Papras Bio ‘Pleiades’ White 2022

Location: Greece, Central, Thessaly

Winemaker: Stergios Papras

Grapes: Roditis

Soil: limestone

Winemaking: 30 days of skin and stem contact in stainless steel, spontaneously fermented in ambient temperatures, and a few sulfites added at bottling

‘Pleiades’: Pleiades are nymphs associated with the stars, aptly naming this orange wine from the slopes of the highest mountain of Greece. Honey and mineral notes, and a salty palate with a beeswax coating.

From the importer Eklektikon: Papras Bio Wines is operated by the Papras family. Stergios Papras, the family’s oenologist, was the local co-op’s president and oenologist from 1979 until recently, who gave the region its current fame in regards to the Black Muscat of Tyrnavosgrape, and the quality production of tsipouro. It is no coincidence that Tyrnavos is the only town of Greece with a PDO appellation (highest tier) for a distilled product.

Stergios Papras, has always been an advocate for organic viticulture, and his vineyards have been certified organic since 1990 (the first year this was possible for Greece). His brother, Thomas, and his son, personally tend to the vineyards. The focus is on fresh, organic, sparkling and still wines, with the indigenous grapes of the area, mainly Black Muscat of Tyrnavos, and Roditis, the rosy-skinned and second most planted grape of Greece.

The unique terroir of Tyrnavos, sitting on one of the few plains of Greece, under the tallest mountain of the country, mount Olympus, provide optimal conditions for sparkling and highly aromatic wines.