Why it matters
The producer
Christodoulos Haggipavlu created the wine firm in 1844, and ETKO became Cyprus’s first commercial wine company. Olympus Wineries Ltd was completed at Omodhos in 1992; that later winery puts the historic wine business beside vineyards in the Mount Olympus foothills, where the portfolio includes dry reds, dry whites and dessert wines.
The Haggipavlu wine business began in 1844 and developed into ETKO, Cyprus’s first commercial wine company. In 1947, wine production became the responsibility of ETKO Ltd while spirits went to Haggipavlu Co.; four decades later, the Omodhos winery was completed. The result is a range in which a 2020 Mavro can sit beside Xinisteri, Maratheftiko and Commandaria under an established wine name.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Omodhos sits in the foothills of Mount Olympus, and the winery is surrounded by about 70 hectares of privately owned vineyards. Olympus links altitude and cooler nights with retained grape freshness and aroma, a useful frame for the berry-led Plegma Red and the citrus-led white wines made with Xinisteri.
No soil composition or parcel elevation is established for the current vineyards, but the mountain setting is central to the documented wine character. Cooler nights slow the loss of freshness in the grapes; in the glass, the stated consequence is aromatic fruit and acidity rather than heavy, heat-driven weight.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The privately owned vineyards around Omodhos supply the mountain-grown fruit behind Olympus wines, while a 2003 report also recorded new vineyards on Omodhos’s Afames mountain peak and an ecological vineyard at Ayios Amvrosios. Those site details belong to the producer’s vineyard development rather than a claim about every current bottle.
Cellar evidence is clearest in earlier releases. An earlier Plegma White was fermented and matured in used Commandaria barrels, bringing toast and a creamy texture to its Xinisteri-led fruit while acidity kept the palate moving. A 2017 Hadjipavlou Estate Maratheftiko spent 15 months in new and used oak, which matched its dark fruit with cacao, dry herbs, oak spice and integrated tannin. These are vintage-specific records, not instructions to assume the same élevage for later labels.
Wines to know
The range in view
Plegma Red 2020 is 100% Mavro, a direct route into a native Cypriot red grape. Earlier Plegma Red tastings showed light ruby colour, medium body and fruit that moved from sour Maraschino cherry toward red berries, raspberry and wild strawberry with air; herbs, nutmeg and white pepper followed, while fresh acidity and tannin gave the finish shape.
H Maratheftiko 2019 is a varietal Maratheftiko and occupies the fuller red end of the documented range. Its earlier estate counterpart combined dark fruit, cacao, dry herbs and oak spice with a full body and settled tannin. For white wine, H Xinisteri 2020 is varietal Xinisteri, while Plegma White 2020 combines 70% Xinisteri with 30% Muscat of Alexandria. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, St. Nicholas Commandaria and Centurion Commandaria extend the range beyond those named dry wines.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Plegma Red 2020, because its composition is clear: 100% Mavro. It introduces a native Cypriot grape through a dry red format, and earlier Plegma Red notes offer a grounded expectation of red cherry, berry fruit, herbs, spice, fresh acidity and tannin. Treat those tasting notes as a guide to the label’s earlier vintages, then use the 2020 bottle to meet Mavro on its own terms.