Vouni Panayia

It was in 1987 that Andreas Kyriakides, after gaining valuable experience and knowledge at the Department of Viticulture and Oenology of the Ministry of Agriculture, decided to turn his interest and passion for wine into a palpable project: the establishment of the first private regional winery in Cyprus, Vouni Panayia.

Today, it remains a strictly family business. Now in charge of winemaking are Yiannis and Pavlos Kiriakidis. Both graduated from the viticulture and oenology department at the University of Florence before training in Tuscany.

The Vineyards

Ranging between 850 to 1,100 meters above sea level, the family’s vineyards spread over 35 hectares surrounded by pine forests.

One of the main reasons for establishing the winery in the first place was to rescue from extinction and revive the trove of indigenous varieties the island is known for. Indeed, in this unique terroir, under the Troodos mountains, Andreas Kyriakides planted exclusively autochthonous varieties: Xynisteri, Promara, Spourtiko, Morokanela, and Vasilissa for white wines; Maratheftiko, Yiannoudi and Mavro for reds. Names you probably never heard of.

In these Phyloxera-free vineyards – the aphid never reached Cyprus - the vines are ungrafted, planted on their original roots. They are dry farmed and trained in the traditional Gobelet system (bush vines).

The climate is mediterranean. But make no mistake, the temperate summers cooled by the Troodos mountain peaks often pushes the harvest till late October.

Soil composition ranges from volcanic to limestone and clay. Vouni Panayia’s vineyards have a high clay to gypsum-clay component, which helps retain water in the dry conditions of Cyprus.

Reaching the vine-blanketed mountaintop, you get to appreciate that the name of the winery is well earned. Vouni, means mountain after all.