Among these Cephalonia, Crete and Tinos already possess a combination of impressive terroirs and indigenous varieties, together with a number of quality - driven producers who craft wines of purity, intensity and elegance. Wines that are expressive and have true personality. Howerver, Tinos is a remarkable example.
When I first visited the island two years ago, I wrote about the mystical, moon-like, terroir of Falatados [1], and the famous round granite rocks that are found in the vineyards. Many theories have been postulated; these rocks, called volakes, are the remnants of a mythical battle between the Gods and the Giants, or they resulted from a meteor shower. According to geologists however, these granite rocks were formed 15 -25 million years ago due to changes in temperature, humidity and friction caused by the wind, thus they eroded and developed their current spherical shape.
And what about the wine scene on the island? The producers on the island have now risen to six, from four two years ago, and there are one or two more in the pipeline. This confirms the huge dynamic of the island.
This impressive mixture starts with T-Oinos, a cult winery, of rising status, consulted by Stéphane Derenoncourt. I revisited the vineyards (pictured below) around noon and was greeted by the agronomist Michalis Tzanoulinos. “When we started this project almost everybody thought we were crazy; that we were trying to accomplish the impossible. This is partly true. We superseded logic and I think that both we and the vines made it. We started from scratch, on abandoned soils, building xerolithies…’’ he says as we walk among the extremely densely planted vines. “This is very labor intensive viticulture and we are the only winery to practice it; we treat each vine as if we were father and child,’’ he continues.
Experience from the previous 16 years helps. Pest management is not a major issue with few some isolated cases of oidium worth noting. The soil is very carefully handled and the canopy reaches 1.80 m. “There is no need for de-leafing and we aim for 5-6 bunches per vine,’’ Anzoulinos explains. T-Oinos now covers 11 hectares of vines and their target is to reach 13 ha within a period of two years. The winery is currently the leading producer of the island. Nevertheless, production is a mere few thousand bottles, starring the stunning Clos Stegasta Assyrtiko and Clos Stegasta Mavrotragano; now they include a more premium bottling called ‘Rare’, which takes complexity to another level. Toinos vinifies in its own winery in Falatados.