Zambartas Winery

The winery is located in the municipality of Agios Amvrosios northwest of Limassol in the Krasochoria region of Cyprus. It was founded in 2006 by Akis Zambartas (+2014). After studying winemaking and chemistry in Lyon and Montpellier, he worked in the industry for 35 years, most recently as chief winemaker and managing director at major producer KEO. Through visits to wineries and vineyards around the world, he acquired detailed knowledge of all aspects of grape growing and wine production. Zambartas was particularly devoted to the autochthonous Cypriot varieties, a dozen of which he rediscovered and partly reactivated in old vineyards. These included Canella, Flouriko and Yiannoudi. In recognition of his enormous achievements, he was a member of the AIV (Academie Internationale de Vin). Son Marcos Zambartas earned a Masters Degree in winemaking from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor's and Masters Degree in Chemistry from Imperial University London, and gained practical knowledge in Provence, France and New Zealand. The farm has been run by him since the death of his father.

The hilly vineyards include one hectare owned and two more hectares of leased vines on the southern slopes of the Troodos Mountains at 550 to 1,150 metres above sea level on limestone/chalk and volcanic soils that force deep rooting in nutrient-rich layers. They are planted with the red wine varieties Lefkada (Vertzami), Maratheftiko, Yiannoudi, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz, and the white wine varieties Xynisteri, Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Two different forms of cultivation are tried out by the winery, namely the traditional bush form (gobelet) shown in the picture and cordon cultivation. The vineyards are cultivated according to environmentally friendly criteria without the use of pesticides (e.g. insecticides). Only when necessary is dosed artificial irrigation used. The winery was designed with a view to easy expansion if necessary. The flagship of the house is the cuvée "Zambartas Rose" from the two varieties Lefkada and Cabernet Franc. Another premium wine is "Zambartas Shiraz", which matures for 12 to 14 months in French barriques. In preparation is the production of the famous historic dessert wine Commandaria. Around 60,000 bottles of wine are produced annually, 10% of which are exported to Europe.