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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Tsiakkas Winery - Welcome to the Athenee family

The Tsiakkas Winery is located in the village of Pelendri, which is north of Limassol in the Troodos Mountains range in Cyprus.  The winery was established in 1988 by the Tsiakkas family and has been considered for many years as one of Cyprus' finest boutique wineries.

Athenee is pleased to announce our new cooperation with the Tsiakkas Winery and will begin importing three labels into the United States as of May 2015.  The wines are all from Cypriot native grape varieties and represent some of the finest expressions of the country's up and coming wine industry.

The labels for the white & red wines are representations of native Cypriot species of animals that are drawn by a local artist.

Here is a preview of what is to come:
White Wine
Made from the indigenous white grape variety, Xinisteri.  The vineyards are located oin the Pitsilia region, which is the highest in altitude region of Cyprus with cool summers and rather cold winters. Soil is sandy/ volcanic with good drainage. No late frosts or rain in the early autumn occur so the condition s are ideal for grapes.  Production per acre is very small, and vines are on average 50 years old.  The wine is stainless steel fermented and bottled fresh to retain its citrus aromas, medium body and long aftertaste.

 Red Wine

Made from the indigenous variety Vamvakada from the Pitsilia region, it is a medium body wine with spicy currants and vanilla undertones, a distinct taste of dark forest fruits, firm tannins and an ability for long aging.

Dessert Wine
A completely different type of  Commandaria than what is currently in the market. We picked a high altitude vineyard and picked the grapes later than the rest, so we achieved a higher concentration of the fruit on the plant. We then placed it in the sun to further concentrate the taste.  We avoided too much sun and prolonged the period of sun exposure from 10 to 15 days. We then fermented in our own stainless steel for a month at  a very slow process and low temperatures. The wine was then aged in small oak casks again at low temperatures always compared with the traditional way. The aging was carried for four years instead of the minimum two required by law.  No fortification was made for this wine in order to retain its fruit.


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