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by admin | Oct 30, 2023 | Route 4, Routes
Samos wine and the religious communities of Samos
The connection of Samos Wine with the religious communities of Samos is unique and it is linked to a long period of history that reaches present day, with sacramental wine for the Greek Orthodox Church, vin de messe for the Catholic Church, and kosher/mevushal Samos wines for the Jewish communities.
This wine route is explored on foot. We recommend you start at the Metropolitan church of Agios Nikolaos of Samos, where visitors can see the points of interest. It is an easy and interesting circular route inside the city that is approximately 2 kilometres long.
The Christian Church uses Samos wine without fail in its rituals, more specifically in the Eucharist with Holy Communion. Saint Tryphon is the patron saint of vine-growers. In all the icons, the Saint appears with the special vine-growers knife (the katsouni) and many chapels have been built in his honour in the wine making zones of Samos. The day on which he is celebrated marks the beginning of pruning for vine-growing on Samos.
Samos wine and the religious communities of Samos
The Catholic community of Samos had a special relationship to Samos wine, as Catholic priests bought quantities of grapes to make wine themselves. After the establishment of the UWC, the Catholic Mission’s wine was made in special facilities in the Cooperative. The Catholic Community of Samos also had the role of supplier and trader of sweet wine for the needs of the Catholic Church in Italy, Africa, and elsewhere.
According to the testimony of the last Abbess of the Order of Saint Joseph on Samos, sister Mikelina, during the bombing of the capital during World War II by the Germans, the wine in the basements of the Catholic Church flowed to the port, changing even the colour of the sea.
Samos muscat wine supplies Catholic Missions in various countries even to this day, albeit in smaller quantities.
Lastly, the strong Jewish community of merchants in the city of Samos traded Samos wine for many years, while in the past two years, wines that are Kosher/Mevushal certified are produced by the Samos Cooperative for Jewish communities.
Points of interest
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by admin | Oct 30, 2023 | Route 5, Routes
Karlovasi – Konteika – Ydroussa Wine Route
It starts in the seafront zone of the city of Karlovasi. Visitors can see the always wavy beach where wine-growers used to wash their kofinia at the end of the vintage, the modernised Wine Making facilities of the Cooperative, the new tsipouro production installations that use muscat grapes, the kava (cellar) with the wine-related exhibits, the neoclassical buildings of figures related to the history of Samos wine, the Customs House, and the ‘chair’ of poet Yannis Ritsos, who has sung the praises of Romiosini (Greekness) and Samos wine with his poems.
Karlovasi – Konteika – Ydroussa Wine Route
Just outside Karlovasi, on the way to the enchanting village of Ydroussa, visitors can take in the vineyards, see the stafylodochoi and the cooperative building, make a stop at the chapel of Saint Tryphon, and enjoy the wonderful view and cool temperature in the small square of the picturesque village. From there, on the way down to Karlovasi, there are many spots where you can stop for a panoramic view of the city.
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by admin | Oct 30, 2023 | Route 6, Routes
Manolates – Ambelos – Stavrinides Wine Route
This is a mountainous route that crosses the wine producing villages located in the northern part of Mt Ampelos, which locals call Karvounis. This wine route is approximately 16 kilometres long in total and takes about 40 minutes, not including stops along the way.
The vineyard village of Manolates, with its picturesque alleys and many art shops, attracts many visitors. It is 23 kilometres from the island’s capital and 17 kilometres from Karlovasi.
From the intersection of the Samos-Karlovasi Rural Road, visitors drive uphill towards the village and take in the dense vegetation of the almost alpine landscape, the road shaded by trees, as well as the vineyards surrounding the village all the way to the tops of the slopes. In the Paliambela area, via a narrow uphill rural road, one can visit (after booking) the renovated grape treading vat in the kalyvi located within the Vasiliadis vineyard, as well as the wonderful Kambouris mountain vineyards. The region used to be one of the vine-growing hamlets called Margarites.
Manolates – Ambelos – Stavrinides Wine Route
Heading up to the villages of Manolates, just before the village entrance, one can see the Manolates cooperative building, as it is the first building on the right hand side of the road.
After a short stop at the village, as there are excellent catering facilities, a small private folklore exhibition, and traditional cafés, if you head downhill to Agios Konstantinos, you will find the stafylodochos of Manolates (on your left as you had downhill, built using bricks), as well as the stafylodochos of the Valeontades hamlet. From Agios Konstantinos, visitors can take a second uphill route leading to the village of Ambelos (which the locals call Nenedes), and take in the mountain vineyards, the wonderful view of the sea, and the area’s waterfall, and also visit the village’s small folklore museum. From Ambelos, a beautiful mountain route leads to the village of Stavrinides, where the small Eleftheriou family Winery operates.
