Machuca said supermarkets and kiosks were also to blame. “Often, I see bottles lying in positions where they are hit by strong sunlight, with correct bottle positioning also being neglected.”
Sodap has produced a budget wine sold in Co-op shops in the UK named Island Vines. The company’s financial director said between 700,000 and 800,000 bottles of the wine are sold every year.
In March, the first annual Cyprus Wine Competition took place in Limassol. Its aim was to provide a forum for European and international recognition, which will act as a challenge to Cyprus’ wine producers. KEO’s St John Commandaria dessert wine was awarded the grand gold medal along with the 1998 St Nicholas Commandaria, produced by Etko.
Organised by the Wine Products Council, the competition saw 127 different Cypriot wines from 30 winemakers tested. It was officially recognised by the EU, with Stavros Ioannides, Senior Officer of the Council, describing the event as the most important wine event to take place in Cyprus in the last 45 years.
“It’s a challenge to winemakers and promotes good competition,” he said. The competition is recognition of winemakers’ efforts and encourages them to experiment in order to produce better quality wine every year.”
One of the judges, Nicos Manessis, explained what the panel was looking for in a good wine. “It must be ahead of the pack and stand out and be exceptional. We are here to see where Cypriot wines are compared with their international counterparts,” he said.
“The wines have both local and international character and are helped by the maritime climate. The wine industry here is coming along and maturing. We can say that it is in transition, it’s moving into more quality and boutique wines and is growing up.”
“The Cyprus wine industry has hugely improved in quality in the last ten years,” president of the judging committee, Koukis Dionysios, said. “Young winemakers have recently entered the market and they have produced good wines, focusing on quality rather than quantity.”
The Boutique Winery
The Vassiliko Winery Development in Kyperounda was founded in 1998 with the aim of utilising good quality grapes from the Pitsilia area.
And according to spokesman Minas Mina the setup allows the production of smaller quantities “so we can concentrate on quality, for example, by better selecting raw materials, ie grapes. We are a small winery producing 200,000 bottles per year, comprised of five labels of red, white and ros? wines. Each label is very carefully produced using the strictest quality control measures.”
When asked whether boutique wineries charged higher prices for their products, Minas responded by saying: “higher quality does not always mean a higher price.”
He said the winery is advantaged by being located very close to grape-producing areas, leading to shorter transportation times. “Our location also allows us to monitor grape maturation and quality.”
Wine in the EU
l The EU is the world’s largest producer, consumer, exporter and importer of wine. Although it has held this position for years – supported by centuries of know-how and tradition – we cannot take it for granted that this will last forever. Even worse, as it may not be long before Europe becomes a net importer
l There are huge wine surpluses – estimated at 1.5 billion litres in Europe, enough for every European citizen to take roughly four free bottles each
l The EU has to face heavily increasing imports of ‘New World’ wines, (Australia, Chile, South Africa, USA) who have drastically multiplied their exports whereas the EU’s exports continue to rise slowly.
l In a nutshell, Europe is producing too much poor quality wine for which there is no market. As a result, too much money – around half a billion euros a year – is spent on measures to dispose of, store and distil wine surpluses into spirits and industrial alcohol
l Wine constitutes one of the primary agricultural products in the EU, contributing three times as much as sugar beet, two and a half times more than olive oil and only slightly less than wheat
l France is the largest producer, churning out 30.6 per cent of the EU total. It accounts for half the production of the EU 25 in terms of value – worth €7.7 billion.
Wine in Cyprus
l When asked when they consume wine, the top answer from Cypriot consumers was “with friends”, with 24.4 per cent of the vote. During festive vacations was closely behind with 24.2 per cent, while family gatherings received 22.1 per cent. Restaurants were ranked fourth with 19 per cent, with 8.2 per cent of respondents saying home alone
l A staggering 87 per cent of men and women across all age groups prefer local wines, with 97.6 per cent of those over 60 preferring Cyprus wines. However, the research showed that younger generations seem to prefer imported wines, about 20 per cent of them drink such wines
l Red wines have the majority of the vote with 60.3 per cent, followed by whites at 36.8 and ros? at 2.9 per cent
l When asked whether they are brand loyal, 55.6 per cent said they were
l On the factors influencing purchasing decisions, taste came out top with 26.1 per cent of the vote, followed by aroma at 19.8 per cent. Surprisingly perhaps, country of origin was way down the list with only 1.8 per cent
l Men are more concerned with price, with bottling and labelling more of a factor for women
l 70 per cent of respondents think Cyprus wine offers good value for money
