A Case of Questions with Matthew Stowell, Food and Wine Writer

One of my first paid writing jobs was with the now defunct Cyprus Gourmet, a local food and wine magazine started by Patrick Skinner, a dapper British expat who lived in Vouni and moved back to the UK many years ago to live (and chase dreams) in a revamped countryside windmill.

My editor at the time was Matthew Stowell, a talented American writer, journalist and occasional filmmaker who's been in and out of the The Rock more times than a cruise-ship captain docking in Limassol to do shots of zivania with girlfriend #5.

Matthew has had quite an adventurous and eclectic life. He's worked as a cook, bartender, construction worker, VW mechanic, taxi driver, proofreader, New York City bookshop owner, paralegal and English teacher. As a writer, he's served as a dance, visual arts and music critic for newspapers in Boston, San Francisco and Chicago, and written hundreds of articles on food and wine both in the US and Cyprus. Furthermore, he's been a finalist for the 1978 Virginia Prize for Fiction and the 2009 First Amendment Writes Poetry Prize, and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Criticism. Matthew is the proud author of two detective novels (Roll Away the Stone and Blind Faith), a collection of poems (The Look of Love) and a book of dramatic works (Three Screenplays and A One Act). Most importantly to this blog's readers, he is the author of the island's latest wine guide, Stowell's Guide to the Wines and Wineries of Cyprus. Matthew is back on The Rock so we reached out and picked his brain on one of his favorite subjects. And make sure to buy his book!

Why wine?

I have been aware of wine and had respect for it since I was a child. I grew up in a large family and we drank wine with dinner—not every day, not with hot dogs and beans, but if the meal was put together as a substantial dinner, my father would send me down to the basement for a bottle of wine. So for me, a meal isn’t a meal without wine.

First wine that really captured your attention? How old were you?

When I was a teenager, I confess I liked Liebfraumilch. It was popular then and went down smoothly, but it didn’t really impress me as anything special. The first wine that truly grabbed me and made me sit up and study the label was a Petite Sirah (a cross between Peloursin and Syrah) from the Sonoma Valley in California. I was in my early twenties and living in San Francisco, working as company manager for a modern dance company.

All-time favorite bottle of wine?

During those same years in California, I was gifted with a bottle of Chateau Latour from the year of my birth, 1949. My girlfriend and I hitch-hiked down the coast to Big Sur and in a cabin at Deetjin’s Inn we shared the wine. It was an incredible experience. My girlfriend only took a sip then wanted to go for a walk. I told her, “You go ahead. I’m going to drink this wine. I’ll try to save you some.”

Favorite wine-producing region? Why?

I really love the wines of Cyprus. When I’m away from the island (at the moment I’m stuck in Mexico City) I crave Cypriot wines above all others. There’s just something about it that speaks to my soul. Next would be Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany and the Douro Valley in Portugal.

Your favorite food-and-wine pairing?

Steak and Maratheftiko.

What is Cyprus missing when it comes to wine?

In my opinion, nothing. Some people complain that Cyprus doesn’t export its wines, they can’t find Cypriot wines in their home countries. That is because most Cypriot wineries are too small to produce enough bottles for a larger market. Let’s say some New York importer falls in love with a Xinisteri or Maratheftiko and tells the winemaker, I want 100,000 bottles a year, otherwise it’s not worth my while. Most Cypriot winemakers could not do it, or if they did, there would be nothing left for Cyprus. But I think this is a good thing. Keep it small. It’s more conducive to creating top quality wine.

What do you foresee for Cyprus’s wine industry?

A few more wineries will open. More experimentation with various grape varieties will take place. The quality, as it has over the past 20 years, will continue to improve.

What Cypriot wine would you match with grilled halloumi, The Rock’s greatest contribution to mankind?

You should always douse grilled halloumi with fresh lemon juice so I would probably drink a single vineyard Xinisteri (well chilled), a dry Rosé or maybe a Morokanella.

What do you enjoy most about your work in the food & wine world?

