It’s a Tuesday night and I sit alone in the atmospheric old schoolhouse style gastro bar The Winery. With its renovated yellow brick walls and large windows inviting you to peek, The Winery stands proud in a terraced block of historic buildings in a side street off Ledra.
It’s a pleasant experience because it’s an inviting venue. It’s a sit down place for 30somethings to enjoy good alcohol with larger than average portions of tasty Tapas. The owner is also a bit of a whiskey fan, which reflects in the variety of premium whiskeys on offer.
The venue is beautiful. With its high ceilings, the two-room bar looks and feels both huge and cosy. It’s been renovated inside and out to a high standard. It consists of a large main room with eight high tables of varying sizes and eclectic furnishing; stacks of books on high bookshelves line the walls. The interior is reminiscent almost of an English headmaster’s office, yet it feels homely. The floors are black and white check with vintage looking clocks hanging randomly and impressive industrial metal tubes pinned from the ceiling.
Further large glass windows take you out to a courtyard style smoking area. It also has a high roof which opens and closes depending on the weather. The whole place deceptively looks bigger than it is, with a chilled, satisfying and classy atmosphere.
The music style as a whole is funky jazz and allows people to natter, whilst the staff weave in an out almost unnoticed. The menus arrive including for weekend brunch when a live DJ plays on a Sunday from 11 to 4. The wine menu is the size of a manuscript, big but not overwhelming. It helps you search the wines by taste not just names or countries, which for a wine novice like myself is great. However, the real highlight of The Winery is that is produces its own wine right in front of you, well actually in beautiful stainless steel containers behind the bar. It prides itself on selling red, white and rosé vino from the tap as well as over 200 different bottles of wine from 15 different countries. Their own wine is made in such a way that it is ready to drink, the whole process taking five months.
The gin cocktail menu is what ultimately spoke to me, with original and thoughtful choices. I opted for the Aroma Gin & Tonic and was mighty satisfied. Subtle and incredibly aromatic, the beverage is served in tall, bowl-shaped glasses from which a delicate, sweet rose scent hits the ‘nose buds’ before the subtle fusion of Hendricks gin, dried berries, whole cardamom and dried roses comes together to create a fresh, light kick. Cocktails range from €5 to €9.
There is a huge selection of wines by the glass with a walled chalk board acting as the menu. It changes monthly, so by the end of the year every bottle they sell will have been available to try by the glass. There are currently 14 to choose from.
The Winery
Where: Lykourgou street, old Nicosia
When: Monday-Friday 6pm-2am, Saturday and Sunday 10am-2am
Bookings: for half of the capacity, allowing for walk-ins. Fridays and Saturdays are incredibly busy so best be in that 50% reserved!
Contact: 22 511925, facebook.com/TheWineryWineBar
Price: cocktails €5-9, wine by the glass from €5
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