Gaia Wines – Explore in Depth Greek Varieties

Nemea PDO, Peloponnese PGI

Gaia Wines was founded in 1994 by Yiannis Paraskevopoulos (Agriculturalist and PhD in Enology from the University of Bordeaux II) and Leon Karatsalos (Agriculturalist). Both of them are the ideal examples of the Greek mindset of traveling and gaining knowledge and experience – characteristics transmitted to the production of their wines – aiming to offer to all the wine lovers worldwide, the best possible result in their own way.

Today, Gaia Wines own two modern wineries that are located in two of the most promising P.D.O. regions of Greece. Gaia΄s goal has been and remains today to expand and highlight the quality characteristics of the native Greek grape varieties like Agiorgitiko and Assyrtiko and to achieve their recognition in international markets. With consistency being the guide of its people and dedication to quality, adhering to the highest standards of service, Gaia’s Wines are exported to 25 countries of the world: from Japan to America, and from the Scandinavian countries to Australia. The continuously increasing exports and the 150 awards demonstrate the big visions of Gaia Wines people. The journey continues, nourishing their eagerness to learn and live new experiences.

“Our basic option was to install our wineries in the two most important wine-growing regions of Greece, and to produce competitive wines of high-quality standards,” says Yiannis Paraskevopoulos while Leon Karatsalos explains, “We expected people reading the labels of Gaia Wines to understand the idea which was our driving force, and always remains the same: to explore in depth the boundaries of the Greek varieties, focusing on Agiorgitiko and Assyrtiko, making them well -known all over the world.”

In Nemea, particularly, where they produce wines under the denomination Nemea P.D.O. and Peloponnese P.G.I., the winery, a contemporary, industrial building with magnificent views, was built in 1997 at the heart of the private vineyard in Koutsi, at an altitude of 550m. The soil of the vineyards chalky, with good drainage, and the cool temperatures of the climate in the area offer lower yield and better-quality grapes than other vineyards of the region making it possible for Gaia’s winemakers team to manage every step of the winemaking process to succeed in producing only top quality wines.

Gaia Estate, Nemea PDO

At the top of the steep Southwestern slopes of Koutsi, we cultivate our Agiorgitiko vines with an eye toward the creation of a red wine of exceptional personality and great aging potential, aiming to take all the compounds needed from a very small amount of grapes.

This winemaking is done in such a way that the already dense grape can be expressed in wine in the most absolute and complete way. The very long extraction after fermentation is the key point of the first phase of vinification. Afterward, the new wine will mature for at least 12 months in new 225-liter French oak casks. The origin of the forest and the degree of burning, the way of cutting the used wood, and every small detail, has been examined and chosen so we eventually get a wine with a highly complex personality.

Ultimately, Gaia Estate is bottled directly from the barrel without prior treatments such as chilling or filtration. In this way, we preserve the best of all the essential elements of our wine.

Gaia Estate has a deep red-black color, complex, and highly intense aromatic profile with side elements of fruit, wood, vanilla, and carnation. Mouth-filling, volume, body, structure, and flavor complement the character of this unusual Nemea.

Without a doubt, this is an aging wine. Under proper cellar conditions and temperatures 12^ο-14^ο C it continues to evolve into an even better and more structured wine for the next 20 years.

Remember to take time to decant GAIA ESTATE, at least half an hour before you enjoy it. Its new dimension that will emerge, will excite!