Our April Wine of the Month is a new addition to our Greek portfolio from the team at Akriotou. The grapes for the ‘Erimitis’ White, Sterea Ellada 2020 are sourced from Plataea, a small village at the foot of the Kitheronas Mountain, in Central Greece. This wine is a blend of native varieties: Savatiano, Assyrtiko and Aidani, which are suited to the hot, dry climate as they have good drought resistant properties. 

In a nutshell

A rich and textured wine with delicate notes of peach, bergamot, lemon and pear complemented by buttery overtones through to a refreshing zesty finish.

The Producer

Vasiliki Akriotou is an oenologist with over 20 years’ experience in the wine industry. In 2015, she created her first range of wines from a micro-winery in the heart of Greece, which reflected her philosophy of winemaking. The vineyards are situated among the snow-capped mountains at altitudes of 280 to 380 metres above sea level. The range includes is Ορειβάτης, which translates as the ‘Mountaineer’ made from Savatiano, which recognises the steep, challenging terrain. This sublime, premium range of wines made from old vines of native grapes, is a true expression of this fresh mountainous terroir.

The wine

Vinification took place separately for each variety. The grapes were carefully selected, destemmed and crushed before the free run must underwent cold skin-contact maceration for six hours. Controlled fermentation took place at 14°C, with bâtonnage of the fine lees twice a week. The three wines were deftly blended and matured in stainless steel tanks for a total of 10 months, during which bâtonnage took place twice weekly for three months, reducing to once a fortnight for seven months, imbuing the wine with a lovely texture.