Heliopoulos Vineyards 3 Items

The crown jewel of the Cycladic Islands in the Aegean Sea is the Island of Santorini famous for its blue-domed churches and breathtaking landscape and sunsets. A volcano that erupted circa 1500 BC has given Santorini its unique environment yielding high quality wine – Santorini, an appellation wine – guided by tradition and law. The Santorini wine is made of three indigenous grape varieties of the island. They are Assyrtiko (85%), Athiri (10%), and Aidani (5%). The silver soil, consisting of chalk and shale under ash and pumice, and the limited rainfall place stress on the vine. These conditions yield small quantities making for a superb wine that is medium-bodied, crisp in acidity, with floral notes of Aidani and minerality of the Assyrtiko. This beautiful wine is succulent with flavors of crisp pear and lemon.

Heliopoulos Vineyards, owned by Antonis Heliopoulos, consists of 17 acres. They are located 28-165 feet above sea level on slopes adjacent to the town of Megalohori, which is in the center of the island, and to Heliopoulos’ small luxury hotel, Vedema Resort. The name Vedema, which means harvest in Venetian Italian, is very appropriate in consideration of the hotel’s location and how its architectural structure encompasses the underground cellars that have been in existence for centuries. It was in 1995 that Heliopoulos transformed his family summer resort to a hotel and decided in time to produce wine for the hotel. Shortly thereafter, Heliopoulos Santorini had national distribution and since 2001, international distribution. Today, the wine world appreciates the exceptional wines Heliopoulos consistently produces each year. Heliopoulos is passionate about his wine. While Heliopoulos is primarily an hotelier, his commitment to his vineyard is unquestionable and in producing superb wine making him a serious and well-respected winemaker.