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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

A modern and easily distinguishable label. Different from the Zambartas Range, and at the same time in line with our characteristic style. Something that expresses the vineyard. The soil. The vines. The beauty of its age. The typical way it is cultivated. The robust character of a vine in a hot climate.  Something that touches on the essence of a Single Vineyard Range. And finally, something that makes the label ‘ours’. All of the above

The Vineyard The vineyard was planted in Spring of 1989; at a moment that I was a young boy, probably not too eager to return to primary school in Nicosia after the Easter holidays. I could have never imagined that skipping 25 years, the vineyard was purchased by our winery and the vision of a Xynisteri Single Vineyard label would start to morph. The vineyard is unique in many ways. Its south-west orientation allows for enough

If you walk into our cellar during the harvest period, you are entering a happy but noisy place. There is always some machinery working. The press might be finishing it pressing cycle. Pumps can be running. The crushing machine could be in full swing. The forklift moving around a small tank.  Crates unloading. Stainless steel tools clinging and singing. Tanks providing background noise of soft fermentation bubbling. On top of that there is the team

Her eyes squeezed against the bright sunlight. Her hair was covered with a scarf, her face full of deep lines from age and years of work in the fields. Her hands dirty and rough, holding her pruning scissors. Behind her, her husband was loading their donkey with grapes. Kuria Eleftheria looked at me in a disapproving way and then said: ‘This girl is no good for picking grapes, why did you bring her to the

I have been contemplating for a long while about starting a blog, and decided that with the launch of our new website, the time has  come to finally pick up my pen. My next doubt was whether to write under a pen-name or just as me, Marleen. I choose a pen-name; ‘winemaker’s wife’. Not because I just define myself as the ‘the wife of’. That is way too non-feminist for me. Besides that I

Akis Zambartas, during his career as Oenologist in KEO, re-discovered 12 native Cypriot grape varieties. During the 3 year long pioneering research, Akis discovered, recorded, planted and vinified these varieties. This impressive contribution to the Cyprus viticulture granted Akis the membership to the prestigious International Academy of Wine (AIV). Below you can read Akis’ account of the three year project, which shows his pivotal role in the rediscovery and saving of an important part of Cyprus

This year our vintage team was joined by Morphee Besseau, 2nd year student of Enology & Marketing at Bordeaux University and Jade Godmuse, student of food technology and applicant at SupAgro Montpellier.  Two hard working, focussed, but also fun and social French girls. Let’s meet them! So ladies, let’s introduce you first! Where & how did you grow up? Jade I grew up in the western suburb of Paris, close to Versailles. I have one younger brother