The pride of Cypriot wine producers, the sweet, red Commandaria, is the World’s oldest named wine still in production. It is still made in the same way as hundreds of years ago, although modern times have added some new aspects to the process. 

According to local wisdom, it is not only a wine but also a fortifying medicine, which is recommended to a series of ailments. At best it is as dessert wine. 

The name dates from 1191 when Richard the Lionheart sold Cyprus to the Order of the Knights of the Temple. The Templar’s settled in areas that they called Commandarie’s. The main one was near Limassol, on the slopes of Troodos Mountains. So the name Commandaria was transferred to the wine produced in that area. But the history goes back a lot further. It was being made and sold 2 000 years before the Templars re-named it. At that time it was called Mana, meaning mother. The idea was that the jar was never emptied completely but a small amount of wine was left in the bottom. When new wine was added, the old wine helped it to mature. So the old became the mother of the new. 

At least once Commandaria was the reason for war. The Turkish sultan Selim II, who was also known as Selim the Sot, ordered his army in 1571 to conquer Cyprus because the island had "a treasure that was worth only the king of kings". 

The grapes for Commandaria have to be very mature and as sweet as possible, so the harvest starts after mid-September. The grapes are laid on the ground or on rooftops, to dry in the sun for two, three weeks. When part of the moistness has evaporated and sugar content has doubled, the grapes are crushed and the sweet juice is left to ferment slowly for three months.  

In the villages the wine is matured in earthenware jars as has been done for centuries, but in modern wineries steel vats are used.  

The natural alcohol content of Commandaria is 15%.