Meet Our Producers #19 – Diaseli cheesery
June 6, 2022
Ο γύρος της Πελοποννήσου με το ηλιακό ιστιοφόρο Pelago
June 16, 2022
The now famous 60-acre organic vineyard and winery from Ikaria @tsantiriswines , started by the love of today’s owners Kostas and Domna Tsantiris for traditional wine-making in the island and the unique feeling of pride that only comes from producing your own wine, which they experienced through grandpa Tsantiris who was operating a traditional winery in Ikaria!
When grandpa Tsantiris announced that he would retire, Kostas and Domna, who were based in Athens until then, knew they wanted to take over and follow their wine-making dream. So, they took over the traditional winery back in Ikaria with the goal to create their own label and modernize the family winery.
As they soon realised, bottling the so special and unique “grandpa wine” which they knew and loved was no easy task. However, after years of struggles and a series of winemaking studies, the couple today has succeeded in reviving and modernizing the family winery into Tsantiris Wines and most importantly without losing the “grandpa” taste of their memories.
The winery produces 7 different wines and is working only with traditional indigenous varieties found in Ikaria, namely: Begleri, Fokiano and Kountouro (Ikaria’s Mandilaria).
Begleri produces fresh Begleri, a white wine with aromas of fruit and citrus flowers and also a wine following a traditional winemaking method where the wine ferments and ages in clay crocks.
Fokiano produces Black & Noir a unique white wine which comes from red grapes and the Tsantiris semi-dry Rose.
As for the red Tsantiris wines, Akratos and Lagyros, these aged wines come from a blend of Fokiano and Kountouro.
Also a blend of Fokiano and Kountouro is Melisandy, a dessert wine for which grapes are first sundried and then pressed.
