We first tasted the wine Vrynioti traveling business class on a flight abroad, at this time the airline was running a campaign informing the passengers of leading Greek winemakers and the Greek grape varieties.
A glass was enough to decide on a visit to the winery where the wine was produced and to meet up close the man behind this wine. The winery Vrynioti family is located in Gialtra a small village in northern Evia, 15 km from Edipsos.
The winery is open to visitors all year round.
The Area
The country road from Halkida to Edipsos in Evia island takes a route that crosses the backbone of Evia going north. With endless zigzags it cuts a way through the mountains following the River Cepheus. Driving slow and carefully enables you to find points for stops and picnics under the trees.
Our destination is the northwest tip of Evia.
A trip of land south-east which juts out into the Maliakos Gulf in some ways reminiscent of a fjord region. The weather here is favourable to the producers as the cool winds blowing from the Aegean expel heat in summer.
In the middle of the last century this area was an important area for the production of wines that supplied the area of Magnesia opposite.
Here the Vrynioti family kept a small family-wine press, which has now been restored. Today one can still see the underground fermentation tank, the karouta as the locals call it.
The winery is open to visitors all year round and located at Gialtra near Edipsos, a small village in North Evia.
You will be greeted by the producer/ winemaker Constantine Vryniotis, who will offer you a unique wine with a Greek-French bouquet created after many years of experimentation and research.
The vineyards of Vrynioti have revived a rare and forgotten Greek red variety of Northern Evia, named Vradyano.
The man behind the wine
Taking responsibility for upholding the family tradition of wine making is Kostas Vryniotis who has begun to cultivate the vine biologically. Here he greets us himself.
The aims of wine maker K. Vryniotis are low yields and an excellent quality wine.
Finally now, we know the man behind the wine, which led us to the area.
Kostas Vryniotis is a mine of information when talking about his land, the viticulture, production and bottling of wine as he worked for 15 years in the Gialtron cooperative.
He loves the place and his passion for wine led him to revive a rare and forgotten local red variety that has nurtured generations: The Vradyano.
Today this endangered traditional Greek red variety flourishes in the vineyard Vrynioti (the 45 hectares distributed in GialtraEdipsos and Mount Telethrio) and together with the cosmopolitan French red grape variety Syrah, Greek white varieties Roditis and AssyrtikoMalagouzia. They are excellent Greek award winning wines.
The tour
The tour begins with the different areas of the winery where we see the production and bottling process. Downstairs is the winemaking area and immediately below the aging area and bottling area. The winery has worked with modern standards and processes since 2008.
The tour finishes in the tasting room which is the cozy living room with fireplace next to the bar .
Here you taste the Vrynioti wines gazing from the terrace at a panoramic view of the Evian and the surrounding mountains.
