The wine that made it all the way to Hollywood

Abraham Maslov once wrote: ”Either you take a step forward towards growth or you take a step back towards security.”

Lambouri Winery has a long, deep history and stands on solid ground. But when I meet Mr Roland Wig, the current Director, I quickly realise that this is a winery that is taking big and confident steps forward.
He proudly shows me around the winery beautifully nestled in the mountains. They have just opened for lunch service up on the open terrace and there are many people who take the opportunity to enjoy the surroundings while sipping a glass of wine.
Before we join them, however, we get a guided tour of the cellars. Roland is full of marvelous stories from both the vineyard’s older as well as modern history.

It’s for example like something out of a Hollywood movie when he tells us about how, in the construction of the new winery, they came across a hidden old cellar. Literally as it collapses, he and a few others rescue some barrels with their bare hands. Well worth the effort as the barrels turn out to contain Commandaria from 1847! And while he’s proud to tell his story and show off the barrels, I’m inclined to agree with his wife that perhaps plunging into a collapsing cellar wasn’t entirely well advised. But, on the other hand, a committed wine lover must do what a committed wine lover must do. And for those lucky enough to taste what was in the barrels, I’m sure it was something extraordinary.

The step to Hollywood is not that far, as it turns out. One of the bottles in the collection looks strangely familiar. When Roland shows me a photo, I realize why. During the filming of ”Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”, the filming crew were looking for a bottle that could fit an extravagant pirate as Jack Sparrow. The choice fell on Apollonia from Lambouri. We can only hope that they savoured the nectar hidden in the beautiful bottle before they started filming.
We are in no way movie stars and it was a long time since I walked the decks of a ship. But we are invited to try an Apolonia from 1998. The aroma of this Commandaria is heavy with nuts, dried apricots, caramel and chocolate. The flavour is smooth and round with notes of dried figs, raisins, hints of maple syrup, vanilla and with a nice balancing acidity. A star, both in Hollywood and here.

Lambouri WInery is moving steadily forward and is currently undergoing a transformation. Among other things, they are slowly but surely replacing the old labels with the new LionSpirit. However, all wine lovers can be at ease. They will continue to produce their award-winning wines and delicious Commandaria. And since a few years back, they also produce Gin and Whiskey!
On this visit, I did not get the opportunity to taste any of these slightly stronger goods. But I look forward to coming back.
Let’s just say I like the Spirit of this Lion.

Maria Scharffenberg ,
Sommelier and Teacher