Paros

Paros, the second most significant wine-producing island of the Cyclades, was part of the Aegean wine trade boom of Antiquity and prospered during the Malvasia trade of the Middle Ages.

At the beginning of the 1980s, the island became one of the first areas in Greece to receive PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status for two of its wines: Paros White PDO, made from 100% Monemvassia grapes, and Paros Red PDO, made from at least 35% red Mandilaria grapes and up to 65% Monemvassia grapes. The latter is the only red PDO wine in Greece to which white grapes may be added.

Subsequently, in 2011, PDO status was granted to Malvasia Paros, a naturally sweet wine made with sun-dried Monemvassia grapes and up to 15% Assyrtiko grapes.

The region benefits from a climate that is not as extreme as on the other Cycladic islands (less windy, higher levels of humidity, water availability above average). The central part of Paros is the most mountainous with a peak reaching 724 metres, allowing the configuration of different planting zones.

The vineyards occupy approximately 300 hectares, mainly planted with the local white Monemvassia and red Mandilaria varieties. The vines are planted on rich calcareous, sandy and sandy-claye soil that is the result of erosion from the slopes of Mount Profitis Elias. The vines grow freely in bush form, many of them self-rooted and totally untained by phylloxera. The old wood extends horizontally and young shoots grow vertically, creating a floor covering of vines, a system known locally as aplotaries (from the Greek verb ‘aplono’, which means ‘to spread’).

Over the last 20 years, like in much of Greece, a gently paced viticultural renaissance has been unfolding. Organic farming, small yields, indigenous grape varieties, and the passion of a handful of winemakers for the island’s unique terroir, have all combined to produce a range of distinctive, quality wines that are beginning to achieve international recognition.