Points of interest
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by admin | Oct 30, 2023 | Route 7, Routes
Agios Konstantinos – Kampos Vourlioton – Vourliotes – Kokkari Wine Route
The wine route starts at the seaside hamlet of Agios Konstantinos. It is a route by road that is approximately 25 kilometres long, with a duration of about 50 minutes (without stops). Starting at the capital of the island, Samos, the route by car to Agios Konstantinos on the Samos-Karlovasi Rural Road takes about 25-30 minutes and is 19 kilometres long. Before arriving at Agios Konstantinos, just after the petrol station in the Kampos Vourlioton area, a small dirt road on the right leads to a seaside area where winemakers and mule drivers used to wash their kofinia and seledes (large grape kofinia) at the end of each day during vintage. Visitors will find the enormous abandoned buildings that were used as centres for storing and trading Samos wine (tavernes), as well as stone collection tanks that were “taken” by the sea. In Agios Konstantinos they can see the stafylodochoi, as well as the beautiful fishing shelter of the region, and they can make a short stop as there are several cafés and restaurants operating there.
Heading east from Agios Konstantinos, they can follow the winding mountain route to one of the most important vineyard villages, Vourliotes. Visitors can admire the wonderful view of the sea that reaches all the way to Kokkari, as well as the numerous mountain vineyards throughout the duration of the route to the village. At the entrance of the village and very close to the municipal parking area, visitors will find the stafylodochos and, on the way to the village square, the Vourliotes Cooperative building.
Agios Konstantinos – Kampos Vourlioton – Vourliotes – Kokkari Wine Route
From there, by 4×4 vehicle, one can take a tour of the mountain vineyards at an altitude of 960 metres, they can visit a traditional kalyvi in the Kioulafides area, admire the unique view of the northern side of the island, and reach the Samos Brutia pine, oak, and chestnut forest, trees that were once used in the manufacturing of barrels used to store and transport wine.
From the mountain ridge in Syrrachos one can return to Vourliotes and make a short stop in the beautiful village square, where there are catering businesses and traditional cafés. From Vourliotes one can head to the seaside and tourist centre of Kokkari, see the old Cooperative building, and enjoy the seascape.
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by admin | Oct 30, 2023 | Route 8, Routes
Platanos – Konteika – Ag. Theodori – Marathokampos Wine Route
Platanos is one of the oldest vineyard villages of Samos and is surrounded by well-maintained vineyards on dry stone terraces.
At the entrance of the village, near the parking area, you will find the old Cooperative building, as well as the abandoned stafylodochos. From there, on foot, visitors can take a tour of the narrow streets and picturesque alleys, they can admire the beautiful square brimming with people, with the plane trees and the font with the renowned plane-tree water. It’s worth stopping in the square to try some of the local treats.
The wine route that starts at Platanos, which is built at an altitude of 520 meters, is mountainous and has several turns. It takes, by vehicle, about 45 minutes (without intermediate stops) as it crosses the north-western slopes of Mount “Ambelos” which the locals call “Karvouni”.
During the descent from Platanos, visitors can admire the enchanting double view towards Karlovasi and Marathokampos, while to the west rises the imposing Mt Kerkis, with it’s naked peaks and beautiful villages.
Taking the old road from Platanos to the left of the village square, visitors can reach Konteika, along a 3-kilometre route on a narrow road filled with turns that reveal views of beautiful vineyards. From there, via Ag. Theodori, they can continue to Marathokampos.
Alternately, from the road that heads downhill from Platanos and intersects with the main Platanos-Karlovasi road, approximately 5.5 kilometres later they will reach an intersection towards Ag. Theodori, and there they will find the dry stone terrace vineyard to the left of the road, from where they can continue to Marathokampos. That route heads to the Koutsodonti family Winery, it takes about 15 minutes, and is about 7 kilometres long. Full wine tasting sessions are available at the winery after prior arrangement.
Platanos – Konteika – Ag. Theodori – Marathokampos Wine Route
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In the period from 1600 to the next century, households on Samos seem to combine viticulture with the cultivation of cereals, horticulture and various trees. During the following century (1700 to 1800) there are numerous testimonies, mainly from travelers, who record the most important productive activity of Samos, the cultivation of grapes. Muscat wine becomes a purely export item, since it was intended for sale to the French merchants of Smyrna.
According to historical sources, the capital of the island, Samos, owes its development to the economic and work activity that developed in the area of the natural port “Vatheos”, due to the trade and distribution of wine since the 17th century. The Ottoman state, after 1770, imposes (after the acre tax and the tithe), a new tax on wine. In the period 1800 – 1850, the increase in the cultivation of vines and other marketable crops continues. In 1832 the island of Samos was declared a “Hegemony” with a Greek Ruler, appointed by the High Gate.
