Harvest V18: When Auvergne and Champagne Harvested the Night in Samos18

The word "Philia" (Friendship) is not merely our winery's brand name. It is the cornerstone of

our existence. It is the ingredient that cannot be detected in chemical analyses, yet it defines the taste, the energy, and the very soul of the wine.

The harvest of 2018 (V18) will remain etched in our memory, not only for the exceptional oenological result but because it proved that wine is the strongest link between people, cultures, and different Terroirs. It was the year Samos became the meeting point for a global family.

The Chronicle of the Year: Winter and Spring 2018

To truly understand the wine that reaches your glass, one must first listen to the cycle of nature

that preceded it. 2018 was a challenging year, a year that demanded vigilance.

The preceding winter was mild, without extreme events, allowing the vines to rest while maintaining satisfactory subsoil water reserves. However, the key to the vintage lay in the Spring. As early as March, temperatures in Samos moved to levels above the average. This early warmth acted as an accelerator.

Bud break arrived early, and the vegetative cycle raced at a rapid pace.

As we entered the summer, the hot Mediterranean sun made its presence felt. The berries, like living organisms, began to form, grow, and transform into those beautiful, yellowish "pearls" we see today. Maturity arrived earlier than expected. Nature sent us a clear message: "I am ready, are you?"

Protecting the fruit from solar radiation became our top priority. The canopy had to be managed with surgical precision – enough to shade and cool the fruit, but not excessive so as to impede aeration.

A Meeting of Worlds: Auvergne, Champagne, Samos

At this critical juncture, we were not alone. Harvest is a celebration, but it is also a battle against time. And in battles, you want allies by your side who share the same values.

This year, we were honoured to have people who have written their own history in natural wine join hands with us. Patrick Bouju from Auvergne and Mathieu Deshautels. Patrick, a man who deeply understands volcanic soils (as Auvergne is full of dormant volcanoes), found himself in his element here in Samos. Alongside him was Romain Hénin from Champagne, a producer who has learned to work with the chalk's severity and minerality.

It was moving to watch these people, with different backgrounds and origins, bending over the Samian vine. To hear them exchanging views on how our granite, schist, and volcanic soils influence the variety. Our team was complemented by the fabulous Cecile, Justine, Josephine, Konstantia, Violette, Angelos, Johnny, Jason, Nikos, Stamatis, and Dimitrios. A multicultural orchestra, tuned to the rhythm of nature.

The Decision: Night Harvest on the Mountain

We found ourselves in a vineyard with a specific volcanic subsoil. Our goal? To create a Maceration Muscat (Orange Wine). A wine with extraction, possessing the structure of a red but the aromatics of a white, whilst retaining the razor-sharp acidity that characterises our island.

To achieve this, temperature is everything. With the sun blazing during the day, we decided

we would harvest at night.

Without electricity, without generators that would disturb the silence of the mountain.

Only with headlamps and the light of the stars. We started after midnight and continued until the early morning hours.

"Necessary," agreed Patrick and Romain. And they were right. By harvesting at night, the grapes arrive

at the press cool and "crisp". We preserve the aromas' freshness that would otherwise "boil" under the midday sun. Most importantly, however, we control the phenolic potential. We want the extraction

to happen slowly and steadily, taking the essence of the skin without aggression.

The Winemaker-Cook in Nature

There, in the darkness, with the scent of evening primrose and thyme mingling with the aroma of fresh must, I felt my identity as a Winemaker-Cook more intensely than ever.

Just as in the kitchen, you select the finest raw ingredients and respect the cooking time, so it is here. The decision to harvest at night was a "culinary" decision. It was our way of keeping the acidities alive, of "locking" the place's energy inside the berry.

We were not simply harvesting. We were selecting. A strict selection, bunch by bunch, removing anything that was not perfect. Only the "golden pearls" were allowed to enter the crates. Because in natural wine, you do not have the safety net of corrective additives. You have only the grape and its truth.

Wine is Memory

The V18 that is now maturing in our cellars carries that night within it. It carries the laughter of Patrick and Romain, the fatigue and passion of Cecile and Stamatis, the coolness of the mountain, and the warmth

of our friendship.

It is a wine born of diversity, fermented with knowledge, and matured with respect. To friendship.

To the family we choose.