Doric

Giorgos Balatsouras has been farming and vinifying rare local grapes, with organic certification, since 1998. His love for his birthplace, the village of Koniakos, which is very close to the ancient site of Delphi and the lake Mornou, shows in the honesty of the wines, which are made with the same methods that his family used for generations. This gives his wines a clearly traditional character.

Giorgos started making wine to preserve those family traditions, which were starting to disappear with the demise of many remote Greek villages and their vineyards, such as Koniakos. Koniakos sits in a fir forest, at an altitude of 800 meters, and is itself an alpine and pristine environment, far away from any human intervention. It is also here, where the bucolic “Kosmas” red grape was born, which is locally also known as “Gousmadia”. Giorgos single-handedly saved the variety from extinction, by having it officially recognized by the Greek authorities, and devoting all his red wine production to the tiny vineyard that he inherited from his family.

The area around Koniakos has been inhabited since ancient times, and considered the hub of the Dorians, one of the four main ancient Greek tribes. The continental / alpine micro-climate, creates favorable conditions for slow spontaneous fermentations. Farming is almost archaic, with no irrigation anywhere close by. Vinification adheres to the traditions, which are perfectly adapted to the local resources; open wood fermenters are covered with fir branches for cap management, with river stones keeping the skins submerged in their must. The fir secretes its flavorless resin, which adds texture to the wine, but also protects it thanks to its antiseptic properties. Giorgos does not add anything to the wine and does not interfere any further, with the objective of preserving the pristine and virgin nature of the local environment, which has always been clean of human intervention and pollution.

• Winery: Doric Wines
• Focus: Traditional Vinification Methods in an Alpine terroir
• Region: Delphi (Central Greece)
• Year founded: 1998
• Size: 0.85 ha
• Grapes: Kosmas (Gousmadia), Roditis, Malagousia
• Viticulture: Organic (certified) and Dry
• Climate: Heavy Winters, humid Spring, and a mild Summer, with constant winds which mitigate humidity.
• Soil: Limestone with excellent drainage
• Vine age: Planted in 2002
• Altitude: 800m
• Distance from coast: 25 miles
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 100%

Garalis

Manolis Garalis is a third generation wine grower. With an ambition to see his high quality organic grapes turned into first class wine, he launched his own winery in 2006 and released his first wines in 2007. He cultivates Lemnos island’s Limnio and Muscat of Alexandria, organically (certified), in 5 hectares of sulphuric volcanic soil.

Limnio is the oldest referenced grape in the world, as mentioned by Aristotle, Homer and other ancient Greek philosophers as “Limnia Ampelos”, and has been on the island for thousands of years. Muscat of Alexandria has become the main grape since the 1920’s, when brought by Lemnian immigrants from Egypt.

Lemnos is a volcanic island, and Garalis’ approach is “hands-off” without any addition of yeasts or other additives, to express this unique terroir in its pure form.

• Winery: Garalis
• Focus: Volcanic natural dry wines from Limnio and Muscat of Alexandria
• Region: Lemnos island (Aegean islands)
• Year founded: 2006
• Size: 5 hectares
• Grapes: Limnio / Muscat of Alexandria
• Viticulture: Organic
• Climate:Dry and warm Summers, with limited rainfalls
• Soil: Volcanic soil, poor in nutrients, and some limestone
• Vine age: Planted between 1972 to 2015
• Altitude: 150-200m
• Distance from coast: 3 miles
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 90%

Kontozisis Organic Vineyards

Kontozisis Organic Vineyards is an organic grower in Karditsa, a rural town in the region of Thessaly. Karditsa is known as the bicycle capital of Greece, and the homeland of the impressive Limniona red grape. The winery and vineyards are on the foothills of mount Agrafa, in two distinctive terroirs between Kanalia and Dafnospilia.

Kontozisis has been practicing certified organic agriculture and organic vinification since 1991, one of the first to get such a certification in Greece. His long term commitment to organic practices shows his honest approach to sustainability. Having worked only with the local market of Karditsa, organic practices were something that was not appreciated, but Kontozisis insisted on farming without chemicals, and making honest, natural wines. The few loyal fans of Kontozisis wines in Karditsa were enough to keep going throughout the years, and eventually making them available to a market that fully embraced the authenticity in those wines; the big urban centers of the United States.

Andreas Kontozisis and his partner Aphrodite Tousia are working passionately with the area’s indigenous red grape, Limniona, among others, for which they have developed proprietary vineyard techniques to get as much concentration as possible from the variety’s large grapes. All grapes are hand harvested and pruned from the low-yield (28 hectoliters / ha) estate-owned vineyards of 11 ha. Kontozisis uses no press (only free run wines) and no commercial yeasts.

