HÜPNOS The Architecture of Darkness and the Thermal Shock of 13°C

The Summer Paradox 

Most visitors to Greece never witness a man in a windbreaker and a beanie, shivering in midsummer. While tourists at sea level rely on air conditioning to escape daytime temperatures of 38°C, conditions are different at 550 meters on Mount Karvounis. Here, at 03:00 in the morning, the temperature drops to 13°C.

This thermal shock—the violent drop from the 38°C of the day to the 13°C of the night—is anything but a weather quirk. It is the secret ingredient of Hupnos. It is the moment when nature stops breathing and starts preserving.

The Biochemistry of Night: Why Harvest in the Dark? Many assume night harvesting is a marketing tactic, but it is a scientific necessity. When exposed to daytime temperatures of 35°C to 38°C, the vine experiences stress and increased cellular respiration. To survive, the plant consumes its acids, primarily malic acid. Harvesting at this stage would result in a wine lacking structure and freshness.

When night falls and the temperature drops to 13°C, the plant's respiration slows significantly, and acid consumption ceases. The grape enters a state of thermal inertia, which is the optimal time for harvest.

The War of Enzymes 

The second reason we choose the cold is purely technical and concerns what happens the moment the bunch is cut. The instant the shears cut the stem, a race against oxidation begins. There is an enzyme, polyphenol oxidase, which acts as the "demon" of freshness. In the heat, this enzyme runs wild, causing the juice to brown and destroying aromas. At 13°C, however, this enzyme is "asleep." The cold paralyses it. Thus, the grapes arrive at the winery not as a hot soup fermenting in the crate, but as frozen, crunchy spheres that retain their integrity. We don't need to use artificial cooling or chemical preservatives. The night alone has done the work for us.

Terra Rossa and Metal

 The setting of this nocturnal theatre is as dramatic as the temperatures. We are standing on rare, Red Volcanic Soil (Terra Rossa). The vineyard sits on rare Red Volcanic Soil (Terra Rossa), rich in iron and minerals. Unlike the fertile plains, this rocky soil imparts a distinct structure to the wine. The preserved acidity from the cool nighttime combines with the minerality of the soil, resulting in a Muscat that is structured and vibrant, rather than sweet and aromatic.

The Architecture of Darkness

Harvesting at night is a solitary experience. There are no voices, no cicadas (they have fallen silent from the cold), no noise of civilisation. The only sounds are the "clack-clack" of the shears and the breath of the harvesters visible as steam—yes, steam in the middle of summer!

Hupnos (Sleep) is named after the god who rules these hours. Because while the whole island sleeps, we are "stealing" the vine's dreams before the sun has a chance to evaporate them. Terpenes—the volatile aromatic compounds that give Muscat its character—are extremely sensitive. Heat drives them into the sky. The cold imprisons them inside the skin.

The Result in the Glass 

When you open a bottle of Hupnos, what you taste is exactly that moment at 03:00 AM. You taste the calm. You taste the absence of oxidation. You taste the clean, crystalline acidity that was saved from the heatwave thanks to our decision to stay awake. It is an unfiltered wine, because we want to keep every trace of this effort. It has the colour of straw and the taste of stone.

Ultimately, night harvesting demonstrates that winemaking involves more than chemistry. It requires managing extremes and making difficult choices, knowing that only in darkness can the true character of the variety be revealed.