Fourth Cypriot Wine Competition

Saturday, March 14, 9 o’clock in the evening. Mr Yiannakis Georgiades, Director of the Wine Products Council (W.P.C.) and inspirer of the Cypriot wine competition, thanks in a brief and concise speech all those who had contributed to the whole organization of the competition. Shortly after, in a somehow longer intervention, the president of the 

The President of the Republic of Cyprus awards the Grand Gold to Mr Pambos Argyrides for Maratheftiko 2007.

I have attended all four gold award ceremonies of the equal in number competitions that had been held so far. I ought to say that the last one was the best organized as it evolved quickly with no obstructions whatsoever. The interventions of the speakers were few and sound, the award unobstructed, the waiting on the 200 and more people present without any long intervals or tiresome delays. I would like to congratulate the organizers on their excellent job.

The Cypriot Wine Competition is now an institution. It is another step in the evaluation of Cyprus produced wines, which has a lot to offer to all local vine growers and wine makers if we see it in its true aspect. It is also a way to attract the attention of the media in Cyprus and abroad. Beyond the televised, radio broadcasting and printed coverage that the competition has, this year we had the chance to be heard, even a little, to the international wine market through the foreign wine journalists from Greece, UK and Israel that the W.P.C. had invited. This year 136 wines from 32 wine makers took part in the competition, out of which 111 were dry, while the rest were semi-dry, medium-sweet or sweet. They were given 40 medals in total, two of which were grand gold, 11 gold and 27 silver ones.

The grand gold ones were awarded to Commandaria St Nicholas 2000 of ETKO and Maratheftiko 2007 of the Argyrides estate. The eleven in total gold medals went to the following wines in the given order.

Commandaria St John, KEO

Muscat 2006, Ayia Mavri

Commandaria Legacy 2000, Lambouri

Muscat 2007, Ayia Mavri

Andessitis 2006, Kyperounda winery

Zambartas Shiraz-Lefkada 2007, Zambartas winery

Commandaria Saint Barnabas 2005, SODAP

Constantino Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Erimoudes

Muscat 2008, Ayia Mavri

Maratheftiko 2006, Vardalis

Petritis 2007, Kyperounda winery

You can find on the W.P.C. web site (www.wpc.org.cy) where the 27 silver ones went. I will keep some space for some indications I consider advisable to make.

Analyzing the results of the last competition, I noticed that seven out of the 13 wines that were awarded grand gold or gold medals were sweet wines, four Commandaria and three Muscat. This should trouble the wine makers and all those who are involved with vine growing and wine producing in Cyprus since we have been successfully producing Commandaria and sweet Muscat for centuries now. What needs improvement and further effort is the production of dry wines with a modern, but at the same time authentic organoleptic profile, something that we already do, but at a slow pace.

I am of the opinion that no wines that succeed to receive a medal in a competition should have the right to participate again in the next one. There is a risk of wearying the consumer and seeing in the first top ten gold awarded wines four or five Muscat of four different vintages of the same wine maker. Something like this would not contribute to the conservation of interest.

I reserve myself to taste with the first opportunity the wines that singled out and not only those at the fourth Cypriot Wine Competition, analyzing my comments and evaluations. Until then, allow me to congratulate not only all those wine makers that had succeeded  to be distinguished by winning a medal, but also all wine makers that had entered their wines to the competition, but failed to receive a medal out of bad luck or timing and surely not intentionally. Let them not worry, as time and consistency in quality will do them justice. No major wine maker was lost just because he could not win some medal in a specific organization. They are not few though, those who were rocketed to the skies by chance, either due to a medal they had won or a high evaluation they had received by a wine critic and then vanished immediately after as short-lived and cheap fireworks of the moment.

29/03/2009