Ayia Mavri Winery - Best Commandaria

A small family winery in Koilani village (heart of the Commandaria region) famous for its exceptional Commandaria and Mosxatos wines. The 90-year-old founder still shares winemaking stories. 5 hectares at 800-900m altitude.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Find the Chapel That Named a Winery — Under a 1,200-Year-Old Tree History · Free

   Two kilometers before Koilani, on the banks of the Kryos River, a tiny Byzantine chapel sits in the shadow of a plane tree so ancient it was already 400 years old when the Crusaders rode past it.

   The chapel beneath this 1,200-year-old plane tree — 35 meters tall with an 8-meter base — is why Ioannis Ioannides named his winery Ayia Mavri. Drive or walk 2km from the winery toward Pera Pedi on the main road to find the 12th-century Chapel of Ayia Mavri beneath a tree that was already 400 years old when Richard the Lionheart declared Commandaria 'the wine of kings' in 1191. Inside, step-carved stairs hewn directly from the rock face lead to the icon. Most original Byzantine murals survive, including Ayia Mavri's face. East of the temple, drink from the holy water tap locals consider miraculous. The chapel is always open — put your hand on bark of a tree that was ancient when Frankish Crusaders built this chapel around it.

   Backup: If the chapel is locked, the tree itself is the experience. Sit under it and look back toward Koilani — the valley of the Kryos River opens below, vineyards turning the slopes green.

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2. 2 Taste the Wine That Won Gold in Montpellier 15 Years Running Wine · Price: low

   Ioannis Ioannides is a doctor by day and a winemaker by inspiration — a 1981 trip to Austria, where he saw pine sprigs hung on doors of houses where wine was made, started everything. Forty years later his Mosxatos wins gold medals on three continents.

   This Mosxatos has won gold continuously since 2004 at Muscat du Monde in Montpellier, France — the world's most important Muscat competition. Ask Ioannis or his wife Yiannoula at Ayia Mavri Winery (8 Archiimandrite Kyprianou, Koilani, GPS: 34.825°N, 32.855°E) for the Mosxatos first. It's made from Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown on their own 5 hectares at 800–900 meters altitude — the elevation is everything. Then taste the Commandaria: the world's oldest named wine, documented in Cyprus since 800 BC, first named by Crusader knights. The tasting is free (no pressure to buy). Let Ioannis lead — his medical background makes him the most precise wine explainer you'll ever meet. Ask him: 'Why did you name the winery after the chapel?' Open daily 10:30–17:00, call +357 25 47 02 25 to confirm.

   Backup: If Ioannis is not available, Yiannoula leads equally engaging tours. The cellar walk through the barrel room is included regardless of who leads.

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3. 3 Decode the 14 Villages — Where Commandaria Begins and Ends History · Free

   Only 14 villages on earth can legally make Commandaria. These are the exact fields the Knights Templar controlled after Richard the Lionheart sold them Cyprus in 1191. The boundaries haven't changed in 830 years.

   In 1191, Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre at Limassol Castle and ordered wine from nearby Kolossi for the wedding. He tasted it, declared it 'the wine of kings and the king of wines,' then sold the entire island to the Knights Templar. The Templars named their feudal estate 'La Grande Commanderie' — the wine assumed the name of the land. At the winery tasting table or the village square cafenio (coffee house) in Koilani's center, ask your host: 'Are you inside the 14 PDO villages, or in the Krasochoria zone?' The answer reveals the layered politics of Cyprus wine geography. The EU formalized the PDO in 1990, designating the same 14 villages the Templars controlled above Kolossi Castle. Sit at the cafenio square with a Cyprus coffee and look down at vineyards stretching into the Kryos River canyon — producing wine since before the pyramids were finished.

   Backup: The Koilani Viticulture Museum (village center, open since 1990) has the pytharia clay jars used for ancient wine production on display — the tangible link between Hesiod writing about Cyprus wine in 800 BC and the bottle in your hand today.

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4. 4 Walk to the Bottomless Valley — Where Koilani's Vineyards Fall Off the Mountain Adventure · Free

   Climb to the highest point of the village. The Kryos River valley drops away beneath you so sharply it looks like the vineyard terraces go on forever before vanishing. Locals call it 'the bottomless view.'

   Koilani sits at 820 meters on Mount Afamis's eastern slope, where every house you pass was once a tiny winery using pytharia jars and kazani copper stills for Zivania. From the village square, follow narrow limestone alleys upward (north-east) — ask at the cafenio for 'the high point' or 'the view.' At the top, the Kryos ('Cold') River valley falls away below, vineyards turning the entire hillside green. From here you understand why Romans, Byzantines, Templars, and Hospitallers all fought to keep this exact patch of mountain. The limestone carving on doorframes and balconies measures prosperity in vines and stone. Go late afternoon for western light that catches the vine terraces from the side, throwing shadows that make the layers visible. Bring the Mosxatos you bought at the winery — no better place to drink a Muscat du Monde gold-medal wine than on the mountain where the grapes were grown.

   Backup: If the upper alleys are unmarked, walk to the Viticulture Museum (village center) and ask the curator to point you toward the viewpoint. The museum itself is free and takes 20 minutes — pytharia jars, old harvest tools, the full story of how every house here was a winery.

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5. 5 Eat Meze in the Village That Produces It — Mezedes tis Marias, Koilani Adventure · Price: moderate · Optional

   The #1 restaurant in Koilani serves traditional Cypriot meze the way it was eaten before tourism: stuffed zucchini flowers, precision-cooked meat, fresh herbs, and always — always — a glass of local wine.

   Meze is not a dish — it's a philosophy: up to 30 small plates, eaten slowly, over hours. At Mezedes tis Marias (Koilani village center, 34.8256°N, 32.8550°E, rated #1 of 3 restaurants in Koilani), the vegetables come from the slopes you just walked, herbs grow wild on the mountain, and wine on the table was made 200 meters away. Request the pairing: a glass of Commandaria with the cheese course. Commandaria's amber sweetness cuts through grilled halloumi exactly as winemakers here have known for centuries. Richard the Lionheart ate something like this at his 1191 wedding and declared it the greatest wine in the world. Arrive 13:00–14:30 for lunch. Point to what other tables are having. Finish with soutzoukos — the chewy rope-candy made of grape must and almonds that's been the village's after-wine snack for 800 years.

   Backup: If Mezedes tis Marias is closed (check seasonally), the cafenio on the village square serves Cyprus coffee, warm bread, and convivial afternoons with older men who've been sitting at those same tables, drinking the same wine, since their grandfathers built the place.

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Insider tips

• Their Commandaria (4.4/5 on Vivino) is considered among the finest

• The winery focuses on quality over quantity

• Try the dry Muscat alongside the legendary Commandaria