Planet Wine Tasting

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Domaine Glinavos Zitsa 2019 Epirus | Greece

Dio Fili Rosé 2024 Macedonia | Greece

Kokkinos Winery Petinos 2022 Naoussa | Macedonia | Greece

Domaine Tatsis Limnio 2022 Goumenissa | Macedonia | Greece

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Domaine Glinavos Zitsa 2019 Epirus | Greece

The Grape 100% Debina [Deh-BEE-nah], a native white grape of the Epirus region known for high acidity. Fermented and aged in stainless steel for 9 months. The Wine Aromas of green apple, white nectarine, and raw almond. Youthful flavors, with dominant notes of crisp green apple, pear, lemon, and white peach. Food pairing Oysters, clams, crab, lobster, sushi, and white fish. It also complements light, fresh foods like hummus, Greek salads, feta, and goat cheese. Grilled artichokes, asparagus, or wild greens (such as fennel, nettle, or dandelion greens)

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Dio Fili Rosé 2024 Macedonia | Greece

The Grape 70% Xinomavro [see-no-MAH-vro] 30% Moschomavro [Moh-skhó-mah-vroh] High altitude vineyards, with rocky, calcareous, and limestone soil at 1900-3000 feet in elevation. Aged in stainless steel. The Wine Ripe raspberries and wild strawberries roll across the mid-palate, creating a point of sweetness, followed by a briny, vibrant, mineral-driven finish. Food pairing Grilled prawns, salmon, roasted fish, or briny oysters. Greek salads, feta-based dishes, stuffed mushrooms, charcuterie boards, roasted vegetables, or roasted chicken with herbs.

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Kokkinos Winery Petinos 2022 Naoussa | Macedonia | Greece

The Grape 80% Xinomavro [see-no-MAH-vro] 20% Merlot from organically farmed vineyards. Fermentation in stainless steel and bottled unfiltered The Wine Rich aromas of red and black fruits, cherry, blackcurrant, and sour cherry, with a background of subtle sweet spices and fresh tomato. Moderate acidity and soft tannins on the finish. Food pairing Juicy burgers, Lasagna, grilled lamb, roasted lamb, sausages, roasted mushrooms, earthy lentil dishes, smoky eggplant, and Mediterranean roasted vegetables.

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Domaine Tatsis Limnio 2022 Goumenissa | Macedonia | Greece

The Grape 100% Limnio [LIM-nee-oh] Grapes are grown in biodynamic vineyards, avoiding synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. Controlled temperature fermentation in stainless steel, and then aged for 6 to 8 months in old French oak barrels. The Wine Aromas of ripe red fruits (cherries, raspberries), spices, white pepper, and hints of tea or dried herbs. Flavors of juicy red fruit, leather, tobacco, and sometimes a, "stony" mineral or "earthy" undertone. Food pairing Tomato-based pasta (lasagna), or savory stews. Grilled lamb, charcuterie, eggplant dishes, and portobello mushrooms.

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BIODYNAMIC

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DRY FARMED

GRAVITY FLOW

NATURAL

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METHOD TRADITIONAL

WHOLE CLUSTER FERMENTATION

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6306 Gravel Ave Unit B Alexandria, Virginia 22310

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Domaine Glinavos Domaine Glinavos, founded in 1978 by Lefteris Glinavos in Zitsa, Epirus (northwestern Greece), is a pioneering winery renowned for its focus on indigenous, high-altitude varieties such as Debina, Vlahiko, and Bekari. The estate produces celebrated, high-acid, and minerally wines, including the famous orange semi-sparkling wine Paleokerisio, in a distinct cool-climate, semi-mountainous region.

Whole-cluster fermentation is a winemaking method in which entire grape bunches, including stems, are fermented together. Unlike traditional methods that destem grapes first, whole-cluster fermentation adds structure, complex herbal/spicy notes, and texture to the wine from the stems' tannins and compounds, affecting flavor, aroma, and aging potential. It is often used for Pinot Noir and Syrah.

An organic winery produces wine from grapes grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, focusing on natural methods like compost and companion planting for vine health, with strict rules on permitted additives and sulfites (often no added sulfites in the U.S. for fully certified organic). It's about respecting the environment and soil health, resulting in wines that reflect the natural terroir, with official certification required on the label.

