Alcohol: 12,5%
Grape(s): Malagousia
Localization: Evia Island, Greece
Tasting Notes: Lemon-yellow with a touch of green; a fresh, dry white with a pronounced citrusy nose of grapefruit and lime with floral overtones. Tangy, juicy palate.
The Domain: The Mountrichas family has been growing grapes since 1830, and today Apostolos and his wife Lenga make the wines and run Avantis Estate. The 20-hectare property is located on the island of Evia, just off the East coast of Greece. A combination of red and white traditional and international varieties are planted, producing both blended and single varietal wines. This estate has a great reputation in Greece as one of the country's most progressive wineries, however was not imported to the UK until 2018.
The charming village of Mytikas, or Amelia, is located in the center of Greece, in the heart of Evia and among the Lilantio Plain vineyards. That is where economist Apostolos Mountrichas decided to establish his winery in 1994, naming his wines “Avantis,” the ancient name for Evia.
The privately-owned vineyards of the estate (covering about 20 hectares) are located in a magical, semi-mountainous area in central Evia, around Afrati, which is literally just a breath away from Mount Dirfys. The impressive vines grow along steep slopes reminiscent of the Côte-Rôtie in the northern Rhône region, making manual cultivation imperative. One of the vineyard’s slopes is planted with six different strains of the versatile Syrah variety. The remaining varieties under cultivation include Malagousia, Assyrtiko, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Black Kountoura, Grenache Rouge, and Merlot.
The Avantis Estate is a boutique-type winery that operates on the principle of quality at all stages of the production process. It is open to visitors year-round, offering tours, wine tasting in the old 1930s grape crushing area, and an introduction to the pioneering line of cosmetics made from grapes. It is a member of the Association of Winemakers of the Central Greece Vineyards (ENOAKE) and is also part of the Wine Roads of Dirfys.
The estate wines have received numerous awards (more than 150) in international competitions and earned numerous other distinctions. The Evian winery recently garnered an outstanding rating for its wines (+90) from wine writers Robert Parker, Tara Q. Thomas, and Tony Aspler. Besides, the vision of winemaker Apostolos Mountrichas is to create and make great wines from his native area of Evia. In addition, the Avantis Dryos wine (Malagousia) is the first and only Greek wine to make it into the Guinness World Records (1998 edition).
