Cyprus Wine Festival
Not Just for Connoisseurs

'Be outside the gate at 11.00pm or it's a 120 Euro taxi to Ayia Napa', retorts the tourist guide half jokingly.

It was a balmy September evening in Lemesos, Cyprus. The atmosphere was buzzing and wine was being consumed as if it were going out of fashion. This was of course the Cyprus Wine Festival held in Lemosos, Southern Cyprus. Our guide was only giving us prior warning though, as he's seen it all before. 'People come here, more for the fun. Not so much the serious wine drinker'

Swarms of people flocked from wine stall to wine stall. The savory aroma of fresh Cypriot food and hot pizza wafting through the crowded venue. The dulcet vocals of tonight’s performance and the mingling of very smartly dressed foreigners and locals added a certain ambience. The taste buds were literally dancing with mouthwatering citreous bursts from these lip smaking local wines. Not to forget your head spinning a few hours later!

The Cyprus Tourist Organisation organise a complimentary, air-conditioned bus from and to your destination. Whether that be Nicosia, Larnaca, Pafos or Ayia Napa. But book at least two days in advance as seats are limited and this is one very popular Cyprus wine festival!

After paying the low entry fee, keep your receipt as this entitles you to a free bottle of red or white. So, you're ready to start quaffing some of that fine wine? Go get a glass to drink from first, this little souvenir will cost you all of 1 euro for the tumbler or 2 Euros for the stemmed wine glass. After that, you can guzzle wine until your hearts content.

There's a multitude of stalls to sample various local wines from small and large wineries. The dessert wine proved to be the most popular out the bunch, judging by the number of casks on display. Richer and stronger in taste compared to the other types of wine. Bottles can actually be purchased if the wine is to your liking; in fact there are Cypriot wines to suit everyone's palette. The big four ultra modern wine manufacturers in Limassol are ETKO, KEO, LOEL and SODAP.

Different performances take place every evening for the Cyprus wine festival, be it comedy, dancing, singing or theatrical plays. Tonight’s events were Cypriot traditional dances presented by the Limassol cultural dancing group, wine songs by the group of Cypriot Serenaders, Greek, traditional and Latin American dances by the Mahalekides School and last but not least, the Takis Hatjitofi's shadow theatre presenting hilarious comedy. Something out of the ordinary for a change.

Around harvest time each year, the Wine Festival in Cyprus or Lemesos Wine Festival is held at the Municipal Gardens in Lemesos, South Cyprus. It runs consecutively for 10 days in late August/ Early September, commencing at 6.30pm and finishing at 11pm each night.