With just 8 weeks to go the Cypriot Wine Festival & Business Expo 2019 and to ensure that London experiences the true essence of the island, team CyWIneFest went to Cyprus bringing back the wonders of Cypriot culture.
There is no doubt to the beauty of Cyprus, having the opportunity to travel most of the island and visit Cypriot Wine Country in the spring, with the mountains and hillsides and valleys green, the rivers flowing and the dams full was a truly picturesque experience. There was plenty more to see and do and take our word for it, two weeks was simply not enough.
The most striking element about the tour was the real shift in the way Cypriots view the UK and their desire to establish a closer connection with the UK’s Cypriot community. Cyprus has plenty to offer the world and wineries and other producers have come to see CyWineFest as a great way to showcase the island’s produce with the potential to open up supply chains into a larger market.
Mr Costas Kadis, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment is fully supportive of our vision and thus the mission is not only to showcase a selection of produce but to also give the truest representation from a variety, especially when it comes to wineries. Cypriot wine is not as well known in the UK market as it ought to be, even within the UK’s Cypriot community, the aim is to create more awareness of the beautiful varieties produced, as well as the variety of Cypriot products available. In our meeting, Mr Kadis expressed his support for CyWineFest and looks forward to attending the event and seeing first-hand how the event promotes the rural development of Cyprus.
In bygone times, Cyprus was well known for its wine, being an integral part of Cypriot culture, and the wine varieties produced on the island are as diverse and intriguing as the island’s history but the demands of globalisation create a yearning for the exotic, which left many in Cyprus opting to replace home grown produce with foreign products as it was seen as ‘for villagers only’ or horkatika. The older generations have consistently consumed Cypriot products and continue drinking wine with their meals, socialising at restaurants. However, the tide is changing, with perceptions amongst the younger generations have not only shown an interest in Cypriot wine but have also been reexploring the fruits of Cypriot soil.
We had the pleasure of meeting with Ministers, Mayors and Cypriot producers. We will have the pleasure of hosting the Municipalities of Larnaka, Limassol and Pafos, as well as a stand from the Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development and the Environment. In a meeting with Mayor of Larnaka, Andreas Viras, many different aspects of the event were discussed, in particular the number of British tourists visiting Larnaka every year and the positive impact of British tourism. Mr Photos Photiou, the Presidential Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Overseas Cypriots, is a longstanding supporter of CyWineFest and always looking for ways to provide something new and exciting year after year. Mr Photiou expressed his optimism of the continued efforts with Services for Overseas Cypriots and NEPOMAK and was particularly enthused by the presence and participation at CyWineFest over the years. Mayor of Pafos, Mr Phedonos Phedonas was particularly impressed with the way in which the Cypriot community in the UK keeps the traditions and culture of Cyprus and at the unity of the community in the common goal of promoting Pafos and Cyprus as a whole.
There are now many initiatives for sustainable development for the production of food stuff and also developments in the energy sector occurring, changing the Cypriot landscape. The team’s meetings were in fact very productive and the general outlook regarding CyWineFest is both positive and encouraging. That is why every year the team explores, samples and investigates during the annual tour, reinforcing what CyWineFest is all about.
CyWineFest 2019 has a certain freshness to it, the message is out there and circulating among larger and diverse crowds both in the UK and in Cyprus. There is still much to do, the tour was somewhat an eye opener as year in year out, Cyprus is always progressing in the quality of its produce.
Credit: CyWineFest team
Photo credit:
(1) Sidebar – Design by Louis Loizou
(2) CyWineFest team members with Mr Costas Kadis, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment.
(3) Argyris Vassiliades of Oenou Yi Winery giving the team a tour
(4) Mr Andreas Nikolaides & Mr Marinos Pericleous of Kamanterena Winery with the team.
(5) The Managing Director with Mr Daniel Anastasis, Managing Director of Santa Irene Winery. –