Το Κυπριακό Οινομουσείο προβάλλει από την γενέτειρα του Ευρωπαϊκού οίνου την Ερήμη, την 5500 χιλιάδων χρόνων ιστορία του οίνου της Κύπρου. Διαθέτει μοναδική θεματική έκθεση, συλλογή αρχαιολογικών ευρημάτων και σειρά εκθεμάτων. Παρέχει στους επισκέπτες ένα μοναδικό ταξίδι και ενημερώνει για τη παραγωγή, φύλαξη, χρήση και εμπορία του οίνου από την αρχαιότητα έως τις μέρες μας. Σκιαγραφεί επίσης τη σ
ημασία της αμπέλου, του σταφυλιού και του οίνου στις τέχνες, προβάλλει τις γηγενείς ποικιλίες σταφυλιού καθώς και την ιστορία ενός από τα αρχαιότερα και μοναδικά κρασιά που ακόμα παράγονται, την Κουμανταρία (Νάμα).
Καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια της χρονιάς διοργανώνονται διαλέξεις, μαθήματα γευσιγνωσίας οίνου, παραστάσεις και συναυλίες. Επίσης, εφαρμόζονται διαφορετικές εκπαιδευτικές δράσεις που απευθύνονται σε σχολικές ομάδες όλων των βαθμίδων.
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Cyprus was one of the first countries in the world to make wine and it has a history of winemaking that stretches back more than 5500 years, that is interwoven with many of the events and traditions of the island. Historians believe that Cyprus has the longest continuous history of winemaking in the world. The museum displays the history of Cyprus wine, the science of Cypriot wine making and the diversity of the Cyprus wine industry all under the same roof. The Cyprus Wine Museum is located near by the chalcholithic settlement of Erimi, where fragments of pottery belonging to 18 pointed base flasks were found. The large amount of tartaric acid found in the Flasks proves that wine has been produced on the island for over 5500 years. Erimi village, at the crossroads of the wine routes of Cyprus, is near by Limassol in close proximity to the prehistoric settlement of Sotira, where the oldest remains of grape seeds have been found and also near to Kolossi Castle, a medieval Commanderie of the Hospitaller Knights that gave the name to the Commandaria Wine. The Cyprus Wine Museum is housed in a beautifully renovated two-storey stone building that has been owned by the family of Cypriot composer Anastasia Guy for more than a century. On the first floor of the building is the Wine Museum which gives an innovative and creative insight into the history of winemaking in Cyprus. It is divided in four main chronological periods. The Ancient, the Byzantium, the Medieval and the Modern period of winemaking. On the same floor visitors can enjoy an audiovisual journey of winemaking through the centuries. In St Ilarion Hall, on the ground floor of the museum, we exhibit the Wine Trails. Here we show in a series of alcoves in the stone walls the Cypriot wine producers. It is here that visitors can relax and enjoy some of the different indigenous varieties of wines, accompanied by traditional Cypriot delicacies. Seminars about the methods of wine tasting, the history of Cypriot wine and in general the wine tradition of the island are held in the St Ilarion Hall. Visitors can wander out into the traditional eastern courtyard where there is a display of traditional equipment that includes the stone pits (patistra) where the grapes were crushed, the distillation equipment used for making the traditional spirit Zivania and a number of pitharia - the red clay jars in which the wine was fermented and stored. Outside in the western courtyard there is an attractive small open air stone theatre that is the setting for regular musical soirees and other cultural events. Also here is the perfect setting for private parties such as Ancient Greek, Roman, Medieval nights etc. The ideal place for exhibitions, conferences, seminars, wedding ceremonies and events. The Cyprus Wine Museum it is placed at the strarting point of the ‘Wine Routes of Cyprus’ and is also suggested to be visite in the 4th route and 5th route. the “Krasochoria Lemesou” (Wine Villages of Limassol) and “Commandaria” route.
