The beginning of the new year finds us once again at home. This time around we know more about how to stay entertained and sane while staying in, right? We’ve found the TV shows to binge on, the scenic walks to go on and the banana bread recipes we won’t be baking this time. Zoom catch-ups, Kahoot dinner games and virtual birthday celebrations have returned. How much more online fun we can endure is questionable, yet almost a year into the pandemic fascinating events and experiences are still emerging virtually.
Airbnb has been around for more than a decade and whether you’ve used it or not, chances are you know of it. It has become the platform for finding quirky accommodation with a more local touch.
Besides connecting travellers with places to stay, Airbnb has an Experiences category where local experts offer activities and fun things to do. Similar to tours but with a more independent feel. Cyprus-based hosts have been offering their experiences as well. Foraging and cooking with wild plants, halloumi-making workshops, exploring Nicosia’s Buffer Zone, the list goes on.
When the coronavirus hit, putting travelling on hold, all these activities could no longer happen. That’s when Airbnb’s Online Experiences were born. These are exactly as they sound; virtual activities, walks, tours and workshops from international hosts that you can do from your couch, from meditating with a Buddhist monk, preparing Portuguese sangria with Drag Queens to sandwich masterclasses and family magic shows!
Among the options is a workshop hosted by sommelier Pambos Panayiotou on the Story of the Wine of the Kings. “The unique, never-ending story around this almost perfect natural beverage,” is what fascinates Pambos about Commandaria and what he begins to share in his workshops. “It’s magical,” he said, explaining that there is so much all of us still don’t know about this local wine.
Since then, wine has been a big part of his life, opening his own business in 1996 and certifying as a sommelier back in 2004. Working in the field of wine trade and vino tourism, collaborating with restaurant operators, wine professionals and local wineries, Pambos has been organising tastings and tours for some time for individuals and corporate events. His Tasting Room in central Limassol also offers more experiences to self-guided travellers and wine enthusiasts. Just when he received his first booking for the Airbnb in-person experiences in mid-March, the first lockdown in Cyprus was announced. So, he took his workshops online, got approved by the platform in August and by December began getting regular bookings.
The Story of the Wine of the Kings recounts the historical turning points in Commandaria’s fabled past and where it is today. In an hour and 15 minutes participants learn how the wine is made, its various styles and its food pairings, while learning how to analyse wine tastes. It is, said Pambos, not a history lesson but an interactive storytelling and wine tasting session among friends.
“Wine is the winemakers’ experiences translated into a beverage. My job is to translate that liquid back into a sensory experience for guests,” he added. “I introduce my guests to… their glass of wine through a short meditation session.”
All that’s needed to bring to the session is a glass or two of Commandaria. If you haven’t got any at home, any wine will do along with some fruit and cheese to nibble on. Choose a date and time on the Airbnb site, pay the €12 price and an email confirmation will include the zoom link and details of how to join.
The workshop’s 80-something reviews on Airbnb, all ranking it on almost 5 stars, detail an entertaining and interactive class about the unknown-to-most Commandaria wine. The majority of participants so far have been foreigners, except for a few locals. “Statistically, locals don’t tend to book online experiences from their region as they wouldn’t book a guide for a local tour in person, also.” Yet that doesn’t mean that his experience will not be interesting for Cyprus residents too as there is so much to learn about the King of Wines and the Wine of the Kings.
As an advocate of Cypriot wines and viticulture, Pambos is eager to share his passion for local wines with the world, especially now as he says we are going through a renaissance in Cypriot wine culture. To bring it closer to locals, Pambos will soon be launching an online experience tailored to their preferences.
It will include a Tasting Room Box of four 100ml bottled wine samples delivered to the guests’ location before the event, with three formats to choose from: Cyprus Wine Indigenous White Varieties, Cyprus Wine Indigenous Red Varieties and Extended Commandaria Tasting.
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