Commandaria: The Wine of Apostles

July 4, 2024

Cyprus is home to the world’s oldest wine which is still in production. This luscious drink is said to be the world's oldest wine appellation that dates back to 800 B.C. Commandaria is an amber coloured, dessert wine produced from Xynisteri (white grape) and Mavro (red grape) cultivated in Cyprus. These grapes are grown in the southern slopes of Troodos Mountains. Commandaria wine is rich in natural sugars and its alcohol content varies between 15 to 20% ABV.The Cypriot law (controlled designation of origin) legally permits production of Commandaria in a specific fourteen-village zone at the foot of the Troodos Mountain, between 500 and 900 meters above sea level.

History 

In the 12th century, after conquering Cyprus, Richard, the Lionheart organized his wedding there, raised a glass of Commandaria to his union with Berengaria of Navarre. He called the wine as “the wine of kings and the king of wines.”Later, the location surrounding the village of La Grand Commanderie was given to the Knights Templar by Richard and this is where the word "Commandaria" is thought to have originated. The growth and cultivation of vineyards in the region was greatly aided by the Knights Templar. The wine is said to be named in the 13th century by crusading knights. The renaming of the local wine was done in order to increase the sales of the wine among European aristocrats. 

Historical accounts have also mentioned this sweet wine, especially the works of poets and writers such as Homer and Hesiod. Some individuals believe that the Iliad's reference to a sweet wine from Cyprus in the Iliad is an early allusion to Commandaria. An attempt was made in the fourteenth century to grow vines from Cyprus in Portugal in order to replicate this wine. This is the history of how the famous Madeira wine was made. 

Making Commandaria

As was previously mentioned, Commandaria is prepared from two native grape kinds that are grown in certain vineyards on the southern slopes of the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus: Mavro, which is red, and Xynisteri, which is white. Late season harvesting usually allows the grapes to fully mature and generate high sugar levels. The concentration of sugars required for Commandaria's rich and sugary flavor depends on this late picking. Following harvesting, the grapes are stretched out on mats or trays and left in the sun for seven to fourteen days, a technique known as ‘stafili’, or traditional sun-drying. They dry out and concentrate their sugars, tastes, and smells throughout this period. 

The grapes are dried and then carefully pressed to release their highly sugared, deeply flavored juice. The fermenting process for the pressed juice (must) takes place in concrete or stainless steel tanks. In order to retain the grapes' inherent sweetness, the fermentation is purposefully stopped at a specific point, leaving behind residual sugar in the finished wine. After that, Commandaria is matured for a considerable amount of time—usually several years—in oak barrels. The wine gains depth from this maturing procedure, acquiring flavors of caramel, almonds, dried fruits, and spices.The wine may be blended to achieve consistency in flavor and style across different vintages. This blending process ensures that each bottle reflects the unique character and its quality. Commandaria, known for its long aging potential is finally bottled and labelled. The final colour of the wine largely depends on the proportion of Xynisteri and Mavro grapes used in the making. The light amber colour of the wine means the blend is having more of Xynisteri grapes whereas dark amber colour indicates the presence of Mavro grapes. 

Consuming Commandaria

The ideal serving temperature for Commandaria is 12–14°C (54–57°F), served in tulip-shaped glasses, and slightly chilled. A wide range of sweets go nicely with the wine, but those with chocolate, honey, caramel, nuts, and dried fruits go especially well. It’s a perfect pair for strong cheeses, such as old cheddar or blue cheese.

It can also be savored as a digestive by itself and serves as a lovely addition to a spectacular dessert spread or a stunning mealtime conclusion.

 

 

 

By Varghese Johnson
To submit your article / poem / short story to Daijiworld, please email it to news@daijiworld.com mentioning 'Article/poem submission for daijiworld' in the subject line. Please note the following:

  • The article / poem / short story should be original and previously unpublished in other websites except in the personal blog of the author. We will cross-check the originality of the article, and if found to be copied from another source in whole or in parts without appropriate acknowledgment, the submission will be rejected.
  • The author of the poem / article / short story should include a brief self-introduction limited to 500 characters and his/her recent picture (optional). Pictures relevant to the article may also be sent (optional), provided they are not bound by copyright. Travelogues should be sent along with relevant pictures not sourced from the Internet. Travelogues without relevant pictures will be rejected.
  • In case of a short story / article, the write-up should be at least one-and-a-half pages in word document in Times New Roman font 12 (or, about 700-800 words). Contributors are requested to keep their write-ups limited to a maximum of four pages. Longer write-ups may be sent in parts to publish in installments. Each installment should be sent within a week of the previous installment. A single poem sent for publication should be at least 3/4th of a page in length. Multiple short poems may be submitted for single publication.
  • All submissions should be in Microsoft Word format or text file. Pictures should not be larger than 1000 pixels in width, and of good resolution. Pictures should be attached separately in the mail and may be numbered if the author wants them to be placed in order.
  • Submission of the article / poem / short story does not automatically entail that it would be published. Daijiworld editors will examine each submission and decide on its acceptance/rejection purely based on merit.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to edit the submission if necessary for grammar and spelling, without compromising on the author's tone and message.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to reject submissions without prior notice. Mails/calls on the status of the submission will not be entertained. Contributors are requested to be patient.
  • The article / poem / short story should not be targeted directly or indirectly at any individual/group/community. Daijiworld will not assume responsibility for factual errors in the submission.
  • Once accepted, the article / poem / short story will be published as and when we have space. Publication may take up to four weeks from the date of submission of the write-up, depending on the number of submissions we receive. No author will be published twice in succession or twice within a fortnight.
  • Time-bound articles (example, on Mother's Day) should be sent at least a week in advance. Please specify the occasion as well as the date on which you would like it published while sending the write-up.

Comment on this article

  • Dr Richard Pais, Bejai, Mangalore

    Sun, Jul 07 2024

    Congratulations Varghese for your informative article on Commandaria.


Leave a Comment

Title: Commandaria: The Wine of Apostles



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.