Fokiano: The Resurgence of a Forgotten Vine

Στάξε στη λίμνη

μόνο μια στάλα κρασί

κι ο ήλιος σβήνει

Γιώργος Σεφέρης Δεκαέξι χαϊκού

Into the lake

spill a single drop of wine

and there fades the sun

George Seferis Sixteen Haiku

Bitter orange first, pomelo peel, a gentle oxidative edge. Blood orange behind it, dried herbs, thyme, bay leaf. And notes of leather, deep — it has travelled through a great deal of time to reach here, and its oxidative character makes that plain.

On the palate, there's none of the weight you'd expect from a wine at 15% alcohol; a structure that recalls a well-made Barolo, not a Greek wine from an Aegean island. The tannins are there, tight but integrated, built over three years in barrel. The finish is saline, mineral, crystalline, and lingers a long while — as if it doesn't want to leave.

This is the imprint of Fokiano: the voice of a variety that came close to disappearing forever.

Fokiano is a rare Greek variety that spent years in the shadows, forgotten, with almost no one left to grow it. Our work here isn't simply winemaking — it's an act of rescue, an attempt to bring back to life a treasure that was at risk of vanishing without anyone noticing.

The vines stand at 650 metres, on the stone terraces of Karvounis, on schist and quartz. These aren't just old vines — they're ungrafted, over a hundred years old, roots that have held on without grafting, planted before anyone working this estate today was even born. The yield is extremely low — a deliberate choice that prioritises the variety's character over quantity.

In the winery, the method is as slow and careful as the vines themselves. Immediately after harvest, in late August, the grapes are de-stemmed without breaking the berries. They then undergo a special two-week extraction process, submerged in Fokiano must under minimal pressure—every movement carried out with absolute gentleness, so as not to stress the fruit.—every movement carried out with absolute gentleness, so as not to stress the fruit. This gentle environment triggers an intracellular (carbonic) fermentation inside the intact berries — the technique that builds the aromatic complexity and elegant structure that define Fokiano.

After the two weeks, the grapes are lightly pressed. The must moves into barrels, where it will stay for three full years — a slow, transformative journey toward full complexity and balance, long before bottling is even considered.

At the table, Fokiano asks for something as serious as itself — slow-cooked beef shank, shellfish-infused bulgur, seared sucrine. The rich, gelatinous shank needs a wine with integrated tannins and a robust body to cut through the fat. The shellfish bulgur acts as a direct bridge to the wine's saline, mineral identity, drawn from Karvounis' schist and quartz. Notes of bitter and blood orange, alongside dried herbs, lift the earthy sweetness of the bulgur and the freshness of the seared sucrine. Serve at 16–18°C, in a large Burgundy glass, decanted for at least 30 minutes beforehand.

Just 1,000 bottles. The 2023 vintage has already sold out — the neFokiano means that some voices are worth saving, even if it takes a hundred years of vines and three years of barrel for them to be heard again.

The next is yet to be determined.

Fokiano means that some voices are worth saving, even if it takes a hundred years of vines and three years of barrel for them to be heard again.

Interested in Fokiano? The 2023 vintage has sold out, but you can join the priority list for the next release https://www.philiawinery.com/wines-fokiano-samos or reach out about availability and trade terms — Allocations