The people in the food and wine business in Cyprus, for the most part, are intelligent, passionate and generous individuals who enjoy the good things in life and love to share them, so I am always pleased to spend time with them. But I particularly enjoy introducing Cypriot wines to those who are unfamiliar with them, especially to people who have the antiquated opinion that our wines are inferior to those of France, Italy, Spain or the Americas.

Who is your favorite wine personality? Why?

J. Liebling, a food (and wine) writer for the New Yorker about 70 years ago. He once quoted a playwright friend of his who, admonishing his cook, said, “The wine cellar is becoming a disgrace—no more ‘34s and hardly any ‘37s. Last week I had to offer my publisher a bottle that was far too good for him, simply because there was nothing between the insulting and the superlative.”

Any embarrassing episodes involving spilled wine, corkscrews, sommeliers or drunken behavior?

I hadn’t been truly intoxicated since high school when I overindulged at a wine presentation/dinner at the Columbia Steak House in Limassol. Before dinner, when we were supposed to mingle in a bar area, I was nervous among so many strangers and could not say no every time a waiter approached with a tray of glasses of the new Zambartas rosé. And it was amazingly good wine! I forgot that there were several more wines to sample with dinner, but I dutifully sampled them and got so woozy I couldn’t speak English (or any form of Greek). Akis Zambartas had to drive me home, but we laughed together like newly minted oligarchs.

Of course, your all-time favorite Cypriot (or other island) wine?

I was visiting some in-laws in Limassol who didn’t drink much wine, but they knew I was passionate about it. As I was leaving, the hostess dug around behind some books in their library and pulled out a 15-year-old bottle of Ayios Elias (from the Chrysorroyiatissa Monastery in Panayia) and handed it to me. I opened it a couple of days later, and it was extraordinary! It was also solid proof that Cypriot wines had ageing potential.

You can contact Matthew via email or Facebook.

On Making A Grand Entrance

Talk about making a grand entrance. Perched immediately above Omodos, The Rock's (unofficial?) wine capital, Oenou Yi - Ktima Vassiliades stands out like a bottle of La Tâche in a lineup of village blends.

Inaugurated in 2018, Oenou Yi, the brainchild of Limassol's Christodoulos G. Vassiliades, is undoubtedly the blockbuster of wineries in Cyprus. It's luxurious and shiny and hardly shy about using expensive marble, tall windows and mirrors to coat walls and cellar floors and everything else in between. From my description, you'd imagine a gaudy, over-the-top winery styled by a bejeweled Latin American nouveau riche like myself, but it's not. I think the place exudes class and sophistication without overstepping that boundary into tackiness.

The winery, which I believe has been designed as an events and recreation space, includes conference rooms, a small swimming pool, a forthcoming spa, a high-end restaurant (more on this later), a posh tasting room and nautical miles of cellar space. During our short tour, I was mesmerized by the amount of space reserved for oak barrels. Fikardos Fikardou of Fikardos Winery has joked with me in the past about building a squash court in his winery. However, in Oenou Yi's two cellar rooms—one for Commandaria, the other for dry wines—you could build two indoor tennis courts where Baghdatis fans could play Around the World, ideally downing shots of zivania at each crossover, and still have enough room to actually age liters upon liters of wine. Oenou Yi is also planning on building bedrooms or offering space for people to stay in Omodos. I must admit that it's not my preferred style of winery but there's plenty of room for this type of all-inclusive, wine-themed experience in the current Cypriot market.

And the wines they are currently producing show plenty of potential. Aikaterini-Evangelia Mylona, who trained in Spain, France, Argentina and New Zealand and is one of three females winemakers on the island, has worked on a pretty large portfolio of wines ranging from light whites made of Xynisteri to oaked Maratheftiko and Commandaria and everything else in between.

During the tasting, which takes places in their impeccably classy tasting room, Mikhail Vakhromov, who trained in hospitality management and leads the drinking component of the tour, garrulously guided me through my lineup of wines (and will definitely try to sell you a copy of Madeline Puckette's Wine Folly). Mikhail, who doesn't have a background in wine, has been learning on the job and does plenty to engage the customer and keep them interested in what is being tasted. Case in point, if you're visiting, make sure to ask Mikhail to show you how to properly taste zivania—you'll either fully understand the traditional Cypriot drink and all of its nuances or choke on the spirit as the vapors rush up your nostrils and stumble off your stool. Yes, I almost fell.

