Why it matters
The producer
The Kintonis family has been making wine in the Aigialeia mountains since 1952. The winery works with contracted growers across around 1,100 hectares of mountain vineyard above the Corinthian Gulf, a scale that spans both Greek varieties native to the Peloponnese and international grapes planted at altitudes that reshape what those varieties do in the glass. The philosophy behind the range is straightforward: use the mountain terrain of Aigialeia to capture the character of each grape rather than correcting for it in the cellar.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Aigialeia occupies the north coast of the Peloponnese, where the mountains rise steeply from the Corinthian Gulf. The vineyards Kintonis works with climb from 500 to 1,050 metres on north-facing slopes, well above the elevation at which most Greek wineries operate. At this altitude, the growing season lengthens, nights stay cool, and the grapes retain acidity that would disappear further down the hillside. The result shows clearly in the white and rosé wines, which carry a brightness uncommon in Peloponnese wines grown closer to sea level.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The 1,100 hectares Kintonis works with are contracted rather than estate-owned, spread across the Aigialeia mountain zone. The winery selects growers who maintain low yields, with the Syrah blocks, where vine age runs to 10 to 15 years, targeted at 8,000 to 9,000 kilograms per hectare. Harvest is done by hand across the range, with grapes transferred to the winery immediately after picking to preserve freshness.
The Greek white varieties in the range include Moschofilero, Roditis, Lagorthi, Malagousia and Assyrtiko. International varieties include Syrah, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay and Merlot. For the Moschofilero white, fermentation runs at 16°C in stainless steel, followed by three months on lees in tank before bottling. The Theoné Moschofilero Rosé uses gentle pressing and cool stainless-steel fermentation to keep the grape's aromatic character intact.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range covers white, red and rosé across both Greek and international varieties. The Moschofilero white is the driest and most aromatic of the whites: pale, low in alcohol, with the three months of lees contact adding texture without weight. The Theoné Moschofilero Rosé is a blend of 80% Moschofilero and 20% Assyrtiko, the Assyrtiko adding a citrus backbone and sharper acidity to the Moschofilero's floral character. Among the reds, the Syrah is a single-variety wine from 10 to 15 year old vines, and the Pinot Noir is also made as a varietal. The Checkmate and Angel's Wings series extend the range further, though the house voice across all lines stays with the mountain fruit character Aigialeia provides.
The white Moschofilero is pale and aromatic, with citrus blossom and white flower on the nose and a dry, bright palate carried by the high-altitude acidity. The three months on lees give the wine a little more body than a pure aromatic white, with the fruit staying clean and the finish remaining firmly dry.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Choose the Theoné Moschofilero Rosé. It is the wine where Kintonis's mountain sourcing is most directly readable in the glass: 80% Moschofilero for the floral aromatics and 20% Assyrtiko for citrus grip and acidity, made by gentle pressing and cool stainless-steel fermentation to preserve what the high-altitude fruit gives. The nose carries rose petal, strawberry compote and citrus zest; the palate has grapefruit and lemon blossom, medium body, and a finish sharpened by the Assyrtiko. It is a wine where the blend composition and the mountain site work in the same direction, and where the difference between Aegialeia altitude and a lower Peloponnese appellation is easy to feel.