Stavros Kokkinos | Owner | Winemaker Stavros Kokkinos is the owner, founder, and winemaker of Kokkinos Winery, a boutique winery located in Naoussa, Imathia, Greece. As a first-generation winemaker, he transitioned from traditional fruit farming to producing high-quality wines, with a focus on the Xinomavro variety. His winery, established with its first bottling in 2009, is known for producing complex, structured, and age-worthy red wines.

Click the link to view the winery location in Google Maps.

A gravity-flow winery uses a multi-level design, often built on a hillside, to move grapes and wine through the production process (crush, ferment, age, bottle) using only the natural force of gravity, eliminating the need for pumps. This gentler, less interventionist approach preserves fruit purity, reduces oxidation, yields softer tannins, uses less energy, and results in higher-quality, more expressive wines.

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Domaine Tatsis Domaine Tatsis, located in Goumenissa, Northern Greece, is a pioneering, family-run winery managed by brothers Perikles and Stergios Tatsis, renowned for being among the first in Greece to adopt certified organic (1998) and biodynamic (2002) practices. They focus on minimal-intervention "real" wines, specializing in indigenous grapes like Xinomavro and Negoska, using spontaneous fermentation, no additives, and aging in oak barrels.

Natural wine is wine made with minimal intervention, using organically/biodynamically farmed grapes, fermented with native yeasts, and with few or no additives, fining, or filtering, with a focus on expressing the grape and terroir rather than technological manipulation. While there's no single legal definition, it emphasizes traditional, low-tech methods, resulting in a pure, unadulterated fermented grape juice, sometimes with cloudiness or sediment due to lack of filtration, and low or no added sulfites. The result is a wine that tastes more distinctly of its origin (terroir) and vintage. There’s a potential for cloudiness, sediment, or unique, sometimes "funky," flavors due to minimal intervention.

Click the link to view the winery location in Google Maps.

Click the link to view the winery location in Google Maps.

A "dry farmed winery" means the winery grows its grapes without irrigation, relying solely on natural rainfall and the soil's water-holding capacity, a traditional, labor-intensive method that encourages deep root growth and can produce more concentrated, terroir-driven wines by stressing the vines. While it's an old-world practice, modern dry farming also requires specific soil management and site selection to succeed. Why it matters: Sustainability: Conserves water, a critical resource. Wine Quality: Produces intensely flavored grapes, leading to wines with deeper concentration, often with lower alcohol and sugar, according to Real Food Eatery and Natural Merchants.

Kokkinos Winery Kokkinos Winery, located near Naoussa, Greece, is a boutique estate founded by Stavros Kokkinos, a first-generation winemaker who began cultivating Xinomavro in 2000 and produced his first bottling in 2009. The winery manages 3.6 hectares of organically cultivated vineyards in the Dalamari and Paliokalia areas, producing highly structured PDO Naoussa Xinomavro.

"Method Traditional" (or méthode traditionnelle) refers to the classic, labor-intensive process for making high-quality sparkling wines like Champagne, which involves a second fermentation directly in the bottle to create the signature bubbles and complex flavors, distinct from other methods such as Charmat. It's a specific technique in which yeast and sugar are added to a base wine in a sealed bottle, trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) to create fizz, followed by aging and disgorgement to remove sediment.

Lees aging (or sur lie) in winemaking means leaving wine in contact with its sediment of dead yeast cells and grape particles after fermentation to add complexity, texture, and flavor, creating notes like brioche, nuts, or toast, while also protecting the wine from oxidation by absorbing oxygen, common in Chardonnay, Champagne, and Muscadet. The yeast cells break down (autolysis), releasing proteins and sugars that enrich the wine, making it fuller-bodied, creamier, and more stable, notes.

Biodynamic vs. Organic:Organic: Focuses on what not to use (no synthetics). Biodynamic: Focuses on what to do (holistic practices, cosmic rhythms, specific preparations) to create a vital, self-regulating farm. Biodynamic wine comes from grapes grown using biodynamic agriculture, a holistic, ecological, and ethical farming system that views the vineyard as a living organism, going beyond organic by incorporating cosmic rhythms, lunar cycles, and specific homeopathic-like preparations (Steiner's methods) to build soil health, increase biodiversity, and create natural vineyard resilience, resulting in wines that are a truer expression of terroir.