Personally speaking, my preferred tipples were the 2018 Playia White blend of Xynisteri, Malaga and Assyrtiko, which was a bit fuller and more complex (tropical!) than the 100% Xynisteri, and the 2017 Playia Cuvée Spéciale, which works well with The Rock's favorite charcoal-fueled hobby. A special mention is becoming of the 2016 Geroklima Maratheftiko, a heavy-hitting red that's been aged in new oak for two years. Yes, it's big and bold and woody but there's plenty of jammy fruit, well integrated tannins, and a rounded smoothness that would work wonders with a Stegosaurus-sized, marbled steak. It's definitely not my style of wine but I  enjoyed it enough that I purchased a bottle and will let it sit for three to four years before revisiting.

Now the winery's restaurant, which is called Playia (slope in Greek), was a revelation. With a menu created by Andreas Andreou, the talented chef who put Skinny Fox on The Big Fig's (Nicosia for those of you late to the game) culinary map, the food is the best one can currently find in any winery on The Rock and probably the most gourmet meal anywhere up in the Cypriot mountains.

The menu has been carefully constructed, leaning towards Cypriot-inspired dishes using local ingredients and modern techniques. We kicked off the meal with a salad of baby leaves, crispy halloumi cheese, dried figs, grapes, roasted walnuts, raisins, sesame seeds, and a basil and grape syrup vinaigrette, which was bountiful, fresh and well-balanced, deftly walking the line between sweet and sour. This was followed by a pork loin braised with red wine and aromatic herbs, parsnip purée, coriander seeds, roasted mushrooms, and parsnip roots with a red wine sauce, and tagliatelle with prawns, tomato, basil, parsley, lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, cream and lobster bisque sauce. Both dishes were perfectly executed, packed with flavor and refined in presentation. Plus, I really appreciated the pricing policy on the wines consumed onsite; a glass of wine runs for about three to four Euros and bottles are sold without the typical restaurant markup.

So the next time you're up in Omodos, swing by and pay them a visit. Have a taste of their wines, revel in Playia's well-designed and executed menu, take a dip in their pool. Make a day out of it and live the life of a Latino nouveau riche who's stumbled upon a wealth of wealth here on The Rock. You'll only be doing it with a hell of a lot more class.

A Case of Questions with Exotic Wine Travel

Exotic Wine Travel is the brainchild of Matthew Horkey and Charine Tan, two authors, speakers, marketers, travellers and wine lovers who left Singapore two years ago in search of good wine and interesting stories to tell. Following an unexpected meeting with a representative of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation in Tbilisi, Georgia, Matthew and Charine landed on The Rock and visited more than twenty wineries and bars as part of a wine itinerary set up by Cyprus Sommelier Association's George Kassianos. So far, they have written about their first impressions of our island, a cheat sheet on Cyprus wines, and a glowing review of the work being done by the Kyriakides boys at Vouni Panayia Winery. Since us here at the blog are a nosy bunch, we got in touch and had them join our distinguished "Case of Questions" family. ¡Salud!

Why wine? 

Exotic Wine Travel (EWT): Wine is a wondrous port of entry into various topics like sociology, philosophy, geography, history, and science. As full-time travelers, wine makes us feel at home and connects us to people wherever we go, because wine lovers from all over the world speak the same language. Wine is like a steroid in communication and friendship. Meet a wine lover and the next moment, you'll be spending the night with his or her family and friends.

First wine that really captured your attention? How old were you?  

Charine Tan (CT): My first sip of wine was at an indecently young age. I believe it was a Graham's 20 Year Old Tawny Port, or 10 Year Old. But the one that really captured my heart was a red Burgundy. I had no clue about the producer, appellation, or region. It was my 18th birthday and I was treated to dinner at a French fine-dining restaurant in Singapore.

Matthew Horkey (MH): The first time I tasted wine that was distinctly different was a house red wine in Lucca, Italy. I was a broke graduate student, backpacking across Europe with some friends. We ordered a liter of house red wine that was completely different from the supermarket plonk I was drinking in America. As I drank it, there was an "ah hah" moment where I finally understood that wine could taste good and have fine nuances to it. 

