Vardea

Siflogo - Lefkada Island - Ionian sea - Vardea - Orange natural wine with zero added sulfites - ORGANIC wine - Eklektikon - Greek wine

Vardea is the most important white variety of the Lefkada island in the Ionian sea. This is a zero-zero vinification with a few days of skin contact, to show this forgotten variety in all its purity.

  • Grower: Siflogo
  • Vintage: 2022
  • Type: Orange Dry Wine
  • Grapes: Vardea 100%
  • Appellation: PGI Lefkada
  • Alcohol: 13.00%
  • Bottle: 750ml
  • Viticulture: Certified Organic
  • Vinification: 4-day skin contact, wild fermentation in stainless steel with mild temperature control, lees removal partially and elevation for 5 months in stainless steel tank. Bottled unfiltered and unfined without any sulfites or any additives.
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Viticulture

  • Certified Organic
  • Climate: Humid Mediterranean
  • Soil: Rocky limestone
  • Vine age: Planted in 1984
  • Altitude: 500m
  • Slope: 20%
  • Planting density: 6,500 plants / ha
  • Yield: 1.2kg / plant
  • Irrigation: None
  • Spraying: Bordeaux mixture (once)
  • Harvesting: Manually in crates

Vinification

  • Maceration: 4-day skin contact
  • Pressing: Mild press
  • Temperature Control: During maceration at 8-10℃ and during fermentation below 25ºC
  • Fermentation: Spontaneous fermentation for 35 days with indigenous yeast in stainless steel tank
  • Malolactic: None
  • Maturation: 5 months in stainless steel tank
  • Clarification: None
  • Filtration: None
  • Production: 1,500 lt
  • Alcohol: 13.00%
  • Acidity: 5.40 gr/l
  • RS: 0.80 gr/l
  • Total sulfites: 5 mg/l
  • Certification: USDA Organic Wine
  • Bottle: 750ml

Siflogo is a small organic wine “workshop” (as their owners call it), which was founded in 1994 by Dionysis and Maria Papanikolopoulos, in the small, mountainous village “Platystoma”, on the island of Lefkada in the Ionian sea. Their son, Vasilis, is also involved and destined to take over after a few years.

Viticulture and winemaking has been a family tradition and occupation for many generations. Its production is limited to a handful of “pure” wine bottles. The family has been farming organically (certified) the island’s indigenous grapes: Vertzami, Vardea, but also more obscure grapes, like Mavropatrino, Chlori, Thiako, Apsrovartzamo, Kokkinostafylo.

At an altitude of 500m on the dry, poor, limestone rocky soils – which have never seen chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or any harmful intervention – the vines struggle to produce low yields, which, however, lead to impressive results in the winery. Farming is done exclusively by hand, with only a little help from plant fertilization, bluestone, and sulphur.

Lefkada is renowned for its physical beauty. Picturesque villages, dense vegetation, impressive bays with clear green-blue waters, organized and isolated beaches of immense beauty, a strong local culture, and hospitable residents.

It is the fourth largest (both in size and population) island of the Ionian sea, with about 23,000 residents. It is also one of the only two Greek islands, that are connected to the mainland through a bridge (the other being Evia).

The topography of the island features steep mountains, multiple bays and little peninsulas, essentially forming fascinating fjords, and impressive world famous beaches. The most famous ones are Porto Katsiki, Kathisma, and Egremni.