My wife was intrigued by his enthusiasm, dedication and love for his profession. She asked him about how he would define ‘success’ for himself – how would he describe his personal philosophy and aspirations when making wine.

His reply was very thoughtful, and touched me deep down. I felt his explanation was very honest and unpretentious.

“There are many valid goals that a winemaker might have; there is no black or white answer.  It depends on the personality of the winemaker and also on the way he or she grew up. Some winemakers aim for the production of high volume wines and focus on economic goals. Others strive towards producing the finest wines in terms of quality, no matter what the costs involved and the final price tag of the wine.

Wine has always been an intense presence in my life: I still remember wines being stored next to my little sister’s crib. Wine was a part of everyday life. When I started growing up, there was no question for me that I would become involved in winemaking.

My philosophy is a simple one; it comes from my heart and reflects the way I was brought up: I want everyone to be able to enjoy a solid, really good quality wine with every meal on a daily basis. It is often the simple things in life that please us most. It breaks my heart to see people turning to cheap wines that they can afford, but that do not have any soul. On the other hand, many high quality wines are simply not affordable on an ongoing basis, and also can be too expressive for instant gratification. I want to make wines that bridge this gap, wines that you get immense pleasure from, wines that pair extremely well with food, and that are within your means.”

I recently came across some wines of the Tetramythos Estate, and was captured by their personality. The winery is located at the stunning landscapes of Aegiala in the Peloponnese. The 14 ha vineyards are situated on the slopes of Mount Helmos, at an altitude of 450 – 1050 m, making this one of the highest vineyards in Greece. In winter, Mount Helmos is a very popular ski resort. All wines are organically produced; grapes are picked by hand only. I set up an appointment with the estates’ winemaker, Panagiotis Papagiannopoulos.

The estate is state of the art – very modern and beautiful designed, with a lot of attention to details. Even the wine labels fit in with the style of the estate itself. Panagiotis is a great example of the new wave of wine makers that have begun their work in recent years. He is totally committed to producing the highest quality wines possible. He is softly spoken, and at all times very honest and pragmatic. No sales talk; just focused on relaying the facts. He is obviously very talented in his field, we tasted the six wines produced, and all of them had his unique winemaking signature: A very pure and elegant style that results in an enormous fruit concentration that is so evident on the nose and palate. Even the most basic wines are in a league of their own.

Cultivated are the Greek varieties Roditis, the newly planted Malagousia, the very rare Black of Kalavryta, a variety that was nearly extinguished before Panagiotis started to plant some samples he had rescued. In addition, old plots of Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon exist. I find it very interesting that all recent plantings have been Greek varieties only, whereas it has become quite fashionable to plant international varieties all over Greece. Panagiotis certainly is not afraid to go against the stream.

The Tetramythos estate is a boutique winery with a great future. Mark this name as one of the most up and coming wineries in Greece.