Papras Bio Wines

Papras Bio Wines is operated by the Papras family. Stergios Papras, the family’s oenologist, was the local co-op’s president and oenologist from 1979 until recently, who gave the region its current fame in regards to the Black Muscat of Tyrnavos grape, and the quality production of tsipouro. It is no coincidence that Tyrnavos is the only town of Greece with a PDO appellation (highest tier) for a distilled product.

Stergios Papras, has always been an advocate for organic viticulture, and his vineyards have been certified organic since 1990 (the first year this was possible for Greece). His brother, Thomas, and his son, personally tend to the vineyards. The focus is on fresh, organic, sparkling and still wines, with the indigenous grapes of the area, mainly Black Muscat of Tyrnavos, and Roditis, the rosy-skinned and second most planted grape of Greece.

The unique terroir of Tyrnavos, sitting on one of the few plains of Greece, under the tallest mountain of the country, mount Olympus, provide optimal conditions for sparkling and highly aromatic wines.

• Winery: Papras Bio Wines
• Focus: Sparkling wines and the local Black Muscat of Tyrnavos grape
• Region: Tyrnavos (Thessaly)
• Year founded: 2012
• Size:4.5 hectares
• Grapes: Black Muscat of Tyrnavos / Roditis / Batiki / Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot
• Viticulture: Organic (certified)
• Climate:Mediterranean climate with mild Winters and dry Summers
• Soil: Mainly limestone, with good straining properties, and a PH of 7-7.8.
• Vine age:Planted between 1997 and 2002
• Altitude:110m
• Distance from coast:40 miles
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 100%

Sarris

Panos Sarris is a young winemaker and trained sommelier, who recently took over his family’s old Robola vineyards and built a new small winery to accommodate his natural winemaking goals.

The family vineyards are the epitome of the Robola grape on the island of Kefalonia, and have been for decades serving as the raw ingredient in other winemakers’ Robola wines. Panos decided to change this, and turn the old, bush-trained ungrafted, dry, mountainous Robola vines into pure natural wines under his name.

The terraced, bush-trained vineyards were planted ungrafted in Fagias, on the really steep slopes of mount Ainos, in 1979, on poor limestone gravel, at an altitude of 800m.

Panos’ wines are spontaneously fermented, unfiltered, and unfined, using foot stomping and various neutral oak barrels, to give his wines the raw maritime character that reflects the island of Kefalonia. Panos’ wines are some of the crunchiest and most idiosyncratic we have tasted. 

Panos is also making some red Mavrodafni from the island’s local clone, from his most recently planted vineyards, and a barrel aged Vostilidi from purchased organic grapes.

• Winery: Panos Sarris
• Focus: Natural Robola from old ungrafted vines
• Region: Kefalonia (Ionian Islands)
• Year founded: 2011
• Size:2 hectares
• Grapes: Robola, Vostilidi, Mavrodafni
• Viticulture: Organic (not certified)
• Climate: Low Winter temperatures, normal rainfall, hot Summers, low humidity
• Soil:Limestone gravel with 70% slope (terraced)
• Vine age:Planted in 1979
• Altitude:800m
• Distance from coast: 1 mile
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 80%

Vaimaki Family

“Vaimaki Family” is the urban winemaking project of oenologist Vasilis Vaimakis. An oenologist with vast winemaking experience, Vaimakis is also one of the first oenologists of Greece who explored the limits of natural vinification of Greek grapes with zero sulfites. Although Eklektikon’s portfolio is centered around growers, Vaimaki Family is the only exception to the rule, in order to represent the first Greek vintages of no-added-sulfite wines, under the iconic and ever-changing label “Mater Natura”.

The Vaimakis family started working with wine production in the late 19th century. Vasilis Vaimakis wanted to revive the family winemaking tradition back in the 70’s, as a young oenologist, and started working for the Co-Op of Zitsa and Amyndeo, where he led both to unexpected commercial success. In the 90’s, having gained immense experience, he completed his PhD with a focus on the oxidation of white wines and ways to address that. He started experimenting with zero-sulfite wines in order to communicate the terroir of promising Greek grapes, and launched the Mater Natura line in 2009. Mater Natura is a series of unique numbers, reflecting unique vinifications that never repeat themselves.

