The history of the Zambartas family in wine goes back to the 1970’s, when Akis Zambartas, a then young man, went to France to study Chemistry in Lyon and then Enology in Montpellier. He returned to Cyprus as the first university educated enologist of the island and was set for a successful career at one of the major wineries of the island.

His academic mind did not rest and in the 1980’s he conducted a research that would change the course of the Cypriot wine industry 20 years later. In a four year long pioneering research he identified and recorded 13 lost Cypriot indigenous grape varieties.

Fast forward to 2006, and Akis decides to follow his dream of establishing his own boutique winery with the focus on making quality wine from indigenous varieties. The pivotal point was the decision of his son, Marcos Zambartas, to quit the corporate world and fly to Australia to become a winemaker.

Two years later Marcos returned from Australia with hands-on winemaking experience, a Dutch girlfriend and a Master degree in Winemaking from the University of Adelaide. He immediately joined his father on the cellar floor. The first years working together in the new winery were a constant quest for achieving quality and keeping true to our Cypriot identity.

Since then, Zambartas Wineries has grown to a production of 120.000 bottles a year and established itself as a pioneering, quality producer. We manage over 13 hectares of vineyards, both young and old, which are tended organically by our dedicated team. We have introduced the innovative ‘Single Vineyard’ Range and constantly look for ways to improve.

Marcos currently runs the winery together with his, by now, wife Marleen, and their team with a lot of passion and enthusiasm. New projects, goals and challenges lay ahead, which we take up with a lot of happiness, knowing that our wines are an integral part of people having a great time together.

Marcos Zambartas 
Growing up as the son of a winemaker, Marcos was introduced to the wine world from a young age. He first completed his Bachelor and Masters degree in Chemistry at Imperial University London, and worked for a few years in the corporate world before realizing that he wanted to spend his future making wines. He went to the Provence and New Zealand to gain hands-on experience, and continued his journey to Adelaide in order to learn the scientific side of the discipline at Adelaide University, where he gained his Masters Degree in Enology. This life changing adventure was the starting point of an exciting life as a winemaker. Through his international exposure, Marcos acquired the knowledge of the latest practices in modern winemaking and his pioneering and inventive mind is constantly in search for improvement, from the smallest detail in the winery to experimenting with indigenous grape varieties. He simply loves every moment of the creation.

Marleen Zambartas
Growing up in the Netherlands, Marleen could have never imagined finding herself at a winery in Cyprus. It all started when she was a university student of history and applied for an exchange program in Australia. She met Marcos there and the rest is history. She embraced a rural lifestyle in Cyprus and immersed herself into the wine world. Being an excellent communicator and admittedly having the most charming smile of the lot, Marleen has become a strong pillar of the Zambartas brand. She is responsible for our online activities, export markets ,and taking care of the youngest generation of the Zambartas family. Her secret cooking talent is unveiled when we celebrate the end of the harvest!

Sebastian & Emilia Zambartas
The kids, the youngest generation of Zambartas! Sebastian was born in the middle of harvest in 2015. A boy with a strong character, just like his father. He started to really enjoy the winery life and is particularly intrigued by the tractors and all big machines. Emilia joined the gang in autumn 2017 and walks around the winery with flair and determination. Oh and she loves cuddles from the winery team!

Akis Zambartas – In Memorian
Akis Zambartas, our father and father in law, was the founder of Zambartas Wineries in 2006 and a leading authority on Cyprus wines for many years. After a long career in the wine business, he decided to follow his dream and build his own boutique winery. Within a few years, with enormous energy and passion, he built the winery and established the brand. We are very grateful for the foundations of the family winery that Akis has laid for us and we will always remember his sheer love and passion for wine and especially the Cyprus grape varieties. Akis made a vital contribution to Cypriot wine history with his project to re-discover Cyprus’ indigenous grape varieties in years long pioneering research in the 1980’s. Please read more about this project here.

We are very fortunate to have found a solid and hardworking fulltime team, as well as valuable consultants over the years. We all share a determination to do things the Zambartas way, think differently, be proactive and treat people & nature with respect. What’s even better is that we all like each other’s company, enjoy sharing a good joke and generally have a lot of fun working together.

The pool of dedicated people from Agios Amvrosios that take up any seasonal work, such as harvesting, sorting and bottling with a positive spirit, deserve a special mention. After all, it takes a village…to make good wine!