Giannikos
Giannikos, pioneer of the Greek organic wines focused on mono-varietals
The Giannikos family planted their first vines in 1896, near Mycenae. On the very year the first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens.
100 years later, precisely, a fire burnt down the winery; but Michalis Giannikos did not let that get him down and had a new state-of-the art winery built on the hills near Corinth, and planted lots of new varietals, including a lot of Greek grapes.
As a child, already, Michalis was fascinated by the aromas and tastes so specific to the Greek varietals. Varietals often long-forgotten.
This did not prevent him from experimenting with international grapes, as he was curious to see what their results would be in this historic spot where vines were already grown some 4000 years ago. Helped by a microclimate with a strong maritime influence and winds that keep the vines healthy, and as a token of his efforts to manage them sensibly, he decided to go organic– he was one of the very first to do so in Greece.
2009 was another milestone for the company, for it was then that they exported for the first time. The numerous medals and praises the wines obtained on the international wine scene since 2012 (AWC Wien, Millésime Bio, Wine Enthusiast...) are proof positive that the Giannikos company has not been resting on its laurels.
The estate has 8 hectares of land under vines, divided between Corinth et Mycenae. Amongst the indigenous varietals, the main ones are roditis, agiorgitiko and malagouzia, a recently rediscovered grape. Amongst the international varietals, one finds mainly cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, chardonnay and viognier, all of which were obtained from the best clones available in French nurseries. All Giannikos wines are certified organic and sold under the Peloponnese PGI, except the retsina.