2023 Zafeirakis Assyrtiko, Thessaly Greece

While the prices of Santorini skyrocket, this stunning Assyrtiko from inland Tyrnavos represents a great value. It is pale in the glass with striking acidity and a brisk, clean, and salty palate of Meyer lemon, pithy citrus, and flint. Sustainable farming.

Assyrtiko 100% Nestled in the foothills of Mount Olympus, in the region of Thessaly, Christos Zafeirakis has built a winery both in honor and continuation of the four generations of winemakers in his family that preceded him. Having an impressive resume including completing his oenology masters degree at the University of Milan and consecutive years of work in Tuscany, Piedmont, and Alto Adige, Christos returned to Tirnavos and immediately started to set new standards by creating the first organic vineyard in the area in 2005. As if that weren’t enough, he extended the family’s holdings to 8 hectares and worked tirelessly to reintroduce the obscure native varietal Limniona which was nearly extinct due to the phylloxara epidemic 80 years prior.

The Zafeirakis family is involved with the viticulture in the area of Tyrnavos  for more than 100 years. Christos Zafeirakis, the forth in the line who continues the family tradition, takes the family business to the next level by bottling the first wine from his private vineyards in 2005. After he completed his studies in Oenology (Athens, 1996-2000) he decided that his desire was to enrich his knowledge and expand his experience. Thus, he continued his academic carrier at the University of Milan (Italy, 2003- 2004) where he undertook a master’s degree in Oenology (MSc). Soon after he returned to Greece he followed his father’s footsteps with main goal the production of high quality wines from grapes of organic farming. Meanwhile, his passion for the art of high quality wines drove him to many famous wineries at Piemonte, Alto Adige and Tuscany (in 2002, 2003 and 2004 equivalent) where he had the chance to gain valuable lessons and enhance his working experience.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the last ten years new kinds of grape were adopted such as Syrah, Merlot, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Malagouzia etc. Moreover, it is crucial the attempt to revive local varieties one of which is “Limniona”, which was first produced at November of 2008.