Month: September 2017

The Claudia Papayianni Estate

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Arnea is one of the most beautiful villages of mountainous Chalkidiki. It got its name after “Arni”, daughter of Eolos and mother of Viotos. Its history dates back to the times of Thucydides and general Vrasidas of Sparta (424 BC). Arnea of modern times, a preserved settlement characterized by an authentic traditional architecture and a genuine sense of hospitality, constitutes a well-loved tourist destination all year round. From an altitude of 650m., on the roots of mount Cholomontas (a mountain full of oaks and chestnuts), it overlooks on the all-green grasslands of Dervenikos; this area of true environmental wealth that comes second to none is just 70km away from Thessaloniki.

Claudia Papayiannis, the First Lady of the Chalkidiki wines, was born in Thessaloniki but proclaims herself to be from Arnaia, since her father Nikolaos Papayiannis, a distinguished businessman of international reputation, was born there. Claudia Papayiannis, an individual of restless and creative nature, graduated from the German School of Thessaloniki and moved to Boston for studies. Upon her return to Greece, she worked in her family’s hotel complex in Kassandra,
Chalkidiki. Later on, she became the mother of two adorable children, Alexandra and Nikolaos, and decided it was time for her to get involved with Nature, which she has always loved.

On her search for vineyard plantation fields, we wouldn’t expect her to focus on any place else than… Chalkidiki, in particular the area near Arnea. Claudia Papayiannis wanted to grow organic vineyards and produce wines of the best quality, having the characteristics of their place of origin. The regions of Marathousa (250m of altitude) and Arnea
(650m) were exactly what she was looking for. Here, winters are cold, with lots of rain and snowfalls. Vineyards acquire the necessary humidity to flourish and cope with hot and rainless summers of longlasting sunshine and high daily temperatures, which drop soothingly at night due to the cool that comes from Cholomontas. At spring, rainfalls
are relatively few and sunshine is good, while north-west winds of variable intensity make the frost and the mist go away, contributing to the less frequent occurrence of diseases.

Being oriented towards the east, those vineyards get the sun’s beneficial touch since the early dawn, while the soil’s slight slope helps to naturally remove rain’s water and the gentle north winds help diminish humidity. At the same time, the loamy soil, rich in iron and magnesium, in combination with the limy subsoil, contribute to producing wines with rich colour, intense bouquets and well-developed tannins, enhancing their ageing potential.

All conditions are ideal for viticulture and for the slow, normal maturation of grapes, especially for red wines of high standards and white wines with a rich aromatic palette.

The chosen varieties include the best international and Greek ones: Red Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet, Grenache, Xinomavro and Limnio, and white Chardonnay, Viognier, Malagouzia and Asyrtiko.

The first root was planted by Claudia Papayianni, who never misses a chance to do all viticulture works, from riding the tractor to walking between vineyards and taking care of grapes that seem to be waiting for cuddling and nice words before giving their best fruit. She shares her enthusiasm and devotion in being an excellent and demanding wine
grower-marker with her valuable partners, as Claudia Papayiannis believes that “in this exceptional soil-climate environment, the human factor plays a decisive role in forming and bringing out a favourable ecosystem, always in favour of the final result, which is producing top quality wines”.

Scrupulous attention to the slightest detail is impressively “engraved” in vineyards and the winery alike. The visitable winery at Arnea is brand new and hyper-modern. Occupying a total surface of 3,300m2, it includes: a wine cellar of 960m2, a multi-spectacle and tasting room as well as management offices totalling 459 m2, and 120 m2 “Boutique” exhibiting, apart from the estate’s wines, various other local products. The remaining space is the production and bottling area, of a surface of approximately 1,800 m2, which is equipped with the latest advancements in wine-making
technology, while the bottling facility is really the “Rolls-Royce” of its kind and the only one of such standards in Greece.

Based on its building and mechanical facilities, the winery has a overall capacity of 2,000,000 bottles. Nevertheless, the constant pursuit of quality requires a wise strategy and critically careful actions. Its construction began on 2006 and was completed in early 2008. It was the year when, for the first time, the first wines from the CLAUDIA
PAPAYIANNIS ESTATE were released on the market, with five labels: Claudia Papayiannis Red, harvest 06; Claudia Papayiannis White, harvest 07; Claudia Papayiannis Rosé, harvest 07; the new Malagousia “ALEXANDRA”, harvested in 07, as well as the new Merlot “NIKOLAS”, harvested in 07, which have already been awarded gold and silver medals in both Hellenic and International wine contests. The 2008 production was 100,000 bottles, including four new labels:

White Viognier- Asyrtiko 2008 (limited number of bottles), red Xinomavro-Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon, white wine from the Assyrtiko – Chardonnay varieties and red one from the Syrah – Xinomavro varieties.

The wines of the CLAUDIA PAPAYIANNIS ESTATE received critical acclaim from the markets, both in Greece and abroad. So far, exports make up for 30% of total production and are destinated to the United States of America, Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and Cyprus. Demand is steadily expanding and increasing. Commercial success, the awards and international recognition came as a result of hard work and total devotion to pursuing perfection. For
new achievements and more awards, more efforts and hard work is what it takes. Claudia Papayiannis is aware of that and is determined to make Arnea known everywhere in the world and her family proud; especially her father, who has every right to be proud of the First Ladyof the Chalkidiki wines.