The Limniona varietal, also known is Limnio, is a grape indigenous to the Greek Island of Lemnos. With a history of wine production that dates back to ancient Greece, this grape is believed to be the very same that was once celebrated in the writings of famed philosopher Aristotle. Cultivated in the foothills of Mount Olympus in central Greece’s Thessaly region, from selection massale plantings, Christos Zafeirakis has been a savior of indigenous varietals of his homeland and has coupled his country’s natural treasures with astute, traditional European winemaking. After studying in Athens and obtaining a masters degree in Oenology from the University of Milan, Christos developed his skills as a winemaker in Italy’s Piedmont, Tuscany and Alto Adige before returning home to take the helm of the family wine business.

 

This fourth-generation vigneron and winemaker farms his vineyards with organic viticulture and succeeds in crafting world-class wines from native varietals. In the small village of Palaiomylos, within the appellation of Tyrnavos, the Zafeirakis family have been practicing viticulture for over a century. Today, Christos encourages the rich biodiversity of the family estate and its clay and flint soils with organic farming. Yields are kept extremely low, resulting in ample concentration and distinct expression of terroir. Christos does believe that balance is more essential to his wines than mere phenolic ripeness at harvest, which delivers a wine of finesse, varietal purity and that delicate sense of place. In the cellar, Christos lets nature take its course and allows the grapes to ferment on only their native yeasts without the addition enzymes of any kind. The wine is fermented in open-top oak and is aged in neutral Austrian oak, which leaves less of an imprint on the finished wine, and reveals an unadulterated expression of his heirloom Limniona. The resulting wine is an alluring combination of delicate structure, complex aromatics, and dense flavors with the unique fingerprint of Greece.