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Bibendum expands Greek portfolio with two new producers

More commonly known as a tourist hotspot, Santorini Island is the home of Santo Wines and the Assyrtiko grape. Today, the winery represents the majority of growers on Santorini and has 1,200 active members. It is committed to safeguarding the local traditional varieties, as well as promoting sustainable agriculture development.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Santo Wines invests in, “R&D in the ongoing development of cultivation and vinification techniques, preservation of the biodiversity, and the operation of a nursery of indigenous varieties, which creates a solid base for study and trial cultivation of indigenous grapes”. 

• Read more: Turning the dial on Greek wine, Maltby & Greek

The Santo Wines cooperative also promotes other local products such as Santorini tomatoes, which doubtless pair well with the wines. 

The second new addition hails from one of the most unique terroirs in Greece. The Peloponnese winery was among those that shaped the face of modern Greek winemaking back in the 1990s.

In 1990, Angelos Rouvalis pioneered the development of viticulture in this mountainous zone, after realising the potential of the old Greek variety Roditis. He quickly managed to inspire a large group of wine producers in Aigialeia, who began systematically cultivating important old Greek and international varieties in the region. In his gravity-fed winery, the first-ever one in Greece, he made delicate wines through gentle methods of production. 

Today his daughter Theodora Rouvalis continues this tradition, with her training at Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux and Clos de Tart in Burgundy further adding to the Peloponnese mixing pot.

As a result, Rouvalis has become a benchmark producer, known for its authentic terroir-driven wines, with some examples being amphora-made.

Andrew Craig, wine buyer at Bibendum said: “Wines from Greece are becoming increasingly popular on wine lists, and it’s great to see that consumers are giving these wines more attention. Rouvalis and Santo are fantastic examples of Greek producers heroing local grape varieties. Both producers promote sustainable practices in the vineyard, something that is incredibly important to us at Bibendum – making them perfect additions to our portfolio.”

• Bibendum
• Greek Wine
• Theodora Rouvalis
• Andrew Craig
• Wines of Greece
• Santo Wines
• Rouvalis