From the atlas
Tsantiris Winery
At A Glance
- Family winery in Proespera, on the island of Ikaria.
- Family vineyard history begins in 1875 with Grandpa Nikolas; Kostas Tsantiris and Domina returned in 2000 to establish the winery.
- Terraced northwestern-Ikarian vineyards reach 450 metres and sit among granite boulders.
- Look for Fokiano Blanc de Noir: a dry white made entirely from the red Fokiano grape.
The Producer
Tsantiris is a family winery in Proespera on Ikaria, where the recorded vineyard story begins with Grandpa Nikolas in 1875. Kostas Tsantiris, described as a fourth-generation winemaker, returned with his wife Domina in 2000 and established the winery in his grandfather’s vineyard; their children Nassia and Yiannis now take part in its development. The result is a producer whose bottles join an old family site to a newer cellar project.
Its wines move well beyond a simple red-and-white pair. Fokiano, Mandilaria, Begleri and Assyrtiko grow in the family vineyards, while the range extends from a white Fokiano to barrel-aged red wine, clay-made cuvées and a sun-dried sweet wine. Each method changes the grape’s expression: freshness in the blanc de noir, oak-derived spice in Akratos, and dried-fruit richness in Melisanty.
Place
Proespera lies in northwestern Ikaria, where Tsantiris works slopes reaching 450 metres. Height and exposure place vines above the immediate coastal plain, while the stepped ground makes hand work necessary; the wines therefore begin with grapes grown in small terraced blocks rather than a flat, mechanically worked field.
The Fokiano Blanc de Noir is labelled P.G.I. IKARIA, while the winery also presents its range as Ikarian Wines. In the bottle, that local setting is not a guarantee of one fixed flavour: Fokiano becomes a pale, dry white here, while Kountouro and Akratos carry red-fruit and more earthy notes through different grapes and handling.
Soil And Site
Dry-stone terraces hold the vineyard into Proespera’s sloping terrain, with granite boulders visible through the site. Their physical arrangement shapes the work: cultivation and harvest are manual, so picking can follow the pace of the terraces and grapes can be brought down from individual sections without relying on large-scale machinery.
The winery sits immediately below the vineyards. That short distance means harvested fruit can move quickly from slope to cellar, an important practical link for wines such as the Fokiano Blanc de Noir, where citrus, pear and crisp mineral character depend on keeping the fruit’s fresh profile intact.
Story
The modern winery began with a family decision rather than a new land purchase. Kostas and Domina were living in Athens when Grandpa Tsantiris announced his retirement; after returning to Ikaria, they established the winery in the grandfather’s vineyard in 2000. Years of difficulty and winemaking study preceded the revival and modernisation, leading to a range that uses barrels, clay containers and sun exposure alongside the family’s traditional vineyard.
That development can be tasted across the wines. Akratos spends twelve months in barrel and carries red fruit and spice into a velvety palate, while Vitina Begleri is fermented and matured in clay with wild yeast, keeping mature citrus, acidity and tannin at the centre of the wine.
Vineyards And Cellar
Tsantiris describes biological cultivation for Fokiano, Mandilaria, Begleri and Assyrtiko, with manual work and small crops per plant. Those choices concentrate attention on individual vines and harvest timing, which matters when the same family grows grapes for dry white, structured red, clay-matured wine and sweet wine.
In the cellar, visitors can see a stone press, ceramic containers and traditional ceramic vessels buried in the ground, alongside production, bottling and ageing areas. These are working tools rather than decoration: clay containers frame the Vitina wines, barrels shape Akratos and old oak carries Melisanty through its 24-month maturation after the grapes have been exposed to the sun.
Wines
The range starts with Fokiano Blanc de Noir, made from 100% Fokiano in the 2024 bottling. Although Fokiano is a red grape, the wine is a gold-toned white with rose highlights, citrus and pear aromas, a balanced palate and a rich aftertaste. It establishes a bright, dry register before the cellar methods become more pronounced.
Akratos takes the red route, with twelve months in barrel bringing ruby colour, red fruit, spice, a velvety texture and a long finish. Vitina Begleri uses wild yeast and clay fermentation and maturation for mature citrus, balanced acidity and tannin, while Vitina Kountouro brings mature red fruit, earth, mineral notes and a persistent finish. Melisanty closes the range in a different register: sun-exposed grapes and old oak lead toward caramel, raisins, nuts, dried figs and honey in a sweet wine.
In The Glass
Begin with the blanc de noir chilled to 8–10°C. Ripe citrus and pear arrive first, followed by fruit on the palate and crisp minerality; the wine’s gold colour and metallic notes make the finish feel more savoury than a straightforward aromatic white.
The deeper wines build weight differently. Akratos has red fruit and spice over a velvety body from barrel ageing, while Vitina Begleri puts mature citrus against tannin and acidity from its clay-made form. Vitina Kountouro adds earth and mineral notes to red fruit, and Melisanty turns toward dried fig, raisin, caramel and honey, with sweetness supported by its 24 months in old oak.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Fokiano Blanc de Noir 2024 first. It is entirely Fokiano, a red grape made here as a dry white, so one bottle links the vineyard’s local grape to the winery’s willingness to work outside the expected red-white divide. Serve it at 8–10°C for citrus, pear, crisp minerality and a rich, slightly metallic finish. Its light-bodied freshness makes the grape legible before the barrel, clay and sun-dried wines add more weight and sweetness.
Anecdote
When Grandpa Tsantiris announced his retirement, Kostas Tsantiris and Domina were living in Athens. They decided to take over the family vineyard in Proespera and pursue winemaking there, rather than leave the plot behind. The move did not produce an instant winery: years of struggles and winemaking studies followed as the family worked toward reviving and modernising the project. In 2000, Kostas and Domina returned to Ikaria and established the winery in his grandfather’s vineyard, whose recorded family history reaches back to 1875. Nassia and Yiannis later joined the continuing development of the estate.
Final Word
Tsantiris is worth seeking out for the way one terraced Ikarian vineyard feeds several distinct wine forms: a dry white from Fokiano, a barrel-aged red, clay-made cuvées and a sweet wine from sun-exposed grapes. Start with the blanc de noir, then follow the range toward clay, oak and dried fruit.
Sources
- https://tsantiriswines.gr/en/
- https://tsantiriswines.gr/en/the-vineyards/
- https://aegeancargosailing.org/meet-our-producers-20-tsantiris-wines/
- https://tsantiriswines.gr/en/tours/
- https://tsantiriswines.gr/en/eshop/choris-katigoria/fokiano-blanc-de-noir/
- https://www.lcbo.com/en/tsantiris-fokiano-blanc-de-noir-organic-2024-46835
- https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/kategori/7402801/
- https://tsantiriswines.gr/en/our-wines/