The third largest island in the Mediterranean and the birthplace of Aphrodite, Cyprus today is better known as a popular resort than a wine-producing country. The island's wine reputation, however, used to be far more significant. Cypriot wines are said to have been served at the feasts of Dionysus, and in the 13th century, a wine from Cyprus won the first-ever wine competition organised by French King Philip II.
History
Cyprus is situated at the crossroads of trade routes between Europe, Asia, and Africa and has always been a strategic location for navigators. Historians find evidence of vine cultivation on the island as early as the 2nd millennium BC. The Phoenicians and Greeks preferred sweet wines made from raisins, as
