Route №4 Starting point !
We leave to travel along route №4 and we will walk on the so called Krasochoria Lemesou route, or Wine-Making Villages of Limassol. We are in for wonderful landscapes, cosy little villages, local food and a fun day out .
After Limassol we are heading for the road А6 in the direction of Paphos. At first we will pass the ancient Kolossi castle, where the production of the world’s oldest wine, Cyprus commandaria, began during the medieval times.
Not far from the castle we see the citrus plantations. These plantations produce tons of fruit every year. They are well worth a visit when they are in blossom, it really is an unforgettable sight!
From Village To Village
In the village of Erimi a visit to the wine museum of Cyprus is a must. The building was constructed in the local traditional style with bricks hewn out from the rocky sandstone.
Here you will be told about the history of wine making in Cyprus, traditions of wine makers and, of course, they will allow you to taste the wonderful Cypriot wine. But do not hurry, there are many other wonderful wineries on the way.
There are about 20 villages, surrounded by many vineyards, on our route. The route is so beautiful that you can almost begin to understand the famous words of the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy: “I would want my way to last as long as possible.”
These regions grows about 23 different varieties of grapes: white xynisteri, palomino, malvasia, sauvingnon blanc, sauvignon black, riesling, semillion, chardonnay, malaga and red mavro, ophtalmo, maratheftiko, сarre noir, mataro, cabernet sauvingnon, cabernet franc, alicante, grenache, syrah, merlot and lefkada.
The next stop is the village of Agios Amvrosios to visit the first winery, Gaia Oinotechniki, founded in 1988 and famous for its perfect rose and red wines. Here you could try the refreshing Ambelida wine with its wonderful floral fragrance made from grapes of the xynisteri variety.
One of our favorite wineries, Zambartas, is also located here. If you visit the winery between Monday and Saturday, you will be able to participate in tasting some of the best wines of Cyprus. They have a wonderful Rose wine, which has won prestigious awards in competitions throughout Cyprus and Europe,
Further onto more interesting sites
The journey continues till thе village of Koilani, where it is possible to visit two wonderful wineries . Winery Agia Mavri was founded in 1983, but even within such a short period its wines gained popularity on the island, the sweet muscat from this winery has brought its owners publicity on the international market by winning the highest marks of specialists.
Not far from that place there is the Vardalis winery, where you should pay special attention to red wine of the maratheftiko variety.
Visiting the village in the middle of September or start of October, when the Cypriot Grape festival Afamiya is taking place, is an especially interesting experience, it focuses on everything derived from grapes.
We leave Koilani and start for the village of Mandria, where there is yet another pleasant surprise, the winery M. Antoniades, which produces wines of controlled appellation of origin.
This winery produces Cyprus’ only sparkling wine prepared to the traditional technology. The brand, under which the wines are produced, is called Kastelani, and here you can get acquainted with four types of wine, white sparkling wine, commandaria (nama) and zivania.
Tasting takes place on an open balcony, from where a breathtaking view of Troodos mountains can be enjoyed.
Each Winery is unique
On the way to the village Каtо Platres we stop at a wonderful large building, the Lambouris winery. You must try the Lambouri white and Chardonnay, which have been kept in oak barrels.
After this winery we are moving on in the direction of the village of Оmоdоs, where we plan to visit the family winery Zenon. This winery has a significant choice of wines, some of them have pictures of the founders of winery on them, but please pay attention to the fresh white wine made from xynisteri, which has a perfect aroma and taste.
We then leave Omodos and start off to one of our favorite villages, Vаsa, where the winery Vasa is located. They produce wine from xynisteri and chardonnay, mataro, cabernet sauvignon and maratheftiko.
Not far from Vasa there is the village Malia, where we will find a winery of one of the representatives of the Big Four of Cypriot Wine-Makers, KEO. The winery was established in 1927 and is one of the oldest of the wine-making enterprises of Cyprus.
The Return Journey
It is worth visiting the village of Arsos on the way back and spending some time in this pituresqe place.
Maybe sit in a village tаvern, have a snack and rest before starting for the Nikolettino winery. The owner of this winery prefers to make his wine from local varieties of grapes, which is why you must try wine made from the xynisteri variety.
From Arsos we will move toward the village of Pachna, but our key goal is the last winery, located in the village of Anogyra.
Close to Anogyra there is another interesting place, the Oleastro olive park, which has a modern olive press, aninteresting olive мuseum and also a restaurant and a shop.
So, we are arriving to the winery of Nicolaides, which produces about 100,000 bottles of wonderful wine each year. We advise you try the red wine made from the maratheftiko variety, white dry chardonnay and an extremely interesting rose wine, as well as the dessert wine made from muscat.
Conclusion
Of course, you are unlikely to cover the whole route within one day.
Although the villages are located close to each other, we advise you split your journey. You can stay in one of the village hotels and enjoy the atmosphere of Cyprus even more. visiting each of the wineries does not really take just 15 minutes, because the history of each is special.
This is why it’s better to allocate more time and enjoy a chat with the owners — believe mе, you will find out many interesting and useful things!
