Gourmet products local specialties and wines Troodos

This chocolate factory, founded by an Englishman in the 1980s, is now run by three Russians. Good chocolates made from cocoa from Africa and Latin America are produced and sold here. A Cypriot touch is added with orange zest, tahini, zivania or "Aphrodite's cream" made from honey, royal jelly and cream. Chocolate-making courses are also available (prices and bookings on the website). Next door, a French-style bakery and patisserie has recently opened.

The "Terre de Vin - Domaine Vassilides" estate (Οίνου Γη - Κτήμα Βασιλειάδη) has its winery at the top of a hill. Here it has a pleasant panoramic restaurant open at weekends (times and prices on the website). So you can choose from several tasting options, nibbling or eating. Products include wines (including an organic range), commandaria, zivania, olive oil, honey...

Located in a house with candy-pink walls, down the street leading to the village center, this confectionery specializes in "Foini loukoums" (Φοινιώτικο Λουκούμι/Finiotiko Loukoumi, Foini Delights). Sweet, crunchy and tangy... Ourania Pissourou has taken over the recipe for bergamot and roasted almond loukoums from her uncle Phylactis Pilavakis, who made them in Cairo in the 1930s. She happily opens her modern laboratory to anyone who wants to visit (tours in English) and even offers free tastings of her products.

Managed by the same family for five generations, this winery is located in Vasa Kilaniou/Βάσα Κοιλανίου, a village of around 150 inhabitants in the Laona wine region, which enjoys a protected designation of origin. The large, modernized stone winery produces around 18,000 bottles a year. The vines, located at altitudes of 800 to 1,100 m, are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Viognier, Mataro and Maratheftiko. Tastings and tasting tours available (prices on request).

This winery (Οινοποιείο Αγία Μαύρη/Inopiio Agia Mavri) borrows its name from the pretty "Black Madonna" chapel on the banks of the Krios River. The Ioannidou family owns 5 hectares of vines planted at an altitude of 1,100 meters and produces around 50,000 bottles a year, supplementing with grape purchases from nearby winemakers. In addition to local grape varieties (mavro and xynisteri), the wines, including a muscat rosé, are produced from cabernet, grenache, mataro, riesling, chardonnay and carignan. Several tasting options.

Offering a beautiful view of Arsos, the Nikolettino winery was established in the 1980s. It is one of the few to have its own vineyards. It mainly produces wines from local grape varieties: mavro and maratheftiko for reds, xynisteri for whites. Annual production is 70,000 bottles. The owner also owns the To Panorama tis Annas restaurant in the village center.

It is no longer a "cellar" or a "château", but a real wine factory, the largest and probably the most modern in the country. The site belongs to ETKO (one of the four major Cypriot alcohol brands), which has concentrated all its wine production in Omodos since 2003. Here, the insulated tanks can hold the equivalent of 2 million bottles of wine... But it's worth a visit. Some of his bottles continue to be praised by oenologists, notably his Saint Nicholas Commandaria.

Situated at an altitude of 1,125 m, this winery boasts a superb panoramic tasting room with magnificent views over the region. The wines produced are mainly from Yannoudi and Syrah grapes for the reds, and Sauvignon Blanc and Xynisteri for the whites, with small plots of Promara (Cyprus) and Greek Moschofilero and Assyrtiko. Upon reservation, the owners organize tastings, with the option of a walk through the vineyards or room and board at the Casale Panayotis hotel.