Wine on the side
Small, Dhali-based winery churns out some winners
WHEN the Christoudias family began their winery in Dhali, Cyprus already boasted numerous small wineries. All were making different wines to suit different palettes, leading John Christoudias to produce something different still.
Love, zeal and passion for fine wine were the driving forces for setting up this small and reliable winery. John and his wife, Alexia, own several vineyards near her home village of Mesana, situated on the wine-making ridge between the Dhiarizos and Xeros valleys in the Paphos district. The venture was set off in the mid nineties. Experience and knowledge were not on John’s side at the time so he relied heavily on his neighbours. The first year’s production was no more than 150 liters, a wine that was destined to be enjoyed among family and friends. However, that year John took big decisions as he was pleased with the wine: first to increase the production of the wine and, most importantly, to learn as much as he could about wine-making so that he could experiment with and improve his wine.
John is an employee of the Inland Revenue department; wine making is a time-consuming hobby that has kept him busy in his spare time. He participated in evening oenology courses run by the Department of Agriculture and, through them, his passion grew. There he met other wine growers and he found them interesting to be with. He especially enjoyed the question and answer sessions at the end of each lesson, something that gave him food for thought.
John recognised that good wine means looking after the grape in the vineyard. He spent time in meetings with growers in the Paphos district and put forward his ideas. Agreements were reached and then he set off to build his winery. A suitable building was found on the Dhali industrial estate on the southern outskirts of Nicosia. He has named the winery Krelan which is a mixture of syllables taken from the name of his three children, and has chosen Tihikos as the name for his wine, which is in fact, the name of the church in his wife’s village. Equipment was bought from Italy, all state of the art, a contrast to his semi-automatic bottling machine which requires three people to operate.
Production has risen to about 30,000 bottles. Still, John spends time with the vine growers, especially during harvest period when, a fortnight beforehand, he checks the sugar content of the different grape varieties daily. His contracts with vine growers stretch as far as Panayia village in Paphos. This involves a fair amount of driving throughout the year.
Krelan winery creates only limited quantities of wine. Tihikos white dry is made from the traditional grape variety Xinisteri whereas the Tihikos red dry is made with a blend of native and imported varieties. However, John is one of the few wine-makers who produce successfully wines from the Malaga grape – the Tihikos Moschato dry.
WINES OF THE WEEK
Tihikos Moschato dry, Mesana Krelan Winery, Alcohol Volume 12%
Malaga is a grape variety better known as Muscat. Straw yellow in colour, this is a floral wine packed with grapey flavours with hints of orange blossoms and honeysuckle on the nose. It is balanced with a little zip of acidity and pure fruit concentration. Drink while young at 9ºC with avocado salad, chicken with grapes or oriental sauces with a ginger base. A silver winner at Thessalonica 2005 International Wine competition.
Anna Maria Maratheftiko, Tihikos, Mesana Krelan Winery, Alcohol Volume 13%
Yet another silver winner, twice in 2005 and 2004 and a bronze in 2003 at the same competition. This is a dark red in colour with sour blackcurrants staying in the air along with earthy and leather aromas. Blackcurrant and black cherry fruits fill the palate of this full-bodied red with subtle tannins. Ageing potential up to 5 years. Served at 18ºC with roast red meat and game.
Tihikos Cabernet Sauvignon, Mesana Krelan Winery, Alcohol Volume 13%
A silver winner in 2004 and 2005, this red varietal has a dark ruby red with restrained toast aromas of dusky forest fruits and with some vanilla notes. Dense palate of restrained cassis, strawberry and black fruit allied to integrated tannins. The age potential is for four more years with classic Cabernet Sauvignon food combinations served at 17º.