The following period, 1850 – 1912, is eventful and its events will continue to influence viticulture in various ways. This period is defined by a ten-year severe crisis in the agricultural production of Samos, which began with the harsh winter of 1849 – 1850 that froze and destroyed vineyards and trees. It continued with the appearance (after a year) of the disease known as powdery mildew, which reached its peak in 1854. The crisis seems to have ended five years later, as sulfur had previously been applied (1856) to treat of the vine disease but also the protection of the vineyards.
In 1870, the phylloxera insect appeared in France and destroyed millions of hectares of French vineyards. This leads to an increase in demand for Samian wines, which see a significant increase in sales and prices in 1880, with record ferry connections to the island of Samos! France’s wine producers, because of the well-known phylloxera problem, turned to importing ever larger quantities of Samian wine. In 1883 out of a total production of 99,300 stators, 62,000 were exported to France.
In 1888, a new and even bigger crisis begins in the Samian wine sector. The crisis is due both to the prices of wine and raisins, which are collapsing in the international markets, but mainly to the rapid spread of phylloxera which leads to the destruction of the Samian vineyards. In 1900 the few remaining vineyards in Samos were placed under the care of the “Hegemony”.
Gradually, after the disaster, the Samian vineyard was replanted using American subjects which were resistant to the disease. With these cuttings, all the muscats that had been saved were also grafted. In this vineyard, which continues to this day, the now grafted vines adapt again to the special and diverse soil and climate conditions of the island. This combination gives the special and versatile character of the “white microrogus muscat of Samos” that we know to this day.
Contemporary Samian winemaking comprises of UWC Samos and a significant number of small and medium-sized winemaking enterprises. Specifically, Samian wine industry consists of 6 wineries, 1 vineyard and 1 cooperative that produce many different wine labels. It is noted that several companies in the industry, such as Metaxa LIKNON, produce other alcoholic beverages too, such as cognac. These winemaking companies control significant shares of the domestic bottled wine market and distribute their products through wholesalers or by direct sales to Supermarkets and restaurants, covering the whole country through these extensive distribution networks. Additionally, some companies produce bulk and bottled wine which is available in the local market of the island, while others produce bottled wine of “limited production” with special characteristics, the distribution of which is usually carried out through specialized companies.
In recent years, the quality and reputation of bottled Samian wines has greatly improved, a fact that is confirmed by the continuous awards won by both UWC Samos and the wineries in international competitions. Many companies have made modernization investments, which are sometimes part of subsidized programs.
In addition, export orientation of Samos winemaking enterprises is strong. The main markets for Samian wines are France, Germany, Switzerland, China, Canada, etc. Both the UWC and the wineries of Samos have succeeded in promoting the uniqueness and high quality of Samos wine on the international market. This has resulted in promoting Samos wine in new markets and then recording an increase in demand of all varieties. Thus, with the right promotion and advertisement sales increase, profits are maximised, and there is commencement in or increase of exports and an increase in demand.
In antiquity the best way to transport large quantities of goods to distant destinations was the sea. The island of Samos had been well known since antiquity for its wines and for its ceramics, which it exported, while it imported textiles from the hinterland of Asia Minor, and, in general, was intensely active in transit trade. Samiots established sea routes to Egypt, Cyrene, Corinth, and the Black Sea. Commerce created a rift with its trade adversary, Miletus.
Historical reference in antiquity to the wines of Samos can be found in Hippocrates, Galen, and Theophrastus. Samos had safe and well-organised ports, while the Samaines biremes have been proven to have transported amphorae of Samos wine from Samos to various ports of the known world at the time.
It was thus unavoidable for Samiot wine, oil, and ceramics merchants to load their ships with their wares and travel the width and breadth of the Mediterranean.
The ports of Samos were full of ships that are capable of travelling overseas. Its sailors and merchants would go from Thrace to Phoenicia, from Libya to Spain, and to Naucratis in the Nile Delta, they would make their own colony and build a Heraion, a branch of the Samos sanctuary.
In fact, seafarer Colaeus, at around 630 B.C., reached southern England and dedicated an entire 25- to 30-metre sea-going ship to Hera.
The Project “Samian Wine Digital Routes: Wine as a means of promoting the cultural heritage of Samos” concerns developing, as well as planning and creating services for the online promotion of Samian wine and for showcasing it as a cultural resource of Samos and the Region of the North Aegean. The project became a springboard for planning and creating digital routes for Samian wine to be promoted through numerous information channels, using cutting edge technology, such as augmented and virtual reality (AR, VR).
The project includes recording and digitizing tourist routes related to Samian wine and the implementation of a series of digital touring applications to promote the wine, as well as a virtual online wine museum.
The aim of the project is to cater for visitors and tourists to the region, providing digital applications means for a different touring experience. This offers audiences the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge about winemaking on the island of Samos using interactive activities and games.
The project includes the following working packages: