Paphos Wine Festival 2017

13th to 15th October at Paphos Medieval Castle

I love wine festivals and exhibitions. Don’t you? Cyprus puts on quite a lot of them. Paphos, Limassol, Famagusta District.

For some, a wine festival is the opportunity for a boozy outing. Personally, I am interested in quality rather than quantity and I love having the chance to try out so many good wines. Earlier in the year I wrote about 7 superb Cyprus Wines that I had discovered this year. 

Cyprus has a great terroir for viniculture and some really excellent wines are produced here. Mavro and Maratheftiko are the main red indigenous grape varieties and Xinisteri is the main white indigenous variety, but several international varieties take well here also. Shiraz, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat are particularly prevalent.

The Paphos Wine Festival is exhibiting other Cyprus Traditional products as well as wine. I would expect to find those specialities that are made as by-products of wine-making: Soutzoukos and Palouzes. I would imagine you will also find at the festival, Zivania, Cyprus’ version of Raki, Cyprus cheeses like Halloumi and Anari and Cyprus sausages as well as Cyprus jams and yogurts.

The festival takes place at the Medieval Castle of Paphos, so you have the chance of a bit of site-seeing too. If you find yourself in Paphos in mid October, I’d say this Wine Festival is definitely worth a visit.

Geia mas!