Homer was the first to praise it as a "sparkling wine", while there are many references to its grace in Deipnosophistae by Athenian.
By Leonidas Liamis
Also known as "Ariousios wine", the famous wine of Chios, was threatened with extinction after 1822, the barren year for the population of the island, due to the purges by the Turks, which led to wilting viticulture, too.
Two centuries later, the imaginary thread between the modern wine history of Chios and its glorious past has been fully restored and the famous "Ariousios wine" for a decade has made a total restoration, "gaining" friends in Greece and abroad.
It all started at the beginning of the second millennium when the then designer of telecommunications networks, Dimitris Kefalas, pioneered the revival of the cultivation of the rare variety "Chiotiko Krassero", which is considered to be the variety of Ariousios wine production.
"We managed to save and bring to our days the Chiotiko Krassero, from our grandparents and fathers. We got permits and the first plantings of the variety took place in the early 2000s ", says Anna Lagou, PR Responsible of "Ariousios Winery", a Winemaking, Agricultural, and Tourist Company, set up in northwestern Chios in 2009, with a vision to rebuild and perpetuate the myth of the "Ariousios wine".
The privately-owned vineyards of Ariousios Chios today cover an area of about 90 acres and new plantings are taking place, with local varieties. However, the winery cooperates with other local vine-growers who cultivate vines under its instructions and with specific cultivation protocols and then deliver their grapes to it.
"For the reds, we cultivate the varieties Chiotiko Krassero, Agiannitis, and Avgoustiatis, which originates from the Ionian Islands, but for some reason, it was found in Chios and we decided to grow it, not in large quantities. So far, we have two vineyards, about 10 acres located near the sea. The rest of the reds are cultivated at an altitude of 350 to 450 meters. As for our white wines, our main varieties are Assyrtiko and Athiri", Mrs. Lagou explains, who represented the winery at the Thessaloniki Wine Show, noted, "The Chiotiko Krassero is the "spearhead" of the winery's production. It is a very intense variety in taste, with a strong personality, which is for demanding and well-trained palates".
It is indicative that out of a total of about 40,000 bottles, which is produced annually by "Ariousios Chios" in white and red PGI wines, the almost 15,000 - 16,000 bottles have as raw material Chiotiko Krassero. Both Chiotiko Krassero and Assyrtiko are also naturally vinified, without doughs, filters, sulfites, and other additives, for the labels “Chiotiko” and “Assyrtiko”.
"These are two successful labels and already 95% of their production is exported to Genoa, Italy, which means that these are wines that have a European acceptance," said our interlocutor, adding that in the company's plans is to proceed to other types of experimental productions with natural vinification, in order to study how the varieties react.
Apart from the "Chiotiko Krassero", the "Ariousios Chios" pays special attention to the also local variety "Agiannitis", which can be found in very small areas on two more islands in the Aegean. "Usually one finds it in blending with the Chiotiko Krassero. However, we, for the first time this year, dared to vinify it in a single varietal wine. It is 2021’s crop and was released this year in an experimental version, in a total of 2,000 bottles. So far, the exhibitions we went to show that it has very good results and was embraced by the wine-lovers ", says Mrs. Lagou. She also emphasizes that this is a wine, with a dark rosé color, offering all the aromas of Chios, with a caramel taste, a little of wild pear and some ores, which are the main characteristic of the area and all our wines have been affected by this terroir ".
The modern winery of Ariousios Chios has a total capacity of 300 tons, which means that there is still potential for growth before the need for expansion interventions. It is the only one officially open to the public winery in Chios and various events that have to do with the wine tasting, seminars, responsible consumption of wine, etc. are taking place there.
In the range of their wines the winery has "Ariousia Chora", a blend of assyrtiko and athiri, "Armonia", a blend of malagouzia and assyrtiko, "Greek Islands" a single-variety assyrtiko PGI and "Assyrtiko" PGI, while in red wines there is the "Afstiros" PGI, from chiotiko krassero and agiannitis, the "Glikazon" PGI from sundried chiotiko krassero, the "Chios Vita" from avgustiatis and agiannitis and the "Chiotiko" single-variety wine PGI. The range is completed by "Ariousios Rose", single-varietal agiannitis. In terms of production availability, from 2011 onwards 60% is exported to the USA, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and some other countries, while the rest is distributed in the Greek market.
In ancient times, the area of northwestern Chios, between Melena Akra Cape and Mount Pelinneon, in the villages spread around the mountain range of Amani, was called Ariousia Land, as Strabo mentions. It was named so after an oak tree variety called Arias and on which climbed the wild vines that the inhabitants of the island had at that time. Therefore, the wine produced was called Ariousios Wine.
SOURCE: winetrails
