Cyprus has always been at the center of wine culture. In 2005, a team of archaeologists concluded that some Chalcolithic wine vessels, discovered in the village of Erimi in the 1930s, were the oldest of their kind in the world, dating back to 3,500 BC. This was the proof that the first wines in the Mediterranean region were produced in Cyprus. They are kept in the Cyprus Museum.
Most wines of Cyprus consist of high quality indigenous varieties such as Xinisteri, Maratheftiko, Morokanella, Giannoudi, Sprurtiko, Mavro and Promara.
Today, Cyprus has about 70 wineries, most of them small family. As the years go by, a growing number of the island’s wineries are gaining recognition with international awards and raising the bar in the Cypriot wine sector.