The Oldest Wine In The World

No one seems quite sure how old this honey-sweet red wine is. Certainly it is a great deal older than its name, which dates only from about 1191.This was the year Richard Coeur de Lion sold Cyprus to the Order of the Knights of the Temple. The Templars settled in territories which they called 'Commanderies' The main one was near Limassol, where they established their headquarters. This was at Kolossi Castle, which you can still see in a remarkable state of preservation. So the name Commandaria was transferred to the much coveted wine produced in the area. The Templars and their successors, the Knights of St John, were shrewd enough to export Commandaria. It became a favourite in manyEuropean courts, and much of it went to England, where it was held in high esteem by the Plantagenets. But its history goes back a lot further. It was being made and sold a good 2,000 years before the Templars re-named it. Previously it had been called "Mana" the Greek word for "Mother" The reason is fascinating.This great wine was matured in giant earthenware jars. When the time came to pour it out, the Cypriots of those days always left a certain amount in the bottom. When the new wine was added, the old wine helped it to mature. So the old became the mother of the new!

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It is very likely that the Commandaria you can buy in the shops was the original Cypriot wine celebrated by the Greek poet Homer and drunk by the Pharoahs of ancient Egypt.Today it is made by the same method as it was all those thousands of years ago.The grapes are spread out to dry in the sun, then pressed. The run-off is collected and fermented in tanks, or, in many cases, in the great earthenware jars of ancient times. So you can enjoy this superb dessert wine just as it was enjoyed at mediaeval courts throughout Europe and in ancient Greece and Egypt. Drink it with a sweet, a dish of fresh fruit or with dried nuts and coffee. Or drink it on its own, just for the fun of it. But drink it. It is a 4,000 year-old experience.