• Winery: Kontozisis Organic Vineyards
• Focus: Natural vinifications of the local Limniona and Malagousia grapes
• Region: Karditsa (Thessaly)
• Year founded: 1991
• Size: 11 hectares
• Grapes: Limniona / Xinomavro / Merlot / Syrah / Malagousia / Assyrtiko / Roditis / Chardonnay
• Viticulture: Organic
• Climate: Warm and sunny during summer with low precipitation. Mountain 
formations provide cool nights (the big variance of temperature between day and night, together with the area’s micro-climate, soil, and cold currents from the surrounding mountains, give the wines / grapes their unique expression and sense of place). Rains could be a problem during mid to  
late September.
• Soil: Sand / loam
• Vine age: Planted between 1991 and 2010
• Altitude: 200-250m
• Distance from coast: 50 miles
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 100%

Sant’Or

Sant’Or wines is located outside the historical 3rd largest Greek city of Patra, and operated by a local grower, Panagiotis Dimitropoulos, who is cultivating his 4.5 ha of vineyards biodynamically, at an altitude of 600m, with no irrigation. Indigenous to the historical village of Santomeri is the rare white grape Santameriana, as well as the famous (for its sweet wines) red grape Mavrodafni (literally “black laurel”), revived through impressive dry vinifications. Panagiotis is the only grower cultivating the Santameriana grape, and one of very few making dry monovarietal Mavrodafni.

The vineyards came to Panagiotis through his father and generations of wine growers. His vision was to continue the family tradition as authentically as possible, and raise awareness on the local indigenous grapes. His vinifications are based on healthy and rigorous fruits through dry, biodynamic vinification, and wild fermented and naturally vinified wines, with experimentation of aging in various materials (clay amphoras, cement, old oak).

• Winery: Sant’Or
• Focus: Rare indigenous Mavrodafni and Santameriana grapes in natural vinifications
• Region: Patra (Peloponnese)
• Year founded: 2007
• Size: 4.5 hectares
• Grapes: Mavrodafni / Agiorgitiko / Santameriana / Roditis
• Viticulture: Biodynamic / Dry
• Climate: Mild Winters, dry Summers
• Soil: Clay loam, chistose rocks
• Vine age: Planted in 1960 and 1987
• Altitude: 500m
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 100%

Xydakis Microwinery

Giorgos Xydakis is a native of Mykonos island, one of the most popular Cycladic islands of Greece, alas better known for its night life and party scene. Giorgos Xydakis developed his immense love for his island and its tradition, when he was watching (and tasting with) his grower grandfather making traditional wine, back in the 60’s. Even though he later went on to become a dentist, which is his main profession, his vision to bring back the (agri)culture and rich Mykonian traditions never faded out. He started his micro-winery in 2001, which was centered around an old, garden-size vineyard of local varieties. His ambition was to revive local and, mostly, forgotten Cycladic varieties, through garage-style natural vinifications. Some of the varieties included in Giorgos’ wines, have obscure names like Xeromacherou (meaning “dry knife”), Kouforogo (“hollow berry”), and Potamisi (“river”), and their history is almost lost in oblivion. Those not sourced from his organically farmed garden, come from old and abandoned or semi-uncultivated vineyards of Mykonos and surrounding Cycladic islands (Antiparos, Syros, Andros, Tinos, etc), which Giorgos spots and forages / harvests himself.

• Winery: Xydakis Microwinery
• Focus: Indigenous Cycladic varieties
• Region: Mykonos (Aegean Islands)
• Year founded: 2001
• Size:Terraced garden – Some grapes sourced from uncultivated and semi-uncultivated vineyards
• Grapes: Potamisi white, Potamisi red, Monemvasia, Serfiotiko, Assyrtiko, Mavrotragano, Xeromahairou white, Xeromahairou red, Kouforogo, Ayaniotiko,Mavri Askatharia
• Viticulture: Organic (certified) and Dry / Uncultivated
• Climate: Dry Mediterranean, with mild Winters, hot and dry Summers.
• Soil:Sandy
• Vine age:Planted between 1988 and 1991
• Altitude:100m
• Distance from coast: 1 mile
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 50%

Stilianou

Giannis Stilianou and his teenage son, personally tend to their 3 hectares of organic vineyards, planted only with indigenous Cretan varieties. There is no irrigation or any kind of spraying. The vines are stressed under the hot, Cretan Sun, and then cooled off by the mountain breeze. This shows in the impressive concentration and intense aromatics of the artisanal Stilianou wines.

Giannis’ family emigrated to Crete after the last war between Greece and Turkey, a century ago, along with the rest of a Greek population wave, and brought with them many techniques of Asia Minor. One of them was the sun drying of grapes on “tsisveres“, wooden boards that are spread on the ground during the day, and stacked at night, in a way that allows for air to flow through and prevent any humidity issues. This traditional method is used in the product of the naturally sweet, sun dried Kotsifali, the only sweet vinification of the grape in the world.

Giannis Stilianou initially decided to follow a different career path, and studied engineering. After working in that field for a while, he decided his heart belonged in the vineyards, where he grew up and loved as a kid and teenager.

• Winery: Stilianou
• Focus: Organic blends from indigenous Cretan varieties
• Region: Kounavoi, Heraklion (Crete)
• Year founded: 1922
• Size:3 hectares
• Grapes: Vidiano / Thrapsathiri / Vilana / Kotsifali / Mandilari
• Viticulture: Organic / Dry / Unsprayed
• Climate:Subtle Winters with Continental traits. Humid Falls. The Northwest winds during the Summer tame the extreme heat, while there is great variance of temperature during the 24 hours of the day.
• Soil:Limestone, rock
• Vine age:Planted between 1982 and 2011
• Altitude:350-420m
• Distance from coast: 8 miles
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 100%