Cyprus wine competition kicks off in Limassol

Wine connoisseurs have gathered in Limassol to sample a variety of 145 wines from 30 Cypriot wineries over the course of four days to find the best in the category of dry, semidry and semisweet wines and the category of sweet wines.

The winners will be awarded during a ceremony on Friday at Opus One Venue in Limassol.

The 16th Cyprus Wine Competition is being held under the auspices of the agriculture ministry, Cyprus’ EU presidency and the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

Agriculture ministry permanent secretary Andreas Gregoriou told a press conference on Monday, signalling the beginning of the oenophile event, that “investing in quality, tradition and the uniqueness of Cypriot agricultural products, such as our wines, is a priority for the government.”

The competition, Gregoriou said, would be judged by a seven-member committee comprising experts in the field, such as French oenologist Dominique Tusseau, who has been appointed chairman of the committee.

Also on the committee are oenologists Mariam Khomasuridze from Georgia, Tamas David Duzsi from Hungaria and Marin Berovic from Slovenia, and sommeliers Jiachen Lu from the UK, Pierre Vila Palleja from France and Maria Massoura from Cyprus.

Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis said hosting such an event was an honour for Limassol, which boasted its own wine villages, where tradition was handed down from generation to generation, each one adding modern know-how and innovation to winemaking.