Vlassides Winery sits among the vineyards of Koloni, just outside the wine village of Koilani in the Limassol region. It is the personal project of third‑generation winemaker Sophocles Vlassides, whose path into wine was shaped by his grandfather Sofoklis Metaxas, a respected village grower, and his father Theofanis Vlassides, a pioneering winemaker who replanted family vineyards with international varieties back in the late 1960s. After postgraduate studies in enology at UC Davis in California, Sophocles returned to Cyprus in 1998 determined to craft expressive, modern Cypriot wines. In 2003 he found his ideal site in the Koloni area and, together with architect Heraclis Papachristou, created a strikingly contemporary winery building that was later selected to represent Cyprus for the EU Mies van der Rohe contemporary architecture prize in 2015.
The estate today manages about 21 hectares of vineyards around Koilani, planted between 700 and 1100 meters altitude, where plenty of sunshine, mild winters and sandy‑clay soils over calcareous bedrock provide a strong base for quality fruit. Sophocles works with both indigenous and international varieties, including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Yiannoudi, Agiorgitiko and Maratheftiko for reds, and Xynisteri, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Assyrtiko and Promara for whites. His philosophy, shaped at Davis, is to let each variety’s aromas and fruit speak clearly in the glass, avoiding heavy, overripe styles or dominant oak, and putting the focus firmly on clean, characterful grapes from carefully managed vineyards.
Vlassides Winery is also known as a welcoming, design‑driven place to visit. The modern concrete and glass structure is set directly among the vines, with a bright tasting area that looks out over the surrounding hills. Visitors can book guided tours that explain the path from vineyard to bottle and include tastings of current releases, or opt for more in‑depth experiences that may feature older vintages, experimental wines and pairings with selected cheeses, sometimes in the company of Sophocles himself. It is a good stop for wine lovers who enjoy the combination of strong architectural identity, thoughtful winemaking and a clear focus on both Cypriot and international grape varieties.
