Jump to content

Commandaria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by StephP (talk | contribs) at 09:37, 3 April 2007 (expanded). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

File:KEO commandaria.jpg
Premium Commandaria by KEO

Commandaria (or Commanderia; Greek: Κουμανδαρία) is an amber-coloured dessert wine made in the Commandaria region of Cyprus on the foothills of the Troodos mountains. It has the distinction of being the world's oldest named wine still in production.

History

The wine has a rich history, said to date back to the time of the ancient Greeks, where it was a popular drink at festivals celebrating the goddess Aphrodite. A dried grape wine from Cyprus was first known to be described in 800 BC by the Greek poet Hesiod and was known as the Cypriot Manna.[1] [2]

In the 12th century, during the crusades, Richard the Lionheart is said to have enjoyed it greatly at his wedding in Cyprus and to have pronounced it "the wine of kings and the king of wines." Near the end of the century he sold the island to the Knights Templar, who then sold it to Guy de Lusignan, but kept a large feudal estate close to Limassol to themselves. This estate was referred to as "La Grande Commanderie". The word Commanderie referred to the military headquarters whilst Grande helped distinguish it from two smaller such command posts on the island, one close to Paphos (Phoenix) and another near Kyrenia (Templos). This area under the control of the Knights Templar (and subsequently the Knights Hospitaller) became known as Commandaria.[3] When the knights began producing large quantities of the wine for export to Europe's royal courts and for supplying pilgrims en route to the holy lands, the wine assumed the name of the region. Thus it has the distinction of being the world's oldest named wine still in production.[4] [5]

Although today it is produced and marketed under the name Commandaria, it has been referred to with several similar names in the past. In 1863, Thomas George Shaw in his book Wine, the vine, and the cellar refers to this wine as Commanderi[6] whilst in 1879, Samuel Baker refers to it as Commanderia.[7]. In 1833 Cyrus Redding in his book A history and description of modern wines makes reference to the wine of the Commandery.[8]

Legend has it that in the 13th centruy Philip Augustus of France held the first ever wine tasting competition. The event, branded The Battle of the Wines (fr. La Bataille des Vins), was recorded in a notable French poem written by Henry d'Andeli in 1224.[9] The competition which included wines from all over Europe and France, was won by a wine from Cyprus widely believed to be Commandaria. [10] The Commandery region itself fell into the control of his descendent Philip IV in 1307 after suppression of the Knights Templar.

Data recorded by Samuel Baker in his book Cyprus - How I saw it in 1879 reveal that in the late 19th century Cyprus had an annual production of about 300,000 okes, equivalent to about 385,000 litres (data reflects only duty-paid production). Of this, Cyprus exported 180,103 okes from Limassol Port, of which the vast majority went to Austria (155,000 okes valued at UK£2,075).[11]

Production

File:Monotlithos Mavro Grapes .jpg
Mavro grapes used in the production of Commandaria.

Commandaria is made exclusively from two types of indigenous Cyprus grapes: Xynisteri and Mavro. The grapes are left to overripe on the vine and when sugar content reaches acceptable levels (high degree baume) they are harvested. More specifically, Xynisteri is picked when at around 12 baume and Mavro at 15-16 baume. The grapes are then laid out in the sun to further increase the sugar density through evaporation. When the baume reaches 19 to 23 the juice is extracted thorough crushing and pressing.[12] Fermentation takes place in reservoirs and will arrest naturally due to the high levels of alcohol achieved at around 15%. The above process has to take place within the confines of 14 designated villages that lie in the Commandaria Region (see below). Commandaria, by law is aged for at least four years in Oak Barrels but this can take place outside the above designated area within Cyprus under strict control and under the conditions laid down in Cypriot legislation.[13]

Xynisteri grapes.

The origins of the production method are not definite. In his account Samuel Baker describes the production in 1879 “…the commanderia grapes are collected and spread upon the flat mud-plastered roofs of the native houses, and are exposed for several days, until they show symptoms of shrivelling in the skin, and the stalks have partially dried: they are then pressed……” Interestingly he claims that the evolution of this method was more out of necessity than choice..… “It has been imagined by some travellers that the grapes are purposely dried before pressing; on the other hand, I have been assured by the inhabitants that their only reason for heaping and exposing their crop upon the house-tops is the danger of leaving it to ripen in the vineyard. None of the plots are fenced, and before the grapes are sufficiently ripe for pressing they are stolen in large quantities, or destroyed by cattle, goats, mules, and every stray animal that is attracted to the fields….”[14]

Commandaria is produced both by the large wine industries (KEO, ETKO, LOEL and SODAP) and by small local producers of the Commandaria appellation zone (see below).

