Organic Viticulture. A step towards sustainability In 2019 the Xynisteri vineyard in Mandria, from which we produce our Xynisteri Single Vineyard and our Margelina vineyard in Agios Nikolaos, were the first two vineyards which received official organic certification. The certification process took 3 years and was closely monitored by LACON, a certifying company for organic produce, complying with Cyprus government and EU regulations. Turning from conventional viticulture to organic viticulture takes a lot of effort and
This blog post was published by Cyprus Mail in their Sunday Newspaper on 17 May 2020 in the 'Opinion' section, see article here Our Island is abundant. Now is the time to support local producers In a time of crisis our first reflex is our safety and wellbeing. Our family, our friends and our direct community are the most precious. We want to make sure we are all healthy, keep our jobs and maintain a lifestyle
How to avoid too much of that evil word ‘screen time’. Not so easy these days with two little kids demanding your attention 24/7, while being confined to our own house. We are lucky to be able to walk in the fields around our house without breaking our ‘social distancing’ commitment. We are also lucky to have very friendly neighbours with lots of fruit trees in their garden. The only one left with an
Yes it is the ‘art of winemaking’, that makes a good wine, we all know that. But that is not the type of art that I want to share with you in this story. I would like to write about ‘art’ as we know it; fine arts, paintings, drawings, expressions of creativity and philosophy. Does being surrounded by those during wine production help make a better wine? Nobody knows, but it certainly creates an
Sometimes people ask me: ‘Is it not boring to live in a small village in Cyprus as a young and dynamic person? Doesn’t your world become so small?’ I am very happy that I can give them a fully convinced “NO” for an answer. The truth is, at first I did not expect to find a lot of excitement in a rural life and being away from the city. I was afraid to miss out on
From time to time, we would like to share a recipe with you. An all-time favourite of the Zambartas family, something traditional Cypriot or an exciting new discovery in a cookbook. Today’s recipe, is lamb from the oven. Lamb is a classic for anybody that grew up in Cyprus or visits the island frequently. It was rightly so included in a beautiful book called “Cyprus, a culinary journey”. A culinary travel book with recipes of
Today I experienced my first real ‘baptism’ into the tradition of Easter Flaounes. Yes, during my years in Cyprus, I ate them, both homemade and from the bakery. There is no way to escape them during Easter time in Cyprus. The oven baked pastries, stuffed with a mixture of halloumi, anari, herbs, raisins and eggs, are a good savoury snack. However, I never developed a real liking for them. Until today. Today I learned that
I discovered this salad a few years ago in one of my favorite cooking books* and it quickly became a ‘regular’ on the Zambartas’ family table. It is a perfect side dish or starter for a bbq party, but also delicious on its own for a light summer lunch or dinner wit a glass of Rose. The mix of dades and almonds, which give the salad a sweet note, is perfectly balanced by the
The visit of our Australian friends last week to Cyprus, threw Marcos and I back in time 10 years (!), to the place where our story started. Down under, between the vines and kangaroos, Marcos became a winemaker and I entered the Zambartas story. Australia is really at the heart of our winery and family in many ways. It was Marcos bold decision to study winemaking there, instead of in Europe, and fly to the
This year our vintage team is joined by Marie Tabar, 3rd year student of Enology at SupAgro Montpellier and Natalia Kataiftsi, who just finished her masters in Viticulture & Enology in Thessaloniki. Marie will be assisting Marcos in the winery, whereas Natalia’s focus will be mostly on the vineyards, where she helps Christodoulos. So ladies, let’s introduce you to our readers! Where & how did you grow up? Marie I have grown up in a little village of
August started and it seems the whole of Europe is on holidays. I receive pictures from all my friends on the beach, sightseeing and relaxing… From the moment I met Marcos, and we decided things would get ‘serious’, I knew that I would never be going for holidays anymore in August! Instead I would be either working hard or be at home waiting for him while he is busy with the harvest. Over the years
The season of stonefruits started in Cyprus, a mark for the start of summer! I personally love all stone fruits; apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines… They are a source of antioxidants, the kids adore them and their full sweet taste and balanced acidity make them perfect for baking and cooking desserts. In Cyprus they are grown in abundance. Our local grocery store stacks full crates of them as soon as you enter the door. Even the