🍷 Commandaria

Commandaria (Κουμανδαρία) is a sweet wine from Cyprus with a protected designation of origin. It is made only in 14 villages north of Limassol from sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro grapes and aged at least two years in oak. Its specification calls it the oldest appellation of origin, a name linked to the Knights of St John. ¹³

Two EU categories. Commandaria is registered as two kinds of grapevine product: liqueur wine (category 3) and wine from raisined grapes (category 15), both defined in the EU's common market regulation. ⁴⁵ Long-term data give the liqueur version on average 14.5% vol, 180 g/l of sugar and 53 mg/l of sulphur dioxide, and the raisined-grape version 12% vol and 220 g/l of sugar. ⁴

Fourteen mountain villages. The area covers Agios Georgios, Agios Konstantinos, Agios Mamas, Agios Pavlos, Apsiou, Gerasa, Doros, Zoopigi, Kalo Chorio, Kapileio, Lania, Louvaras, Monagri and Silikou, with vineyards at 400–900 m. In the west, poor calcareous soils lie on slopes of 10–30°; in the east, an extension of the Troodos range, stony volcanic soils on slopes over 30° are terraced. ³

Sun and winter rain. From 1991 to 2005 the mean daily temperature was 17.7 °C, 24.3–27 °C in summer and 8.9–10.5 °C in winter, with 8.4 hours of sunshine a day. About 650 mm of rain falls a year, mostly from December to March. ³⁴ Under EU law, Cypriot vineyards above 600 m belong to wine-growing zone C III (a) and lower ones to C III (b). ⁵

Two local grapes. Only white Xynisteri and red Mavro are used, trained as low goblets. The original technical file required vineyards at least 4 years old, with at least 275 vines per decare for those planted before 1969 and 200 for later ones, and capped the yield at 4,500 kg/ha. The 2017 amendment raised the minimum vineyard age to 5 years, in line with the other Cypriot PDOs. ³⁴

Drying in the sun. At harvest the juice needs at least 212 g/l of sugar for Xynisteri and 258 g/l for Mavro. After the grapes are exposed to the sun, usually for about two weeks, the sugar rises to 390–450 g/l, and the juice may not be extracted with continuous presses. ³⁴

Fortification and oak. The liqueur version is fortified only after fermentation ends, and the base wine may have no more than 1.5 g/l of volatile acidity. All Commandaria is aged at least 2 years in oak barrels, made within the area, and may leave it only after fermentation. ³⁴ The 2017 amendment also allowed fortification with neutral alcohol of agricultural origin and grading by ageing time, after a survey showed that consumers prefer Commandaria less sweet. ⁴

From Hesiod to 2006. The name comes from the Grande Commanderie of the Knights of St John, who held much of the Limassol district. The specification links the drying method to Hesiod's advice to leave grapes ten days in the sun and ten nights in the open, then five days in the shade. Cooperatives took over production in 1920–1925, and the EU has protected the name since 17 February 2006. ¹³

On the label. Look for «Commandaria» or «Κουμανδαρία» with the PDO mark: the name guarantees grapes from the 14 villages, sun-drying and at least two years in oak. ¹³ It is a very sweet dessert wine served in small glasses, and the WHO stresses that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. ²