As Greek wines have emerged onto the world stage in the past decades, few businesses have been as integral, or as influential as Gaia
(pronounced Yeah-Ah).
Holding vineyards in both Santorini and Nemea, they produce some of the country’s most sought after wines. They have set benchmarks in what been referred to as the ‘last frontier of the Wine World’.
Gaia was launched in 1994 by agronomist Leon Karatsalos and oenologist Yiannis Paraskevopoulos and has since produced many ground-breaking wines that have defined the current styles.
Gaia Wines have focused on two of Greece’s great indigenous varieties, Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko, establishing themselves as a leading example of the greatness of these varieties and the regions in which they are made.
SANTORINI
A unique area known worldwide for its complex ecosystem. The rare white wines made from the indigenous variety of Assyrtiko owe their uniqueness to the volcanic and porous soil of the island combined with very high summer temperatures and strong sea winds.
NEMEA
The homeland of the Gaia vineyard, located at an altitude of 250 to 850m, offers a unique variability in soil and climate. Semi-mountainous, stony soils with relatively cold and wet winters and cool summers.
ASSYRTIKO (A SEER’ TEE KO)
Assyrtiko is possibly one of the greatest varieties found in the Mediterranean basin. It originated from Santorini but it spread all over Greece, becoming, in terms of quality, one of the most important native varietals. It produces mainly dry white wines, some of which are being aged in oak. However, a number of sweet wines are made from sun dried grapes. Assyrtiko is one of these rare white grape varieties that can grow on hot and dry climatic conditions, while at the same keeping the high alcohol in perfect balance by its crisp acidity. It is more of a textural variety, emphasizing extract, body and structure, rather than an aromatic grape. It has been planted to most Greek wine regions, from other Aegean Islands to Macedonia Central Greece and down to the Peloponnese.
AGIORGITIKO (AYE-YOR-YEE-TEE-KO)
Agiorgitiko is a captivating grape variety that caresses the senses with elegance, freshness and intensity of aromas and flavours. It is a red grape variety and is frequently referred to as “multidynamic”, since it is capable of producing a large range of styles, from refreshing rosés, delicious dry reds to concentrated sweet wines. However, the most common expressions are the young red wines, or as the red matured in oak for at least a year. Agiorgitiko is the grape of the PDO Nemea, the largest red wine appellation in Greece.