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I welcome you to today's press conference, on the occasion of the opening of the 15th Cyprus Wine Competition in Limassol -as it has been designated by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV)-, already since 1978 at a Wine and Vine Conference, held here.
The Competition is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, as well as under the auspices of the OIV, on the basis of approved and recognised international standards.
This is a Competition that was held for the first time in 2006 and has since been established as an annual institution, becoming the most important wine event in Cyprus.
The Competition is co-organised with the Ministry of Tourism, the Limassol Municipality, the Cyprus Wineries Association, the Cyprus Association of Graduate Oenologists, the Pancyprian Association of Oenologists, the Cyprus Oenophiles Association, the Oenophiles Group OinoArt and the Famagusta "Bacchus" Oenophiles Group. All these organisations are close and long-standing partners of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them warmly for their work.
Today's press conference is the prelude to the four-day procedural part of the Competition, which starts today and ends next Thursday, 16 May 2024, while the Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner will take place the following day, Friday, 17 May 2024. In this year's Competition, 27 local wineries are participating with 134 wine samples in two categories: dry and semi-dry wines and sweet and semi-sweet wines.
Undoubtedly, the members of the Jury Committee play a decisive role in the implementation of the Competition. The seven-member Jury is made up of people with considerable scientific, technical and experiential knowledge in the wine sector. Dr Valerie Lempereur, oenologist from France, has been appointed President of the Committee and Supervisor of the Competition process, with the participation of oenologists/sommeliers Mrs Tinatin Jajanidze and Mrs Nino Maisuradze from Georgia, oenologists Mr Wolfgang Beiss from Switzerland, Mr Nino Maisuradze from France, Mr Wolfgang Beiss from France and Mr Nino Maisuradze from France. Markos Zambartas from Cyprus, the sommelier Mrs. Maria Scharffenberg from Canada, and the oenographer Mr. Paul White from the United Kingdom.
The procedure of the Competition, as well as the composition and functioning of the Jury, have been established on the basis of a specific international standard adopted by the OIV. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the seven internationally renowned judges, whose presence and expertise will contribute to the full credibility of the results of the Competition and, by extension, to its successful conduct.
Prominent among the similar events within the framework of the Competition is the wine event, organized under the auspices of our Ministry, the Cyprus Wineries Association and the Pancyprian Winegrowers Association, to celebrate the established "International Winery Day", on the evening of Wednesday, May 15, 2024. This event further strengthens the wine sector of Cyprus, as it is in conjunction with the establishment of a corresponding International Day for the red Cypriot indigenous variety 'Maratheytiko' on 1 December.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Cypriot vineyard thrives in a Mediterranean climate, is free of phylloxera over time and includes unique indigenous varieties, which grow on their own rootstock, in arid, poor, eroded and sloping soils, with traditional dry land and continuous sunshine. This is a very historic vineyard, which gives wineries the opportunity to produce wines of terroir, exuberant, with an excellent concentration of ingredients, different and with a strong local style.
The will of the Government to support the wine sector and any organised effort to promote the wines of Cyprus is substantial and given. Moreover, investing in the quality, tradition and uniqueness of Cypriot agricultural products, such as our Cyprus wines, is a priority of the government's programme, with the aim of making our country's primary sector a pole of economic development for the country. At the very heart of our policy is the effort to highlight the special characteristics of Cyprus wines, unique characteristics that distinguish them at a global level.
Dear all,
It is obvious that the benefits of organizing such Wine Competitions are multiple, since they contribute significantly to the dissemination of knowledge, the encouragement of production, responsible consumption as part of culture, the promotion and presentation of the quality characteristics of wines to the wider public, as well as the improvement of the technical and scientific skills of our country's wine producers, and, by extension, the increase in the quality of wines.
With this, let me close by thanking once again all the participants of the Competition, while I would like to express my special thanks to my friend, the Mayor of Limassol, Mr. Nikos Nicolaides, for the long-standing support of the Limassol Municipality to the institution.
Thank you very much for your participation in the press conference and your attention.
(EFYs/MS/NYan)
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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