Oinolpi Winery

The Oinolpi Winery of Christoforos family it is located in the middle of an estate with a total area of ​​170 acres, in its plain part Zakynthos, in the area Wormwood in the village of Machairado.

The company was created in 2000 by oenologists Timotheo G. Christoforou and his wife Christina-Maria Levtaki, as a continuation of the family tradition in wine production since 1965.

«I was born in Athens in 1974, both my parents from Zakynthos", says Timotheus who welcomed us in the tasting room of the winery.

«I knew ... from birth that I would become an agriculturist or deal with estates as a first-born. In 1992 I entered the TEI of Oenology, became an oenologist, and when I graduated in 2000, my father sold a house in Athens, gave me the money, and then I decided to build a new winery within the estates».

The younger generation with the help and valuable experience of father G. Christoforos and biologist Aik. Lygeria-Christophoros proceeded with gradual vinifications in order to revival of several lost varieties of the Zakynthos vineyard.

It has a vertically integrated processing unit for grapes coming from the vineyards, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, refrigerated tanks to control fermentation and winemakers to process red grapes.”

The estate, as can be seen from a large map that can be seen hanging in the visiting wine tasting area, consists of separate crops. The 170 acres of the estate consist of 65 acres of olive groves with about a thousand olive trees, 30 acres of raisins and 30 acres of vines. They are cultivated there local grape varieties Skiadopoulos, Gustoulidi, Pavlos, Robolas, Katsakoulias, Koutsoubelis and the excellent Augustiatis. The grape growing part is complemented by the cultivation of the black Zakynthian raisin, which for many years was the main source of income for the Zakynthians.

«The truth is that I run all day to catch up with everything", says Timotheus. "I feel a bit like a one man show", he tells us, laughing. "But I don't mind. I am compensated by the good wines we produce and the life here in Zakynthos».

And name of the Oinolpi winery, we ask him how it came about. "It does not exist as a word. There are the Olpi vessel for decanting wine and the Oinochoi vessel. Since the second was already used in the name of a shop, I decided to make it "Oinolpi". "

One can visit Oinolpi, by appointment, where wine tastings are held in small groups of 10-15 people.

The overall image of the estate is completed by the private chapel of Agios Georgios, where one can admire works of local (Eptanesian) iconography, crafted by Zakynthian iconographers.

The main wines at the Oinolipi Winery are:

Red wine Neotevkos – Dry PGE Zakynthos. Produced from the Augustiatis and Cab varieties. Sauvignon. Wine with a rich color, aromas typical of its basic variety (Augustiatis 80%), soft tannins and moderate acidity.

White wine Verdea – Dry CSO of Zakynthos. It is produced from the Skiadopoulos, Pavlos, Robola and Gustoulidi varieties. Wine with a yellow-green color, citrus and melon aromas, moderate acidity and cool aftertaste.

Rose wine Augustiatis – Koutsoubeli – Dry PGE Zakynthos. It is produced by combining the Augustiatis and Koutsoubeli varieties, with a bright pink color, aromas of flowers and citrus, moderate acidity.

White wine Gustoulidi – Dry PGE Zakynthos. It is produced exclusively from the Gustoulidi variety (Goustoulidi). Light yellow wine, citrus and melon aromas, high acidity.