Music of the Spheres 2017, Vakakis, Samos (50cl)

Nikos Vakakis has been one of the most important and largest viticulturists on the island of Samos with 3 hectares of the privately-owned vineyard and another 3 hectares belonging to the extended family. He owns some of the oldest vine plots in the entire Aegean region with autochthonous pre-phylloxera plants of Muscat a Petits Grains reaching the age of centenarians, whilst the altitude of the plots, ranging between 250 to 1050m above sea levels and the very low yields of 5t/ha are unique and impressive. His youngest vineyard is planted with the red variety Avgoustiatis, brought from the Western Peloponnese, and is now 15 years old. Viticulture on the island of Samos is very much traditional, with the vines growing in “masies” or terraces, very much in Oporto’s style and manual harvest together with the employment of mules for the transportation of the harvested fruit is the rule here.

This grape variety is mostly cultivated in the Aegean Islands of Samos, Ikaria and other Dodecanese Islands. Fokiano has a solid nature, it is resistant to dry weather conditions and infections. It is used in red, rose and sweet wine production. It can produce well-balanced wines in wide spectrum of red colour, fruity scents and tastes.

This wine is produced from sun-dried grapes and is aged for 24 months in French oak barrels