The 11th Cypriot Wine Fair organized by the Famagusta Oinophiles Association "Bacchos" was successfully held at the Adams Hotel in Ayia Napa.
See highlights from the Exhibition:
The opening of the exhibition was performed by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Maria Panagiotou together with the President of the Group, Dr. Michalis Zouvanis and the Mayors of Paralimni and Agia Napa, Theodoros Pyrillis and Christos Zannetou.
34 Cypriot Wineries participated in the exhibition and presented various varieties of Cypriot wine.
The exhibition was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the Municipalities of Paralimni and Ayia Napa.
Communication sponsor was Famagusta.News
Given the support of the Government in the wine sector, said the Minister. Georgia
The will of the Government to support the wine sector and every effort to promote the wines of Cyprus is essential and a given, said the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr. Maria Panagiotou, adding that the goal is for the primary sector to become a pole of the country's economic development.
In her greeting at the 11th Cypriot Wine Exhibition of the Famagusta Wine Lovers Group held last night in Ayia Napa, the Minister said that "the Group has established itself, its activities have gained prestige and it now plays a key role in the wine events of a very vital region of Cyprus , especially, in terms of foreign and domestic tourism and consumption of wine products".
He added that "the will of the Government to support the wine sector and any organized effort to promote the wines of Cyprus is essential and a given". Investing in the quality, tradition and uniqueness of Cypriot agricultural products such as Cypriot wines is a priority of the governance program, with the aim of making the primary sector of our country a pole of the country's economic development, he said.
Undoubtedly, he continued "the efforts of Cypriot producers have led to the production of modern wines of excellent quality, which worthily represent our country in the international markets" and made reference to the wines called "ambassadors" of Cyprus, which come from indigenous varieties such as "Xynisteri " and "Marathevtiko", "Koumandaria" and other branded wines of Cypriot production which, as he said, "excel in international competitions, are different, of a special character and of historical importance".
After stating that through such events the recognition of the wines of Cyprus is enhanced and the country is placed on the wine tourism map as a unique destination, Dr. Panayiotou announced that the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, on the occasion of the anniversary of the "800 years of the Command", will organize next October, a wine event for the "wine ambassadors" of Cyprus. The event will take place at the headquarters of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) in France, he noted.
It is, as the Minister said, "a very important event of international scope, which will be included as a similar action of the Organization's World Congress. In the Conference, which is combined with the anniversary celebrations for the centenary of the Organization, it is expected that many and important visitors, politicians, representatives of the 50 member states, technocrats, academics, wine merchants and other experts, involved in the wine sector, will participate.
He also stated that "in the following period, the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry will undertake the coordination of the actions required for a successful promotion of Cyprus wine in this important market, with the close cooperation and participation of all those involved in the sector".
In addition, he noted "in the context of the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027, the Ministry manages the financial support interventions of the wine sector. The contribution of the interventions is not just financial, as the interventions encompass the entire philosophy and strategy of the Ministry for the wine sector, which is based on the development of the competitiveness of winegrowers and winemakers, the promotion of PDO/PGI/Varietal quality wines, environmental sustainability , tackling climate change, promoting biodiversity and food security".
As the Minister of Agriculture explained "political planning is developed, decided and ratified in Brussels, however, with our actions, we have succeeded in making the Cyprus Strategic Plan take into account the specific national conditions of wine production and marketing aiming at the continuous development of the wine sector ».
In her greeting, Dr. Panagiotou also referred to the five-year National Support Program for the Viticulture Sector 2019 – 2023, which ended on October 15, 2023 and noted that "we have once again succeeded in fully disbursing and making available a total of more than 22 million euros to winegrowers and winemakers from purely European resources . The same amount is expected to be disbursed during the new programming period until the year 2027, for very important support interventions, such as the restructuring of vineyards with varieties that enjoy greater acceptance in the wine market, modernization and visitation investments in wineries and wine promotion in third countries".
However, he noted, "a greater effort needs to be made by our winemakers to successfully implement the very important intervention of "promotion and communication in third countries" in order to utilize the available funds that have been budgeted for the promotion of our strengths as a historic country of viticulture and wine production".
The Minister of Agriculture also referred to the holding in May of the 15th Cyprus Wine Competition which has been placed under her auspices and the auspices of the International Vine and Wine Organization, "with the events of the competition and the expected participation of a large number of winemakers demonstrating the great importance given to the institution. The presence in Cyprus of the President of the OIV Dr. Luigi Moio, who will perform the duties of chairman of the jury and supervisor of all technical procedures of the competition based on the international standards of the OIV".
As said Dr. Panagiotou "the dynamic promotion of the competition's events on social media creates a positive trend in favor of varietal wines, PDO and PGI wines, since their recognition increases and the country's wine identity is established in the mind of the consumer. The aim, of course, is to increase the market share of Cypriot wines, gaining new ground" he concluded.