Cyprus Wine Consortium-Brand Name WineCore

A consortium of Cypriot wineries was established in August 2021 with the aim of putting Cyprus back on the global map as a significant wine-producing country, promoting its wines under the brand name Winecore.

The 14 wineries participating in the Cyprus Wine Consortium share a common vision of shaping the future of viticulture in Cyprus, with high-quality wines from indigenous, own-rooted vineyards, and a common goal to promote and establish the unique quality of Cypriot wine both in the domestic market and abroad.

The natural isolation of Cyprus and its warm climate, with low summer rainfall, have protected Cypriot vineyards from most of the damaging pests and diseases that affect other wine-producing countries. This unique biosecurity and the absence of phylloxera have allowed the cultivation of own-rooted vineyards for hundreds of years. The climate of Cyprus permits the use of low-intervention farming methods. Grapes are hand-picked due to the rugged terrain, ensuring top quality without the use of machinery. Local grape varieties also require fewer synthetic fertilizers and, being well-adapted to the local climate, need minimal to no irrigation.

The Winecore brand was created and promoted to describe the high-quality Cypriot wines of the participating wineries, which are produced exclusively from indigenous grape varieties. From the first quarter of 2024, the Winecore logo (Wineries of Cyprus Own-Rooted Evolution) has been incorporated into the packaging of the consortium’s wines and placed on the capsules of wine bottles that meet the specifications. It is estimated that within a year, this logo will be featured on the packaging of 100 different labels of Cypriot wine. The logo identifies the exclusively Cypriot character of the wines and has already been launched in the Cypriot market, with selected international markets to follow.

As part of promoting the new identity logo, the international presentation of the wine exhibition “ANDAMOMA” is planned. This unique exhibition, which focuses exclusively on Cypriot wines and the indigenous grape varieties of Cyprus, is held annually in Cyprus with the participation of the 14 WINECORE wineries since 2021.

In addition to being an identity logo, this specific logo could also be characterized as a quality mark, as it is awarded only to wines that successfully pass the internal quality control of the Cyprus Wine Consortium. Wines bearing the logo must be produced either as single-varietal wines or predominantly from indigenous, own-rooted Cypriot grape varieties such as Xynisteri, Maratheftiko, Morokanella, Giannoudi, Vasilissa, Promara, Ofthalmo, Michalias, Maroucho, Katomyliotiko, Kanella, Spourtiko, Moschato Aspro, and Flouriko.

Vlassides Winery has been a member of the Cyprus Wine Consortium since its inception and markets three wine labels carrying the WineCore mark. These labels are Alάtes, produced exclusively from Xynisteri vines in old, own-rooted, non-irrigated vineyards in the Afamis Mountain region, Όroman, made from the indigenous Giannoudi variety, and Grifos 2, dominated by the most widely planted white variety in Cyprus, Xynisteri.