Drink this wine before you die! Why?
It holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest continuously produced wine on the planet. Plus, King Richard the Lionheart served it as his wedding!
This sweet Cypriot wine made from sun-dried grapes was first mentioned by Greek poet Hesiod around 700BC. But, archaeological records suggest its production started long before that.
Around 450BC Greek playwright, Euripides, gave it the moniker Cyprus Nama (nama meaning nectar of the Gods). And it was referred to by this name until Medieval Times when the Knights of St John took over the sun-kissed island and made their new HQ on it.
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| The medieval Kolossi Castle a.k.a le Grande Commanderie | © romanevgenev / stock.adobe.com |
The region they occupied became known as the Grande Commanderie. Hence, as returning crusaders took this highly prized wine back west they called it Commandaria and the name has since stuck.
As you might imagine, being made from sundried grapes, Commandaria wine is sweet and concentrated. The wine is typically fortified, although not always, to varying degrees ranging from 15 to 20%. I’d always opt for one towards the lower end if possible.
Despite often having a stupendous amount of residual sugar (above 200g/L in many cases ... that’s twice as much as port!) the wines are rarely heavy and usually have a refreshing uplifting quality. The aromas and flavor are typically of dried apricots, figs, and raisins with a signature of orange zest.
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Gnarly old vines Zambartas Winery Cyprus / © zambartiswineries.com |
Drink Commandaria before you die! Why?
Because this is Cyprus’s historic sun-dried sweet wine — and when you taste the best examples, you’re not just drinking “dessert wine”, you’re drinking living heritage. If you want producers with a serious track record — the pioneers, custodians, and flag bearers — these five belong at the top of your Commandaria bucket list.
Five Commandaria producers with true “flag-bearer” status
1) ETKO – Olympus Wineries (Haggipavlu family)
If you want the deep roots, start here. Founded in 1844, ETKO is presented as the oldest winemaking business on Cyprus — a genuine multi-generation custodian of the island’s wine identity. While the company modernised its approach (including a quality-focused shift with the Olympus Winery in Omodos), it has kept Commandaria at the heart of its story through flagship bottlings like St Nicholas and the prestige “Centurion” style. Importantly, ETKO’s Commandaria isn’t famous just because it’s old — it has also been officially decorated: St Nicholas has taken top “Grand Gold” honours at Cyprus wine competitions, reinforcing ETKO’s long-standing reputation as a benchmark producer.
2) KEO (St John Commandaria)
KEO is the “big institution” name most people encounter first — and for good reason. Formed in 1927 as a public limited company with shares traded on the Cyprus Stock Exchange, it has spent decades putting Cypriot wine (including Commandaria) in front of local drinkers and export markets alike. KEO’s ownership structure is also unusually tied to the countryside — with profiles noting vine growers as a large share of its shareholders — which helps explain why it has acted as a steady, stabilising force for traditional styles. Its St John Commandaria has long been a reference point, and historic vintages have even received “Grand Gold” recognition in Cyprus competitions, underlining that this isn’t just scale — it’s proven quality too.
3) LOEL (Alasia Commandaria)
LOEL is another cornerstone: established in Limassol in 1943 and described as the first public company in Cyprus, with thousands of shareholders, the majority of whom were viticulturists. That matters, because LOEL’s identity is bound to the growers who kept Cypriot vineyards alive through changing times — exactly what you want in a “custodian” producer. Its iconic Commandaria label is Alasia, and it has the kind of official accolades that make a blog recommendation feel solid: Alasia (notably the 2004 vintage) has been awarded “Grand Gold” in Cyprus wine competition results, signalling it as more than a nostalgic brand — it’s a medal-winning standard-bearer.
4) SODAP / Kamanterena (St Barnabas Commandaria)
If your idea of “flag bearer” includes community and tradition at scale, SODAP is essential. Founded in 1947 by 10,000 families from 144 vine-growing villages, it was built to protect growers and preserve viticulture — and today its Kamanterena operation is the modern face of that cooperative mission. The headline wine for bucket-list purposes is St Barnabas Commandaria, which has racked up serious recognition: it has taken “Grand Gold” in Cyprus competition results, and the 2002 vintage was named an IWSC Trophy Winner — a strong international endorsement that this cooperative can compete at the very top level.
5) Tsiakkas Winery (modern family custodianship)
Tsiakkas is the “new-era” name on this list — founded in 1988 — but it earns its place because it treats Commandaria with the seriousness of fine wine, not nostalgia. Still family-led (with founders Kostas and Marina, and the next generation active in vineyards and winemaking), Tsiakkas makes a strikingly detailed, terroir-driven Commandaria: single-vineyard fruit from Agios Mamas in the Commandaria zone at 800 m altitude, ungrafted goblet vines, around 10 days of sun-drying, no fortification, and extended ageing (3 years in French and American oak) in tiny production quantities (around 2,000 bottles). In other words: it’s a modern “craft custodian” — proof that Commandaria can be both historic and sharply contemporary.