Zambartas, Limassol, Cyprus

Zambartas Winery was founded by Akis Zambartas, one of the first French-trained oenologists in Cyprus, who for many years was winemaker at Keo. Crucially, Akis researched and recorded the indigenous varieties of Cyprus in the 1980s, preserving them for the future, and eventually leading to him setting-up his own winery in 2006 focusing on these indigenous varieties. The winemaker is now Akis's son Marcos, who studied and trained in Australia, and his Dutch-bord wife Marleen. They manage 13ha of organically-cultivated vineyards at altitudes of 550m - 1,000m, including many old vineyards. Their wines reflect the quality and uniqueness of the local Cypriot varieties, from chalky, lemon-scented Xynisteri, to the warm, generous Maratheftiko.