Confronting The Wines Of Cyprus

Cyprus, in a point-blank attack on winemaking, has quietly been upgrading her vineyards to a point where they can now actually compete qualitywise with most wine-producing areas in the world and still market them cheaper than anyone else. This was abundan tly clear after a recent "wining" tour of this venerable country.

The wine, to put it bluntly, deserves a toot. There is the historically favored Commandaria, and a wide range of table wines--red, white, rose--none of them pretending to be great or rare, all of them young and served without ceremony, but so agreeable t hat you find yourself wondering how you ever enjoyed a meal without them.

Commandaria, by far the most traditional wine of Cyprus, is made from very sweet grapes grown on foothill vineyards in the southern slopes of the Troodos mountains. Most historians insist it's the wine with the oldest lineage on earth, and the process u sed in the Middle Ages for the production of Commandaria is still in use today.

All sorts of local pundits have set out to prove that Commandaria is widely used as a tonic for revitalizing the human body. Thus in Cyprus newlyweds and breast-feeding women make wide use of it. In some villages life expectancy is longer than average. Is this longevity due to the fervent consumption of Commandaria? I doubt it. Common sense would have me believe that it is widely consumed because its sweet, rich, and fruity with a friendly bouquet--the sort of wine that many of us want for any except th e most special occasions--a wine that matures early and costs little, one that does not require storing or handling with too much ceremony or care, one that can be enjoyed room temperature, or chilled, or even iced, and one that goes with most foods and a ll desserts. Such is Commandaria.

Of the several Commandarias tasted, Keo's century-old private stock dazzled the palate, but alas, is unavailable commercially. Keo's St. John Commandaria, Sodap's Saint Barnabas, and Etko's Grand Commandaria were nonetheless, extraordinarily pleasant and satisfying.

The climate of Cyprus is likewise one of the best for the production of sherries, as the high sugar content is favored in most of the viticultural areas, so it is no wonder they rival Spain in the development of this classic tipple.

As for the red, white, and rose table wines of Cyprus, they are by and large aged in oak casks, are full of refreshing fruit and charm, and are imbibed young. And I personally think there are few such wines anywhere of which one would be less likely to t ire.

What is shipped of these wines to the United States is quite limited (often available only in Greek neighborhoods, shops, restaurants, etc.), and might be regarded with a certain amount of disbelief because of the inexpensive pricing, but trepidation i s unnecessary. Since l965, Cyprus wines have been controlled by a code enforced by the government, so you can be assured that they meet all the standards.

In my own experience, Cyprus wines achieved their greatest appeal when drunk on disarming restaurant terraces in the cities of Limassol, Nicosia, and Paphos, overlooking mountains and seas, while indulging in one of those simple and memorable outdoor mea ls which the Cypriots serve so outstandingly in warm weather. But even here in New York after a transatlantic voyage Cyprus wines retain their pleasing fresh quality.

10/26/90