If you are still that cautious type who finds it difficult to try natural and sparkling wines, don't resist, take a step too. This is the Pet Nat that will blur your landscape. A bit of an oxymoron yes...
The Charalamboglou winery is located at the foot of Mount Pangaios and was founded in 1999. The 20 hectares of dry vineyards, with native and international varieties, have been organically certified for the last 20 years. The predecessors Giorgos and Argyri, 2021 handed over the baton to the middle child of the family, Anthi, who after her studies in France and her trip to New Zealand, decided with her partner Matt Van Der Spuy to take over the family winery. The two oenologists highlighted the estate's philosophy and organic farming took on new dimensions. The natural cultivation of evening primroses on the vines, the return of organic matter in the form of natural fertilizer to the soil, as well as the dry cultivation of the vineyards with water only from the aquifer, created excellent conditions for the aromatic elements of the grapes.
The Malvasia di Candia Aromatica variety is the most aromatic of all Malvasias and has an intensely fruity character. The harvest is done manually, while it contains a small percentage of other local red varieties. The clear juice went into low-temperature tanks, fermented with a specific type of yeast, also used for champagne! The wine starts fermentation in stainless steel tanks and is bottled before it is finished. Thus, the produced dioxide is trapped in the wine and creates foam. Because the fermentation is completed in the bottle, the wine is not filtered and is therefore slightly cloudy.
This ancient winemaking style can easily become an everyday and funky treat. After all, the ladies on the label, having fun in Dionysian rhythms, openly declare it!
