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Akrathos Winery

The vision to create Akrathos began in 2007 by two friends and business partners. Babis Bekris was raised in a winegrowing family in Messinia and had a dream to make wine in the mountainous terroir of Chalkidiki. Nassos Felonis, a prominent lawyer from Athens, had a desire to support new ventures in Greece and was instrumental in realizing the dream of Akrathos. The duo joined hands in order to develop strategically-placed vineyards in a region that would enable the production of exceptional wines. During the process, the partnership expanded with support from other friends including Mark Rachovides from London and Costas Polyzogopoulos from Athens. All are distinguished professionals from sectors other than wine production, but all share a great love for Greece and high-quality wine.

Our primary goal has always been the production of outstanding wines from indigenous Greek varietals that reflect an excellent terroir. The ideal site was discovered after exhaustive and targeted research in Northern Greece’s Chalkidiki, in the municipality of Aristotle. Constructing a winery so close to the birthplace of Artistotle’s historic ‘Akanthos’ wine felt fortuitous, and the name Akrathos was chosen for the winery in reverence of this history. The first 5 hectares were purchased in 2008, boasting an altitude of 600 meters. The complex slate subsoil, the mild meridians and low night temperatures, the cool winds from the surrounding mountains, and the sea breeze from the neighbouring gulfs of Ierissos and Mount Athos combine to create ideal conditions for the production of exceptional grapes.

Site preparation and vineyard plantings began in 2009. We implemented minimal-impact methods in an effort to preserve the ecological integrity of the area and unique terrain of the plots. Construction of the winery buildings began in 2014 and the plantings expanded to reach a total of 7ha of vines to date. The artisan winery is open to the public by appointment and easily accessible, situated on the road that connects Arnaia to Ierissos and Ouranoupolis in the direction of Mount Athos.