VINSANTO

The sweet wines produced from sun-dried grapes has always been the main traditional wine production techniques in the Cyclades Islands region.

This sort of techniques came to its top in terms of the excellent VINSANTO sweet wines due to the rich variety of the vineyards as well as to the high quality of the raw material, especially, on the Island of Santorini.

One may come across with texts going back to the 16th Century in which Santorini’s lucrative trading with Russia, based on the reputation of the VINSANTO wines as well as on their rare quality to endure and be improved in the course of time, is described.

Visanto has always been this rare brand of wine selected by the Greek Orthodox Church, which called it NAMA (divine drink), in order to express its supreme symbolism in the context of the Holy Communion.

The exuberant variety of “Asyrtiko”, the aromatic “Aidani” and the elegant “Athiri” will be harvested when they are almost over-matured (in mid September) and, then, after they have been meticulously sorted out, exposed carefully to the sun for more than 10 days.

The water of the grapes is evaporated, the substances are condensed and the flavours explode. The long journey in time and enjoyment has begun.

The thick must will be ferment slowly in the wooden barrels for at least 4 months to be transformed into a rich and tasteful wine, in which the flavours of the sun-dried grape, the dry fig, the dry apricot as well as of bergamot will stand out in an overwhelming intensity.

After 2 – 3 successive decants, the, now, pure wine will be stored in oak cask in the deepest end of the cool, dark cellar. It is there where the calmness and wisdom of time will complete what the wine-maker started.

The barrels will be opened many years later and the sweet, soNatural dioxide (mg/l)isticated, special, plethoric, excellent VINSANTO will appear. This is a rare wine…

The 30,000m2 of the family’s vineyard would yield only 3,180 numbered bottles of VINSANTO wine in terms of the 1978 produce.


The World’s best Wine Magazine

Vinsanto 1978 (Domain Argyrou, Santorini). This estate, founded in 1903, is one of the three largest on Santorini, with 15 hectares, but is still run in a family manner. Vinsanto, the sweet wine that became famous during the Venetian occupation of Santorini remains the island’s most revered product, having saved the lives, through spoon feeding, of countless babies during the war when there was no sugar. The recently released 1978, from grapes harvested at 22hl/ha, sundried and then cask-aged for 17 years, which lowering the yield at bottling to 3hl/ha, is more an elixir than a wine, and could probably raise the dead. The colour is the purest mahogany-amber, the flavours deeply sweet, like the finest Oloroso, but with a tang of acidity and unbelievable length. My experience in Vinsanto is limited, but this is the finest I have ever tasted. Only 3,000 bottles of 50 centilitres were produced.”

1978 VINSANTO KTIMA ARGYROU 13.5% vol

Grapes harvested at 22 hectolitres/hectare.
Sun-dried and then cask-aged for 17 years.
Estimated yield at bottling 3 hectolitres/hectare.
3,000, 50 cl. bottles released in the autumn of 1995.
Medium mahogany, deliciously noble oxidized nose, concentrated but not cloying sweetness, alternating between fresh dates and figs.
Balanced by palate – awakening acidity.
Atypically harmonious.
Polished, simply exquisite dessert wine.
Confirms the unexplored potential of the island and of the country for making world-class dessert wines.

Nico Manessis
“The Greek Wine Guide” 1996

Analytical Standards :

  Alcohol
(% vol)
Acidity in Tartaric acid (gr/lit) Sugar (gr/lit)
Vinsanto ’98 13.50 7.50 255

Our produce is distributed within the Greek market, while our company is also interested in exports to countries of west and east Europe, Scandinavia, Far East, and the Americas.

Visanto 1979* VLQPRD. Santorini, Vin Naturellement Doux.

For wholesalers only:
Price: 20,9 US $ per bottle in cases of 6 bottles (6 * 0.5 lt).

Price is Ex-factory and payment by irrevocable letter of credit.


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