VASSILIS VAÏMAKIS Mater Natura Muscat d'Alexandrie 2021

The Vaimakis family began making wine in the late 19th century for a cooperative. In the 1970s, Vassilis became an oenologist and took over the estate to revive the family winemaking tradition. A few years later, after completing a doctorate on wine oxidation, Vassilis Vaimakis became one of the first oenologists in Greece to explore the limits of natural, sulphite-free winemaking.

This cuvée, made from Muscat d'Alexandrie, comes from organically farmed vines on the volcanic island of Limnos, ensuring healthy soils free of chemical residues. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts in stainless-steel tanks. The wine is then bottled without filtration or sulphur. The result is pure and bursting with freshness, with aromas of pear, lime, bergamot, white flowers, stone, aniseed and Gala apple. The palate is flavourful and persistent, with a sapid mid-palate leading to an iodine-tinged, mineral finish.

Long known as small table wines, notably with Retsina, a white wine infused with pine resin, Greek wines have increased in quality over the last 20 years. The history of wine is as old as that of Greece. More than 3000 years ago, traces of the oldest grape presses in the world were found on the island of Crete.



After stagnation throughout the 20th century, Greek wines experienced a dazzling improvement from a quality point of view thanks to its entry into the European Union, the training of young oenologists in very good European schools and particular attention to international demand. She does not want to take the easy route by using mainly great French grape varieties such as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon which would greatly facilitate export. Nowadays, Greece wants to continue to cultivate and introduce its ancient grape varieties, which number around 300 in the territory.



The very first thing to understand is that Greece is much more diverse in terms of climate than most people think. The country clearly has everything from arid Mediterranean islands to humid, mountainous pine forests that receive snowfall in winter. With such a diverse climate, you can expect Greek wines to be very varied as well. So, one of the best ways to get an idea of ​​Greek wine is to divide the country into four overall wine-growing zones based on their climate: Northern Greece (humid climate), Aegean Islands (arid climate). ), Central Greece and Southern Greece (Mediterranean climate). The potential and reputation are greatly underestimated today in the eyes of the general public, which may bring pleasant surprises!