Commandaria Wine Tasting

Commandaria is a sweet, amber dessert wine made from sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro grapes, produced in a defined group of villages on the southern Troodos foothills above Limassol. It holds Protected Designation of Origin status, and it is recognised as one of the oldest named wines still in production, with a documented history reaching back centuries.

A tasting lets you compare styles across producers, from lighter to richer and more concentrated bottlings. The wine takes its name from the medieval Commandaria estate of the crusading knights, whose centre was near Kolossi Castle west of Limassol. Tastings often pair the wine with local cheese, nuts or dried fruit, and explain the sun-drying and ageing that give it its character.

Where to taste

You can taste Commandaria at wineries in the production villages, at tasting rooms in Limassol town, or as part of a wider wine tour through the Troodos foothills. The traditional production villages sit at altitude on the south-facing slopes, so a visit there combines the tasting with mountain scenery and a cooler break from the coast. Producers can usually explain how the long sun-drying concentrates the grapes before fermentation and ageing.

• Build a full day around the Krasochoria wine villages.
• The cobbled wine village of Omodos is a good base; see the Omodos wine tour.
• Learn the history at the medieval Kolossi Castle that gave the wine its name.

Go with a driver or a guided tour if you plan to taste several wines, take it slowly as Commandaria is high in sugar and alcohol, and ask producers about vintage differences.