Milestones
- Just a few of them -
Every day in the vineyard is a milestone on its own. Overcoming obstacles, fighting with the weather, or simply enjoying our time in nature. We cherish every moment of it, but here are some pivotal moments that gave our vineyards in Samos the today's shape and form.
First Vineyards Replanted
Yannis Kostakis started replanting the vineyards of his father in the Ksilaki area, close to Karlovassi in West Samos. He used Massal selection from the old vineyard blocks.
Organic Certification
The Ksilaki Vineyards are officially certified organic! We maintain the organic certification to this day!
Evmorfia's first vineyard
Evmorfia plants her first vineyard together with her father Yiannis, during the COVID quarantine period. Also in the Ksilaki area.
First Muscat Noir a Petits Grains Block
Evmorfia and Lorenz plant their first block with Muscat Noir à Petits Grains, right next to the winery.
First Vintage!
Our grapes entered the newly built Kostaki Winery for the first time!
Samos Wine – at a glance
Wine Identity
Samos vineyards are traditionally bush vines, planted with Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Unique Topography
The Island is dominated by two mountains, Kerkes (1450 m) and Ampelos (1150 m). The surrounding sea moderates the climate.
Meltemi wind
Every summer, cool winds blow from the North during the hottest hours of the day, keeping the temperature under control.
Soil Diversity
Intense tectonic activity has led to a large diversity of soils. These include limestone, granite, schist and volcanic soils.
- We have the first certified organic vineyards of Samos. We’re grateful to Yiannis Kostakis for the way he cared for his vineyards for the past 20 years. Listening to the needs of the vines and farming with respect to nature. We maintain the same philosophy. Acting when it’s necessary with the least amount of input. One example is the composting of our grape pomace to use as fertiliser for our vineyards.
- Beyond organic: minimal tilling and natural cover crops are key to our farming. By disturbing the soil as little as possible, we maintain a healthy soil structure and increase organic matter. This increases the soil water holding capacity, allowing our dry-farmed vines to effortlessly ripen the grapes during the dry Mediterranean summer. In addition, the cover crops naturally dry out in the summer, insulating the soil and reducing its temperature, positively impacting the vineyard microclimate.
- The only tradition we follow at Kostaki Winery is the training system of our vineyards. All the old vineyards are planted with bush vines, which we consciously maintained in all our new plantings as well. Every decision we make is based on careful analysis. While bush vines need more hours of care and more experienced care, they provide real benefits in a Greek climate. The canopy is more efficient in photosynthesising, which means fewer leaves are required, reducing the plant’s water needs. In addition, the canopy acts as an umbrella for the vines, protecting them from the sun throughout the day, keeping.
- One variety to rule them all! Our obsession with Muscat starts in the vineyard. It is variety hard to farm, because it is susceptible to every vine disease known to humankind. By focusing only on one grape, we are able to listen to its needs and act when it’s necessary to protect our grapes. We believe that by having multiple varieties we would lose focus and we wouldn’t be able to act so precisely. Our precision in the vineyards spans from leaf removal to plant protection and it’s what allows us to produce our high-quality wines.
- Taking care of human life. Besides not using any pesticides and herbicides, we avoid working when the conditions are too brought. This includes cold or rainy winter days, but most importantly we stop working early during the summer months to stay protected from the heat and the harmful sun rays.