All-time favorite bottle of wine? 

CT: Château d'Yquem 1986. It's not about the sensory merits per se; that wine showed me a new realm of possibilities for wine. I was never partial to sweet wine, so it was a surprise that I ended up loving that wine.

MH: Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 2002 (red). I love Syrah but this wine had so much leather, earthy, and meaty nuances to it that were brand new to me.  It blew my mind that Syrah could taste like that. It was actually a present for Charine's birthday but I kept returning to her glass, sniffing away in wonder.

Favorite wine-producing region? Why? 

EWT: This took a bit of debating to get to a consensus. It'll be Piedmont. We spent two weeks in Piedmont in June 2015. We were just starting our long-term travel then and Piedmont was the first wine region where we engaged in some serious wine tourism activities. Piedmont has it all as a wine region—the views, people, food, wine, culture, entertainment, and to a decent extent the infrastructure.

Your favorite food-and-wine pairing?

EWT: We are very experimental with wine, food, and actually pretty much everything. So there's never a safe or default choice for us when it comes to pairing. But if we're put in charge of the food at a pairing session, we'd suggest a table full of different cheeses, bread, cold cuts, olive oil, nut oil, and dips.

What is Cyprus missing when it comes to wine? 

EWT: Just like most wine countries that are rebuilding their modern wine culture, Cyprus is still finding its brand identity and brand story. A geographical name and history are not enough to characterize and brand a wine country. Other salient points need to be considered. Cyprus needs to first identify the cues or attributes that are already strongly linked to the country: the legendary Commandaria sweet wine, the omnipresent Mount Olympus, the surprise of meze, the refreshing Xinisteri, the intense tasting reds made from old bush vines, etc. Then build the rest of the offerings upon that. The offerings will need to cover the entertainment, education, aesthetic, and participation aspects of wine tourism. A brand name is strengthened by a positive experience at every touch point—from the winery to the hotel, airport, and social media. 

The increased international awareness and global demand for Cypriot wine will also offer wiggle room for wine producers to experiment with new styles of wine. Based on our conversations with a few winemakers, it seems like Cypriot wine producers are very reactive to what the local market demands and sometimes feel obliged to make wine in a certain way that they don't necessarily believe is the best step forward.

EWT Loved Vasilikon Winery's Agios Onoufrios as a Bargain Red

What do you foresee for Cyprus’s wine industry? 

EWT: More focus on indigenous varieties and clonal selection to improve the quality of wine. More collaboration among producers and between the private and public sectors. 

What do you enjoy most about your work in the food & wine world?  

EWT: The people we meet and the stories of their countries told to us in various narratives and through different lenses.

What is your “Five Year Plan” for your business? 

EWT: We've decided on this since the very beginning of Exotic Wine Travel. We want Exotic Wine Travel to be an indispensable resource for wine travelers in the same way as how Lonely Planet was to independent travelers. But maybe with a touch of "Eat Pray Love" sort of inspiration thrown into it.

Who is your favorite wine personality? Why? 

EWT: Karen MacNeil. Her style of wine writing is something that we hope to emulate. The Wine Bible does a wonderful job of taking the readers through the world of wine. It is informative and entertaining. There is a perfect balance between facts, wine recommendations, and humor to keep drinkers of all level engaged. 

Any embarrassing episodes involving spilled wine, corkscrews, sommeliers or drunken behavior? 

MH: I'm so clumsy and knock over wine glasses all the time. Once I was at dinner with a group of friends. I got so excited and moved my hands so violently that I knocked over my glass and spilled red wine all over a guy's white dress shirt. It was the first time I met the guy and he was pretty upset (understandably so). And of course, I've spilled wine over Charine at tastings and events too.

Of course, your all-time favorite island wine?

EWT: The Vlassides Opus Artis 2011 was the best wine that we discovered during our two-week press trip in Cyprus.

You can reach Exotic Wine Travel via their website, Facebook, Twitter, Vivino and Instagram.