Aoton Winery
Savatiano Vineyard
You are abroad in the capital downtown and sneak around to find local wine treasures in small and big wine shops when abruptly you fall over a Retsina that you know nothing about or the winery. It does not look very good to you, and you also have in mind the excellent Pinot Noir that you tasted before, but there is pressure to try it. And suddenly, your nose is stuck in the glass (literally), thinking how this wine escaped your attention all this time and following the conclusion that the Pinot Noir is great, but Retsina is unique!
My next step was to try to figure out which person was responsible for this delicious wine. Sotiris Ginis and his wife Maro hosted me. Sotiris is an oenologist and winegrower and guided me in the vineyards and the winery. We talked about the Mesogia region, the future and the vision for this underestimated appellation. After that, I understand why Aoton wines reveal balance and positive energy, just like the people behind them.
Sotiris Ginis
'My family has been engaging with winegrowing since the period that the Ottomans dominated the area. I have written documents from my great-grandfather. At this moment, I have 62 acres of vineyards sparsely planted from 1995 to 1997.
'Before I finished high school, I knew my future was to become a winegrower. In fact, I never thought of doing something else. My choices for continuing my studies were only in the oenology sector. Together with my studies, I worked as an oenologist in many Greek wineries. I have 20 years of experience in wine growing, and I am one of the first in the area that changed the bush system into a double cordon. This change allowed me to manage the vineyards' canopy and work better.
'We had many machines, but I sold them all. Every plant is different and needs special treatment to achieve balance, but only by hand can you gain this target. With 62 acres, you cannot use machines if you want to create good wine. They are creating more problems with what they solve. The vine needs to be handled adroitly, with care and attention. The beauty is not to see all the vines being the same.
Riesling vineyard in Attika
'I feel lucky that I am a winegrower in this region. The weather conditions and the adaptation of the local varieties help me to avoid many interventions. Now I am in the process of organic certification because this is my philosophy. The indigenous grape varieties in the area were Savatiano and Roditis. The growing season goes together, and Mandilaria is a red grape used to make a local wine called brousko.
'I owe a lot to Mr George Vassiliou since he helped me during my first steps. The first bottling was in 2010 in his winery, and after 2019 I moved into mine. My production is around 25.000 bottles, most of which are sold abroad, firstly in Japan and then in Europe. I started a conversation with a U.S.A. supplier, but the coronavirus stopped us.
'I was lucky, and everything changed after a wine tasting organised by my business partner in London. The guests were some of the most influential names in our industry, and one of them, Ms Julia Harding, Master of Wine (Ms Jancis Robinson MW assistant), was surprised by my Retsina and wrote a good review. She tasted 150 white wines from Greece and gave me the highest score among the dry styles. Also, she wrote an article with particular reference to Aoton Winery and explained how much she was surprised, and if the quantities were larger, she would propose it as the wine of the week.
'Everything begins and finishes in wine tasting. The taste drives me to the wine I produce and not the techniques that follow the taste. If you do not like a specific wine, it is over.
Here I should mention that Sotiris has set some minimum quality criteria and if the vintage is below these criteria, he does not bottle at all. When I asked him about the financial impact of this strategy, the answer was disarming: 'The impact is huge, but I do not have a choice. I cannot sell a wine that is not as good as the previous one. If I do not have confidence in my product, I do not release it.
'I started to do night harvesting the last 5 years because between 2:00 and 4:00 in the night, the grapes are transformed and become tighter and crunchy contrary to the day that they are soft and flabby. I like ripe grapes more because alcohol helps to age. The fermentations take place with indigenous yeasts from the grapes' skin and less stirring as long as needed. I try to take as many elements as possible regarding the grape through winemaking.
Aoton Winery
'Mesogia region is the source for a vast grape amount. The largest Greek wineries are located in the area, and even those that are not, buy grapes from here. This situation has kept the region at low status to offer cheap grapes. Even if I produce the best wine in the world, when you know it comes from a cheap grape, it is not easy to get value. At this point, you understand the dynamic of the appellation.
'Since 2015, when I was president of ENOAA (Union Cooperation Atticas Wineries), I have done my best to give prominence to the Mesogia region. For this purpose, an organisation with the name 'Attica Wine and Food Experience has been created and includes businesses from different industries like wineries, hotels, restaurants, tourist operators, and journalists, all under the wine umbrella. Collaboration is the only way that helps our common interest. Even our grandfathers succeeded in creating the brand Mesogia because they were all together. The union is the power of the region since everyone would benefit, no matter the size or the quality level, through recognition.
Was tested directly from the tank:
Mandelaria 2019