• Winery: Vaimaki Family
• Focus: Zero-sulfite vinifications of Xinomavro
• Region: Amyndeo (Macedonia)
• Year founded: 2008
• Oenologist: Vasilis Vaimakis
• Size:No Estate Owned Vineyards
• Grapes: Xinomavro
• Viticulture: Organic (partnering vineyards)
• Climate: Alpine terroir with cold Winters and mild Summers, near the lake Vegoritis
• Soil:Sandy and sandy-clay, over limestone with excellent drainage
• Vine age:Planted between 1980 and 1990
• Altitude:650m
• Distance from lake: 6 miles
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 0%

Halkia

Anna Halkia is a small organic female grower and winemaker in Nemea, the largest winemaking region of Greece and home to the Agiorgitiko grape (which is the most planted red Greek grape).

Anna grew up in Australia with her immigrant parents, and moved back to Nemea as an adult, to start her family with her husband. Her consciousness and care for her family had led her to organic viticulture, which, she felt, would shine more if she turned into her own wine, instead of selling her organic grapes as raw material and mixed with inferior quality grapes. In the early 2000s, she decided to create a basic winemaking facility in the back of her house, where the family’s vineyards are located. The lack of investment forced her to rely on basic technology and natural winemaking. There was no surplus of funds to buy lab yeasts and enzymes, which a consulting oenologist had advised her to do, so necessity turned her to wild fermentation and lo-fi winemaking. Her wines, naturally, earned a following, due to their raw expression of the organic fruit. Anna also applied and received her organic certification, to prove part of the work that goes into the vineyard.

Today Anna is still selling locally the small-batch wines she makes from Agiorgitiko, Assyrtiko, and Roditis grapes, following the same methods she was forced to adopt, and which helped them stand out from the norm.

• Winery: Halkia Winery
• Focus: Agiorgitiko grape
• Region: Nemea (Peloponnese)
• Year founded: 2007
• Size:3.7 hectares
• Grapes: Agiorgitiko, Assyrtiko, Roditis
• Viticulture: Organic (certified)
• Climate: Cold Winters with few but dense snowfalls (down to -15C temperatures), and dry, hot Summers with few heatwaves (up to 42C temperatures).
• Soil:Limestone / Clay
• Vine age:Planted between 1996 and 2014
• Altitude:280-330m
• Distance from coast: 13 miles
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 100%

Georgas Family

The Georgas Family is located in the historical area of Spata, the center of retsina and the unexplored Savatiano white grape, where they can trace their agriculture roots 380 years back. They cultivate their 4.5 ha of estate owned dry vineyards biodynamically, with very low yields (21 hectoliters / ha). Vinification is natural, through spontaneous fermentation, no intervention, no sulphur (for most wines), and up to a week of skin contact, which gives their wines a characteristic bronze color.

The Georgas Family counts more than 380 years of recorded wine growing tradition in the town of Spata. The street where the family lives, which is the family’s old winery, bears its name (G. Georgas street). The current winery is the restored historical winery of “Kambas”.

Dimitris Georgas had no intention of becoming a winemaker. After a degree in geology, and two masters degrees in oceanography and environmental management, he inherited the vineyards when his father passed away. He decided to take the plunge, and immediately turned to organic viticulture in 1998, and started farming biodynamically only a few years later.

Savatiano is the most planted grape of Greece, yet still largely unexplored. It is indigenous to the Attica region of Central Greece, the hottest and most arid area of Greece, as it is very resistant to heat and drought. Its cultivation is linked to its productivity, which was important for the most populous region of Greece. However, its use in low quality retsina wine of the 70’s and 80’s, gave it a bad reputation, which explains why it has remained unexplored. Its potential is starting to shine in the hands of artisanal growers like Georgas, who make it in fresh, aged, and sweet vinifications, with impressive results.

Retsina is another unexplored wine, because of its adulteration and low quality of recent times. It stems from the ancient Greek practice of sealing clay amphorae with fresh pine resin, which accidentally protected the wine from spoiling. Spata is the historical region of retsina, with a very long tradition around it and the Savatiano grape. Retsina bears a “Traditional Appellation“, one of the few such appellations in the world.

• Winery: Georgas Family
• Focus: Savatiano grape and retsina through natural and unsulphured wines
• Region: Spata, Attica (Central Greece)
• Year founded: 1998
• Size:4.5 hectares
• Grapes: Savatiano / Assyrtiko / Malagousia / Mandilaria / Agiorgitiko / Merlot / Syrah
• Viticulture: Biodynamic / Dry
• Climate: Dry, arid climate. Mild Winters, hot Summers (proximity to sea offers some breeze)
• Soil:Clay loam / calcium
• Vine age:Planted between 1962 and 2007
• Altitude:120-150m
• Distance from coast: 5 miles
• Percentage of estate owned grapes: 100%