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A brave new world for a small Greek island co-operative winery

I first heard about the Paros Farming Community when I read Julia Harding MW’s article about it on JancisRobinson.com. The timing was perfect as I was just about to visit the island for a wedding. 

A young oenologist with dark hair pours a glass of rose wine.

Julia reviewed the first vintage released by the reinvigorated co-op, which had been taken over by Dimitris Mansolas in 2021. He is also involved in Hetero Wines in Heraklion and Rous Winery in Crete, and brought some much-needed investment to Paros.

He and his youthful team work with several of the best growers on the island. They focus on the island’s two native varieties, Monemvasia and Mandilaria, neither of which I had tasted before. Paros Red is the only PDO red wine in Greece that officially permits the inclusion of a white grape variety in its composition. The community also produces cheese and olive oil.

Two terracotta pots stand beside each other.

I met Argiro, the assistant wine-maker, and her colleague (another Dimitri) in the temporary winery, next door to the original co-op. They are in the process of rebuilding and already have a beautiful tasting room.

I was grateful for the directions they sent or I might never have found the current shed they are producing seven cuvées in. This young and passionate oenologist gave us several samples of the 2024 vintages from the tanks and concrete eggs.

I imagine turning the co-op round was not an easy job – the wines had not been given proper attention over the years and had a poor reputation; the team had to rigorously select only fruit of the highest quality. 

What the growers will certainly reap from the new era is a stellar reputation. Julia Harding gave all but one of the wines she tasted this spring either 16 or 16.5 out of 20, ‘distinguished’ scoring comparable with 92-94 points. Mansolas has done a brilliant job with the branding, naming most of the wines under the brand Seiradi, with beautiful labels.

The sparkling rosé is a great recommendation for charmat-method wines. Co-fermented, 50% Monemvasia and 50% Mandilaria, the 2023 in bottle was paler than the 2024 from the tank and less fruity. It has a great texture and some depth to it with no hint of sweetness, reminiscent of a high-quality Prosecco. 

They produce two whites, a rosé and three reds, the Seiradi (PGI) is intended for earlier drinking (red, white and rosé), the Topos has some oak in the white and more ageing in the red, and the Premno Mandilaria (all labelled Paros PDO) has yet more age potential.

Mansolas wants to show what Mandilaria – which is high in tannins with notable acidity – can do when made as a single varietal. I loved all of the wines - the whites are somewhat reductive, a signature of Mansolas, with lovely texture and long finishes, and the rosé is very clean and fresh. Mansolas uses a variety of vessels, from clay amphora to tank, concrete egg and new oak barriques, which bring different textures to the wines.

The Seiradi and Cuvée Premno are both 100% Mandilaria but the former is fruity and light while the latter is complex with the signature cherry notes on the nose, but much less fruity - both were rose-scented too.

The Topos red is actually made with over half (55%) Monemvasia but was a deep red despite this - some lovely leather and cedar notes coming through with the cherry, redcurrants and plums. 

All the wines are available in the UK from Woodwinters.

Two concrete eggs sit on stands in the corner of a room. A young person with dark hair, a dark shirt, and khaki pants stands in front of them with a wine glass.
A row of wooden barrels sits in the corner of the room.

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