Domaine Zafeirakis, Malagousia White 2022

The Zafeirakis family has been engaged in viticulture in the Tyrnavos area for more than 100 years. Christos Zafeirakis is the fourth generation to practice this long-standing tradition of the family and is considered to be one of the key advocates of finesse in Greek winemaking. His reputation is closely linked to the revival of Limniona grape, but also produces exceptional white wines from varieties such as Malagousia and Chardonnay.

A more restrained, mineral expression of Malagousia with herbal nuances, along fresh citrus fruit and jasmine notes. Extremely stylish!

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. 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.