Why it matters
The producer
Tsantiris is a family winery in Proespera on Ikaria, where the recorded vineyard story begins with Grandpa Nikolas in 1875. Kostas Tsantiris, described as a fourth-generation winemaker, returned with his wife Domina in 2000 and established the winery in his grandfather’s vineyard; their children Nassia and Yiannis now take part in its development. The result is a producer whose bottles join an old family site to a newer cellar project.
Its wines move well beyond a simple red-and-white pair. Fokiano, Mandilaria, Begleri and Assyrtiko grow in the family vineyards, while the range extends from a white Fokiano to barrel-aged red wine, clay-made cuvées and a sun-dried sweet wine. Each method changes the grape’s expression: freshness in the blanc de noir, oak-derived spice in Akratos, and dried-fruit richness in Melisanty.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Proespera lies in northwestern Ikaria, where Tsantiris works slopes reaching 450 metres. Height and exposure place vines above the immediate coastal plain, while the stepped ground makes hand work necessary; the wines therefore begin with grapes grown in small terraced blocks rather than a flat, mechanically worked field.
The Fokiano Blanc de Noir is labelled P.G.I. IKARIA, while the winery also presents its range as Ikarian Wines. In the bottle, that local setting is not a guarantee of one fixed flavour: Fokiano becomes a pale, dry white here, while Kountouro and Akratos carry red-fruit and more earthy notes through different grapes and handling.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Tsantiris describes biological cultivation for Fokiano, Mandilaria, Begleri and Assyrtiko, with manual work and small crops per plant. Those choices concentrate attention on individual vines and harvest timing, which matters when the same family grows grapes for dry white, structured red, clay-matured wine and sweet wine.
In the cellar, visitors can see a stone press, ceramic containers and traditional ceramic vessels buried in the ground, alongside production, bottling and ageing areas. These are working tools rather than decoration: clay containers frame the Vitina wines, barrels shape Akratos and old oak carries Melisanty through its 24-month maturation after the grapes have been exposed to the sun.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range starts with Fokiano Blanc de Noir, made from 100% Fokiano in the 2024 bottling. Although Fokiano is a red grape, the wine is a gold-toned white with rose highlights, citrus and pear aromas, a balanced palate and a rich aftertaste. It establishes a bright, dry register before the cellar methods become more pronounced.
Akratos takes the red route, with twelve months in barrel bringing ruby colour, red fruit, spice, a velvety texture and a long finish. Vitina Begleri uses wild yeast and clay fermentation and maturation for mature citrus, balanced acidity and tannin, while Vitina Kountouro brings mature red fruit, earth, mineral notes and a persistent finish. Melisanty closes the range in a different register: sun-exposed grapes and old oak lead toward caramel, raisins, nuts, dried figs and honey in a sweet wine.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Choose Fokiano Blanc de Noir 2024 first. It is entirely Fokiano, a red grape made here as a dry white, so one bottle links the vineyard’s local grape to the winery’s willingness to work outside the expected red-white divide. Serve it at 8–10°C for citrus, pear, crisp minerality and a rich, slightly metallic finish. Its light-bodied freshness makes the grape legible before the barrel, clay and sun-dried wines add more weight and sweetness.