Greek Wine Cellars D. Kourtakis

As one of the largest producers in Greece, the Kourtakis family offers a unique portfolio of Greek wines, often cultivated in single grape varieties. It is a model for the great variety of indigenous grape varieties, which set Greece apart from all other countries where vines are grown.

Ouiz question: which Greek was the first qualified oenologist? Answer: Dr. Vassilis Kourtakis (1865-1946), the founder of one of the greatest wine families in the country. The success of the winery founded in 1895 in Marcopoulo, 30 kilometres from Athens, is due first of all to the retsina, that resinated classic Greek wine, the production of which Vassilis Kourtakis modernised. For almost half a century Kourtakis was a synonym for this wine that even today many consumers associate with Greece and holiday memories. Vassili‘s son, Dimitris, who qualifed as an oenologist in Dijon, developed the brand to become market leader in Greece; the wines were now also bottled whereas in the beginning they had traditionally been sold on tap.

Exports gained in significance as a result of Greece joining the EU (1981). Vassilis Kourtakis, the grandson of the founder, is setting the course for the firm with his enterpreneurial vision. He studied in Oxford, also has his Dijon qualification in his pocket and gained experience as a winemaker in Burgundy for almost a decade. His vision: Kourtakis shall become a leading producer of modern wines – and Greece an internationally recognised wine country.

Ritsona, a very modern winery with stainless steel tanks, was constructed in 1982 and today it is still one of the most modern and largest facilities in Europe. A very successful brand was launched on the Greek market with Apelia, a white wine from typical indigenous grape varieties. Modern wineries were also constructed on Crete and in the Peloponnese (Nemea, Mantinia). Kouros and Vin de Crète are some of the firm’s labels known in Germany. Since the takeover of the Calliga winery in 2000, the firm has been known as Greek Wine Cellars D. Kourtakis.

Calliga is known for a series of excellent varietal wines. In 2004 the firm took over the holdings of the Oenoforos „boutique“ winery in the Peloponnes („Mikros Vorias“ and „Ianos“ series), in 2010 a high quality spirit and organic wine portfolio was added with the Babatzim distillery. Vassilis Kourtakis, a member of numerous committees and associations, is a significant personality in Greek wine-growing and at European level as well.