Authentication

Currently Commandaria holds a protected designation of origin (PDO) within the European Union,[15] the United States[16] and Canada.[17][18] By Cypriot legislation passed on March 2, 1990 it is only produced in a collection of 14 neighbouring villages: Ayios Yeorgios, Ayios Constantinos, Ayios Mamas, Ayios Pavlos, Apsiou, Yerasa, Doros, Zoopiyi, Kalo Chorio, Kapilio, Lania, Louvaras, Monagri and Sylikou. The designated area has assumed the name of the Commandaria Region and is located on the south facing slopes of the Troodos mountains at an altitude of 500-900m within the Limassol District. Only grapes from vineyards that have been planted for at least 4 years are allowed. Vine training must follow the goblet method and watering is prohibited. The grape harvest may only commence after the vine products commission of Cyprus has given the green light, based on the average sugar content of the grapes. Xinisteri grapes must demonstrate a sugar content of 212 g/L whilst Mavro can only qualify with a reading of 258 g/L and above. The sugar concentration is then raised by laying the grapes in the sun, usually for 7-10 days, to a strict window of 390 to 450g/L.[19]

In February 2006, the Wine Products Association of Cyprus, selected an “official” Commandaria wine glass, manufactured by Riedel, an Austrian wine glass company.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Quality of Foods and Beverages: Chemistry and Technology. ed. George E. Inglett & George Charalambous. Academic Press Inc. 1981. ISBN 0121691012.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ^ Kambas, Michele (May 21, 2005). "Cypriots thought to be first Mediterranean winemakers". Kathimerini. Reuters. Retrieved 2007-04-03. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Brewster, D. (1830). "The Edinburgh encyclopaedia (Volume VII, page 538)" (PDF). William Blackwood.
  4. ^ Levin, David (November 2000). "The Wines of Aphrodite's Isle". Wine Business Monthly. Wine Communications Group. Retrieved 2007-04-02. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Campbell Mackay, Jill (Sunday, March 5, 2006). "On the wine trail with Jill Campbell Mackay". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 2007-04-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ Shaw, Thomas George (1863). "Wine, the vine, and the cellar". Longman. p. 315. Retrieved 2007-02-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Samuel W. Baker (1879). Cyprus, as I Saw it in 1879. Project Gutenberg (Etext edition, 2003). p. 120.
  8. ^ Redding, Cyrus (1833). "A history and description of modern wines". Whittaker Treacher & Arnot. p. 263. Retrieved 2007-02-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ Henri, d'Andeli (1224). "La Bataille des Vins" (in French). Retrieved 2007-04-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Wine, the Last 1,000 Years". h2g2. BBC. May 21, 2002. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Samuel W. Baker (1879). Cyprus, as I Saw it in 1879. Project Gutenberg (Etext edition, 2003). p. 120.
  12. ^ "Commandaria Production Details". LOEL website. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  13. ^ "Negotiation results on Wine (page 6 negotiation position No 29)" (PDF). European Commission. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
  14. ^ Samuel White Baker,. Cyprus As I Saw It in 1879. ISBN 1-84637-912-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  15. ^ "COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1429/2004" (PDF). Official Journal of the European Union. 9 August 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-30. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ "Agreement between the European Community and the United States of America on trade in wine" (PDF). Official journal of the European Union. 24/3/2006. Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ "Trademarks Act" (PDF). Canada Gazette. 138 (50): 3639. 2004-11-12. Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ Diogenous, Katya (April 16, 2004). "Official patent for Commandaria". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 2007-01-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ "Από τον Ριχάρδο στην Ονομασία Προέλευσης (From Richard the Lionheart to DOC)". Politis Newspaper (in Greek). March 8, 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ "Old wine in a new glass". Cyprus Mail. March 26, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Commandaria&oldid=119934770"