Compensation for winemaking grapes damaged in the recent Limassol wildfires will barely make a dent for local vintners, a Cyprus Winemakers Association member has said.
Winemaker Markos Zambartas called the forthcoming damage assessment by the Agriculture Department “a drop in the ocean.”
He noted the association may conduct its own independent evaluation of losses, though its findings are unlikely to factor into government payouts.
The head of Risk Management, Savvas Chatzimichael, clarified that compensation applies only to raw grapes—not the wine produced from them.
Zambartas expressed frustration, saying that basing reimbursements on grape value alone does “absolutely nothing” for wineries struggling in the aftermath of the fires.
Cyprus is one of the world’s oldest winemaking regions, with indigenous grapes, ideal climate, and a legacy preserved through modern techniques and historic wines like Commandaria.