A rare native Cypriot red giving deep, spicy wines. It cannot pollinate itself and must be interplanted with other vines to set fruit at all, which nearly caused it to disappear before growers worked out why the yields kept failing.
Wine comes from a vineyard and a licensed cellar, and this variety’s whole story is a viticultural problem rather than a culinary one.
What goes into it
- Maratheftiko grapes
- a pollinator variety planted among them
- yeast
- oak
How it is made
The vines are planted among a compatible variety so the flowers set. The grapes ferment on their skins for colour and tannin — this one gives a great deal of both — and the wine is usually matured in oak for a year or more before bottling.
How long it takes: one vintage a year, then a year or more in oak
How it is eaten
With grilled lamb, kleftiko and hard cheese.
History
A Cypriot red that cannot pollinate itself and must be interplanted with other vines, which nearly caused its disappearance.
Frequently asked questions
What is Maratheftiko?
Maratheftiko is a wine & spirit from Cyprus: rare native red grape giving deep, spicy wines. A Cypriot red that cannot pollinate itself and must be interplanted with other vines, which nearly caused its disappearance.
How is Maratheftiko made?
The vines are planted among a compatible variety so the flowers set. The grapes ferment on their skins for colour and tannin — this one gives a great deal of both — and the wine is usually matured in oak for a year or more before bottling. It takes one vintage a year, then a year or more in oak.
Can I make Maratheftiko at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Wine comes from a vineyard and a licensed cellar, and this variety’s whole story is a viticultural problem rather than a culinary one.
What goes into Maratheftiko?
Maratheftiko grapes, a pollinator variety planted among them, yeast, oak.
How is Maratheftiko eaten?
With grilled lamb, kleftiko and hard cheese.
