Domaine Zafeirakis, Limniona Rose

Attractive pomegranate colour of medium intensity and refined aromas of strawberry, cherry, cranberry, white flowers, toffee and herbs. Expressive mouth with medium body, discreet acidity and light oily texture. Enjoy it and you‘ll see what we‘re talking about!

Christos Zafeirakis and Tyrnavos, as it turns out, have a unique relationship with the uprising Limniona. By investing in organic farming, and the unique soils of Paleomylos, he achieved perfect results on the vine that are demonstrated inside the bottle. With minimal interference during vinification and the use of indigenous yeasts, it allows the variety to express itself freely, revealing every aspect of its character. Yes, Limniona Rose is a food-friendly rosé and an absolute Passepartout for Mediterranean cuisine. Last year it was praised by the New York Times (for second consecutive year) but this year Limniona Rose 2019 of Domaine Zafeirakis is even better and should make the wine universe go nuts (once again)!

Christos Zafeirakis’ family have lived in Tirnavos, by the foothills of Mount Olympus in Central Greece for numerous generations. Over 100 years.  Looking north from the winery, the foothills of Mount Olympus rise up quickly. In fact ‘Propodes’ (Greek for ‘foothills’)  is the name of his very good Chardonnay. It’s a dry region, but cooled by the breezes blowing down from the mountain. There is a high clay content to the soil mixed with flint and gravel.  Christos farms organically here 14 hectares of vineyards. He is on the way towards fully biodynamic viticulture. He trained in Italy , in Piedmont and Tuscany, before returning to take over the family estate.

He bottled his first wines in 2005, and established the new winery in 2012. In 2018 he redeveloped and increased size. Christos is best-known in Greece for his work resurrecting a wonderful grape variety; Limniona, and it is interest in this which first led us to visit him. It’s a grape variety that produces quite gently textured reds. There’s none of the bite and twang of Xinomavro, but rather a medium-bodied, herbal, almost pinot-esque quality.