Château Porto Carras

Porto Carras Grand Resort is a legendary place; it’s almost forty-year history has been written with golden letters. In 1963 a cruise to Mt Athos begins, for the celebration of the 1000 years since the creation of the monastic community of Athos. Aboard known Athenians and among them the ship owner Giannis Carras. They cruise off the shore of Sithonia, entered the Toroneos Gulf and… the fairytale begins. Giannis Carras falls in love with the virgin site.

On the rocky and infertile Galani hill, the famous villa Galini was built by the renowned Greek architect Kapsambelis , extending on a surface of two thousand square meters. A sample of unique architecture and beauty, furnished with exceptional monastic furniture and unique art works.

The Winery was built in 1970 and along with the Vineyards, set a milestone in the Greek wine industry. Its location in a valley was chosen to be invisible to the passer, both from the road and the sea, thereby protecting the beauty of the landscape. It is also worth mentioning the extremely significant contribution of the father of modern wine-making, University of Bordeaux Professor Emile Peynaud, who assisted in developing the first "Greek" Cabernet Sauvignon. Ideally adapted to the chalky and schistose soils of the Domaine, allows this variety to achieve great heights internationally, winning coveted awards, prizes and medals.

The design and selection of the Winery location at the centre of the Vineyard helps in the fast delivery and process of grapes, aiming at maintaining their quality dynamics and to avoid oxidation.

In the beginning of 1965, the first vineyards and olive groves were planted. At the same time, work on the innovative tourism Resort, which is associated with Domaine Porto Carras, began. At the time, this created a real revolution in the hotel and wine making sector in Greece. On the western side of Chalkidiki's Sithonia Peninsula, where the verdant slopes of Mt. Meliton stretch down to mingle with the crystal clear waters of Toroneo Bay, 4500 hectares of the largest organic Greek vineyards lie in amphitheatre-like formation. These vineyards are some of the largest in Europe.

The vineyards were designed by university professors from the Thessaloniki School of Agronomy and Athens Vine & Wine Institute in an exemplary manner. For the first time a systematic study was carried out on the suitability of foreign varieties in Greece. The Domaines people have respected the magnificence of this unique environment. Wherever there were forests, they have been left untouched. Thus the trees today still constitute a natural barrier, trapping the evening atmospheric moisture which helps the vines withstand the hot days of summer.

In 2000 Porto Carras Grand Resort was acquired by Technical Olympic Group of Companies. The Chairman Konstantinos Stengos, made it the purpose of his life to bring Porto Carras to the foremost rank of the international touristic market. His daughter Ylianna Stengou devoted herself to the Domaine and the development of indigenous Greek varieties. Today the "Slopes of Mt. Meliton" vineyards are a model of organic viniculture, in line with modern international trends, respecting the consumer and the environment.

Thanks to the exceptional climate conditions prevailing in the area, the Domaines vineyards are today considered to be one of the rarest cases where most vine diseases are confronted using organic processes. Plant protection is achieved solely by using sulphur and copper so that cultivation can be certified as purely organic, moreover only organic fertilizers are used. The yield per 1000m2, which does not exceed 800 kilos, demonstrates that the viticultural potential of the area is extremely high.

The wines are vinified with skill and care within the winery's state-of-the-art facilities by experienced oenologists who are students of the great Emile Peynaud. At the same time, in the winery's air-conditioned cellar authentic French oak barrels, which are replaced every year, ensure ideal ageing conditions for the leading red wines and in particular Chateau Carras and Syrah. Domaine Porto Carras is awarded every year at domestic and international wine competitions, with many subheadings, underlining the superior quality of its wines.
 

For our white wines

Skin contact at low temperature, classical white wine using selected yeasts in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures depending on the variety and the desired end result.
 

For our rosés

Separation and skin contact after 8-12 hours, static settling and fermentation in stainless steel tanks at controlled low temperature of 16 - 18 °C.
 

For our red wines

Applies the classic red vinification using selected yeasts at controlled temperatures. Maturation of the wine in French oak barrels for approximately 12 months, more or less depending on the desired effect.
 

Tsipouro

"Antama": history, knowledge and lands endowed with grace. Traditionally distilling specific grapes, from select varieties, organically cultivated at Domaine Porto Carras.Intense aroma, full body and exceptional flavor with or without anise.