Τhe history…the vineyards…, the grapes…, the vintage…, the must…, the wine…!!!
So many things to recall.............
We were little kids!
We grew up in a family whose main profession was the wine production.
We grew up in the vineyards, we were growing together.
We experienced the joy of good harvest and the sorrow of disaster, the agony and the fear of weather conditions.
We saw, so many times, the vineyards bathed in the colors of the East/sunrise and the West/sunset. We got wet by the sudden showers while working in the yards and we smelled the wet soil!
The scent…! It still smells!!...
We felt the morning calm!
We joined the life circle of the vineyard day by day, the winter, in spring, summer and autumn!
From pruning to vintage, the pressing of the grapes, the vinification in the grape mill, the fermentation in wooden barrels, which we called ‘vagenia’. They were everywhere. Small, big and huge barrels. One of them weighed 8000 kg and was 2 metres high and about 4 meters long.
To wash the interior, we entered it- we could stand inside- we rubbed its walls with brushes and hot water. We disinfected it by burning sulfur and then the must was poured into the barrel. It was boiling for several days and then the time came for the must to rest. Not for a long time, 2.5 to 3 months. In between the first must tasting, our father’s voice is still sounding “the wine will be great!!” He used to open the first barrel on his name day, on the 30 November (St Andreas). And then came the merchants. They came on motorcycles from the neighboring cities, Argos, Nafplio,Korinthos. To carry the wine they used the “touloumia” (bags made of goat skin). To fill the bags we used metallic receptacles, called “ teses”.
... the knowledge ...
We really love our work! Wine making in our family (a typical one of Nemea), is a tradition that has been going on for more than a century now! In such an environment we were born and brought up, having lived and participated in the anxieties, the frustrations, and joys involved in the process of vinification, from planting to tasting wine at daily and festive meals.
... the evolution ...
over the years we have decided that the tradition of wine- making, which was passed down from father to son, the enthusiasm and love for wine should be wide-spread.
In September 2006 we set up the company named "Ktima Anagennisi (Domain Renaissance)" in Ancient Nemea, Corinthia.
Our aim was the production of high quality wines from the grape variety distinguished in the area, The Agiorgitiko.