Hey Tasters!
What does it take to make great Cyprus Wine?
We decided to visit the Zambartas winery to find out for ourselves.
We got in touch with Marleen Zambartas, the wife of the chief winemaker Marcos Zambartas,
and arranged for a visit.
Enjoy the story!
Zambartas winery is located in Ayios Amvrosios, right in the middle of the Krasochoria region
- that is, the region of the Limassol Wine Villages, in Cyprus.
The winery itself is easily accessible at just 520 m above sea level, but the winery's
vineyards are scattered all over the mountain, some as high as 1000 metres.
When we arrive, we are warmly welcomed by Marleen Zambartas.
We get into her car and she drives us to their Semillon vineyard.
The grape pickers are hard at work and the sun is rising.
We are just in time to see the last of the grape picking.
In another hour or so, the heat will be impossible to work through, and the grape picking will
stop.
We have to move quickly.
Marleen has loaded a large cooler box in the boot of her car.
It is filled with icy cold water for her grape pickers.
Looking after her team is her highest priority.
Marleen explains that harvest in Cyprus lasts for up to 5 months.
The reason for this is simple.
The international varieties, such as Semillon, ripen much earlier than the indigenous varieties.
July isn't out yet but Semillon is already bursting with ripeness.
The thick-skinned Xynisteri on the other hand, won't be ready till October.
I am handed two bunches.
One is Semillon and one is Xynisteri from an adjacent vineyard.
The French Semillon is soft, sweet and juicy.
In contrast, the Cypriot Xynisteri is a bright green tight cluster of hard pellets, still
so unripe that they do not yield under the pressure of my fingertips.
And talking of France, we were introduced to two French oenology interns, who are currently
studying at the University of Montpellier.
The unique climate of Cyprus is quite a rich learning opportunity for anyone involved in
winemaking.
Above all, the Zambartas family are great believers in sharing knowledge.
Every year they take on two students and give them the opportunity to acquire practical
experience in the individual climate and terroir of Cyprus.
Marleen takes these newcomers under her wing, turning every vineyard encounter into a valuable
lesson they will eventually take home with them.
However, Marleen makes it clear that this knowledge transfer is two-way.
The interns are exposed to a climate and terroir that is completely different to what they
would have otherwise had access to in France.
But they also bring with them theoretical and academic knowledge of the latest advancements
in the fields of viticulture and oenology.
Every year, the young interns are welcomed, not merely as extra pairs of hands at this
busy harvest time, but above all as an equal and valuable source of knowledge.
The vineyard manager, Christodoulos, comes to greet us.
He is an expert in Viticulture, with an impressive academic background as well as substantial
hands-on experience.
He works closely with Marcos Zambartas to keep the winery's 120 acres of vines healthy
and productive.
He tells the pickers where to go and what to do, but he is also right there with them,
picking grapes, carrying crates and pruning.
I was fascinated when Christodoulos told me that the tracked power barrow they use to
collect the crates of grapes in the Semillon vineyard is affectionately called "το
καμηλίν" which translates to "the baby camel".
This is a flashback to the time when camels and sometimes donkeys were an essential part
of vineyard harvest.
Christodoulos loves his job - that is plain to see - and he knows each employee and each
vineyard in his charge closely.
He explains that Zambartas Wineries place a great deal of value in biodiversity.
They roll over weeds rather than plough, to maintain moisture in the soil - an important
consideration in a drought-stricken country such as Cyprus.
They also try to preserve other plants surrounding the vines rather than exhaust the soil with
an extreme single crop, so that the vines can flourish in conditions as close to those
found in nature as possible.
They avoid pesticides and try to deal with problems with natural solutions.
Many of the vineyards have already been certified as organic and the family aim to have all
their vines certified in time.
It seems to me that what drives every decision is a fundamental respect for nature and the
wisdom to recognise the value of not turning one's back to tradition but rather draw
on what is valuable and apply it in a modern context.
We leave the Semillon vineyard and Marleen drives us further up the mountains to a very
special vineyard the family has recently acquired.
A few years ago Marcos Zambartas decided to rescue an old vineyard called Martzelina.
Martzelina is precisely the kind of vineyard that would have required an actual camel during
harvest.
This vineyard was planted in 1926.
Unlike neighbouring vineyards that have been recently planted, in Martzelina there are
no neatly manicured rows of vines, prettily trained on wires.
Martzelina is a wild, rebellious plantation that refuses to conform to the team's attempts
at training.
However, Marleen explains that the the most fascinating part about the Martzelina Vineyard
are not its wildness and age.
There are three unidentified vines in this vineyard, hidden amidst the indigenous Mavro
and Xynisteri varieties.
Nobody knows what these vines are.
Only that they are different to any vine anyone has ever seen in a field or in a viticulture
textbook.
In the coming year, ampelographers and vine DNA specialists, perhaps even the world renowned
José Vouillamoz, will try to identify this newly discovered ancient grape.
And Zambartas Wineries may be about to add yet another indigenous grape to the list of
local varieties they have rescued and re-established on the island of Cyprus.
Our next stop is a baby vineyard: The Zambartas family's newest addition.
A recently purchased slope has been planted with young vines, barely a year old.
The contrast is almost shocking.
Tender little stems hold on to wires as they fight to establish themselves.
Planted in neat rows hugging the entire side of the hill.
These vines won't produce wine for at least 5 years.
And it will be 8 before there is a full crop.
Marcos and Marleen know that to be a leader in the wine business one needs to look far
into the future.
When I look around Zambartas Wineries, it is clear everyone has a hands-on approach
and everyone is happy and excited.
A crew of expert grape pickers, Marleen, Christodoulos, the two oenology interns from the University
of Montpellier.
Simon Sinek's famous quote about a true leader immediately springs to mind: "Leadership
is not about being in charge.
Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge."
Marleen and Marcos Zambartas understand that to make great wine you need to look after
your land but also to look after your people.
The chemistry between the people who work for a winery also forms part of the winery's
terroir and it is expressed in the wine.
So, to answer our original question, what makes great Cyprus wine?
Investing in the land.
And investing in the people.
Tasters!
I hope you have enjoyed our visit to the Zambartas vineyards.
Make sure you join me again next week as Marleen Zambartas and I taste some of Zambartas winery
finest wines.
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Also, please leave a comment below, we love talking about wine.
And remember, those who drink get drunk, those who taste feel sublime.
I will see you on the next video.
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