Afianis produces natural and hyper-traditional wines in Ikaria, ancestral home of the Fokiano grape. They tend to stone-walled terraces at high elevation, where their 50+ year old vines grow in acidic, sandy soils. Farming is done organically, and winemaking is done the way that is has been for millennia in this part of the world: grapes are destemmed by hand, cluster by cluster, and crushed by foot in a vat made of local granite. The juice is then drained into subterranean amphoras, where it macerates with skins for 3-5 days. The caps are plunged by hand. A total of roughly 800 bottles of this wine is made each year.

Flor impressions:

Pithari has every bit as much wild, individual character as we had hoped for. It has vibrant aromas of red and black flowers, woody, cinnamon spice, and bright red cherry fruit. Rustic tannins coat the palate, with lively flavors that marry the deliciousness of ripe fruit with the wild, savory intrigue that only a wine like this can deliver.