Vegan wine means it's made without any animal-derived products, from grape to bottle, avoiding animal-based fining agents (like isinglass, egg whites, casein) and other animal-sourced additives, instead using plant-based (pea protein) or mineral (clay, charcoal) alternatives or leaving particles to settle naturally, with clear labeling often indicating its vegan status. Why is it different? Fining Agents: Traditionally, animal products (fish bladders, milk protein, egg whites) were used to clarify wine by attracting and removing sediment. Vegan Alternatives: Vegan wines use bentonite clay, activated charcoal, or pea protein, or are left unfined (allowing sediment to settle naturally) to achieve clarity. Farming: Some stricter definitions also exclude animal-derived fertilizers (like bone meal) used in the vineyard, favoring organic/plant-based methods.

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A sustainable winery uses practices that are good for the environment, fair to workers, and economically sound for the long term, focusing on resource efficiency (water, energy), preserving ecosystems (soil health, biodiversity), reducing chemicals (pesticides, herbicides), and supporting communities, going beyond just organic to ensure viability for future generations.

Lefteris Glinavos | Owner | Winemaker Lefteris Glinavos is a renowned Greek oenologist and winemaker who founded the Domaine Glinavos winery in 1978 in Zitsa, Epirus. After studying in Bordeaux, he revolutionized local winemaking by focusing on indigenous grape varieties like Debina and Vlahiko. He is best known for producing high-quality sparkling wines using traditional methods. Recognized as a key figure in the modernization of Greek winemaking.

Epirus | Greece Epirus is a mountainous, cool-climate wine region in northwestern Greece, primarily focused around Ioannina and the Pindos Mountains, known for high-altitude vineyards (up to \(1100\text{m}\)) and indigenous varieties. It is famous for the PDO Zitsa appellation, producing crisp, high-acid white and sparkling wines from the Debina grape, along with robust reds. The vineyards are situated on steep, often terraced, slopes with calcareous, clay, and sandy soils at altitudes of 600–700+ meters. The climate is continental and humid, influenced by the Ionian Sea and the Pindos mountains.

Stergios Tatsis | Owner | Winemaker Domaine Tatsis, located in the Macedonia region of Northern Greece near Mount Paiko, is run by brothers Periklis and Stergios Tatsis. They are pioneers of natural winemaking in Greece, using biodynamic practices, minimal inputs, and long aging to create character-driven wines, specializing in varieties such as Xinomavro and Negoska.

Yiannis Polizos | Owner | Winemaker Yiannis Polizos is a co-founder of the Dio Fili Winery (or "Dio Filoi") in Siatista, Macedonia, Greece. Established in 2006 alongside Yiannis Boutaris and Yiannis Polizos, she runs the estate with his wife, Georgia Goutziamani. The winery is known for high-altitude wines, particularly a notable Xinomavro/Moschomavro rosé.

Click the link to view the winery location in Google Maps.

Dio Fili Winery Dio Fili Winery (meaning "Two Friends") is a boutique estate founded in 2006 in Siatista, Macedonia, Greece, by Yiannis Boutaris, Yiannis Polizos, and Georgia Goutziamani. Situated at 600-950 meters above sea level, it specializes in high-altitude wines, particularly the traditional sun-dried sweet wine Iliasto (or Iliatsi), made from Xinomavro and Moschomavro grapes.

Siatista | Macedonia | Greece Siatista is a high-altitude PGI wine region in Macedonia, Northern Greece, known for a long tradition of producing elegant, high-acid, low-intervention wines from mountainous vineyards (750-900m) on limestone soils, with indigenous varieties like Xinomavro and the rare, aromatic Moschomavro. Located in the Kozani district, the area is mountainous and inland, with a cool climate not directly influenced by the sea, allowing for slow, gradual grape ripening.

Naoussa | Macedonia | Greece For over 4,000 years, the rich, spicy red wines of the relatively frigid Macedonia region, especially those of Naoussa, have been highly regarded. Legend has it that Semele, mother of Dionysus—the Greek god of wine and fertility—lived in the area. Established in 1972, the Naoussa appellation, which covers 1750 acres on the slopes of Mount Vermion, was Greece’s first.

Goumenissa | Macedonia | Greece The Goumenissa appellation was granted PDO status in 1979. Comprising only 200 hectares, it is one of the smallest wine zones in Greece. The demarcated region includes the municipality of Goumenissa and communities in the prefecture of Kilkis, such as Gerakonas, Filiria, and Pentalofos, among others. Most vineyards planted with the red varieties Xinomavro and Negoska are located on the east-facing, gently rolling slopes of Mount Paiko at altitudes of 150 meters and higher.