Since ancient times, neither the method of production nor the quality of Ikaria wine, the world-famous and often award-winning “Pramnios Oinos”, has changed. The special quality of the grapes, the climate, the soil, the stone vats in which the grapes are crushed with bare feet and the clay amphorae left in the ground for storage give this wine its incomparable aroma and quality.

From Faros to the Kavos Pappa lighthouse, from Proespera to Kampa, all the Icariotes are just waiting for the right time. Some measure sugar content, while others simply taste a ripe grape. For the most experienced, a knowing look at the vineyards is enough. September is the month of the grape harvest, which begins first in the hotter, coastal regions.

A month of strong agricultural activity and passionate discussions from all local agricultural experts! After the discussions, planning begins. It is important to find friends and perhaps even paid workers to harvest the ripe grapes. The traditional “Allaksa“, a form of division of labor, still works: those who help their friends or neighbors with the harvest can, in turn, count on their support with their own harvest. Unskilled as well as experienced specialists, old and young people, theorists as well The self-taught people all come to the vineyard armed with a basket and a pair of wine scissors to help.

Oh what an unforgettable experience! When you are sticky from the top of your head to the soles of your feet with the sweet juice of wine and your own sweat from work and the wasps form a threatening cloud around you! Who cares about a few stitches when the whole job is like a Dionysian feast? When Mother Nature’s unwavering provision and traditional work bind people together so happily, any unnecessary disruption to the magical atmosphere is avoided.

Sun, heat and the sweet smell of fresh wine juice. Let’s fill some bottles for the “Mustalevria”! (a special dessert made from fresh Sauser, flour, cinnamon and nuts, which is only cooked during the grape harvest) Remember to bring some to our old aunt, who has been here since August 15th dream about it! If we forget it, the devil will take us!

The “Wine Dance”

Only a few idealists like my husband Pantelis still stomp wine with “bare feet,” as our ancestors did for thousands of years. Most people have mechanical presses these days. But Pantelis knows that the quality of the wine begins with the pounding: wood and other pressing residues make the wine bitter and aggressive on the palate. Gentle pressing is strenuous backbreaking work, but it’s always worth it in the end!

And here Pantelis comes along to tease us about being amateurs, while of course he makes the best wine! Nobody agreed with him on this. It’s enough for him to know for himself. Of course this applies to everyone. Everyone claims to make the best wine and is incredibly proud of their vineyard, their work and their own product. Now it’s slowly getting dark. The last grapes are crushed and the juice comes from the crushing trough directly into the barrels. Soon everything is done… or almost everything… our stomachs have been rumbling for hours and we can already see a back bent over the grill and a nimble hand eagerly fanning the coals. Soon the cars bring a horde of tired workers, all of whom have followed the smell of the roasting meat from the vineyards. The noble competition continues. In this case, because everyone claims to have the absolute best grilling skills and so they drive everyone else away by claiming that the meat would become inedible if they didn’t personally lend a hand.

It has become dark and the stars stand out like embroidered symbols across the black dome. Someone murmurs: « το στανιό του μέσα, δεν έχω ξαναδεί πιο πολλά αστέρια » (Dialect: Holy crap, I’ve never seen more stars!) An old transistor radio squeals every high note of the violin and further over in the cellar, in the In absolute darkness, the fermentation of the new wine has already begun.

The sweetest fermentation that has always connected man with Mother Earth, friends among themselves and strangers with icariotic hospitality.

Καλό τρύγο και καλά κρασιά!

Good harvest and fine wines! This is the traditional wish at the grape harvest.

Photos and video from our own wine production
Dionysus: ancient god of wine, lust for life and sensuality Wikipedia