A youthful style of wine with a refreshing, velvety texture and intense, persistent
aromas of ripe red and black fruit, with soft tannins that underlie a well-structured
palate.
One of the pioneers of the modern Greek wine revolution Gaia Estate was
established in 1994 by Greek winemakers Leon Karatsalos and Yiannis
Paraskevopoulos. Operating two different wineries they make cutting edge wines in
both Nemea and Santorini. Gaia’s main aim is to present the potential of the
indigenous Greek grape varieties to wine enthusiasts worldwide.
Agiorgitiko is a fragrant red wine grape native to Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula. This wine is produced from grapes of exceptional maturity that are cultivated in a low-yielding, non irrigated vineyard on the hills surrounding the Nemea wine region. Here, the soil structure consists of a shallow clay layer of approximately 70 to 80cm, that lies upon the lime soil. This type of clay retains humidity and releases it back to the vines when required thus helping to naturally monitor the water stress in the vine, producing concentrated flavours in the berries.
Notios in Greek means “The Southerner”. The grapes were hand-picked into 20
kilogram containers and chilled to 4°C prior to vinification. The grapes were then
destemmed cold soaked for 48 hours in the fermentation vats at low temperatures
fluctuating between 8°C to 12°C. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts and lasted between seven to 10 days at controlled temperatures which did not exceed 25°C. When malolactic conversion was complete, the young wine was cold stabilised. The wine was made in an unoaked style to preserve the purity of fruit.
Grape Varieties:
Agiorgitiko 85%, Syrah 15%