The myth
As referenced in many ancient texts, the «Pramnios wine» has been a product of Ikaria since antiquity. Homer specifically states that Pramnios was a wine dedicated to the worship of the god Dionysus. In Greek mythology Dionysus was the god of wine and unbridled fun. Also, according to Greek mythology, the Island’s name – Ikaria – comes from the legendary Icarus, son of Daedalus, the first aviators ever. The island was named Ikaria after him, while the sea where he drowned was named The Ikarian Sea.
The family
The winery was set up by George Karimalis and his wife Eleni, when in 1999, after giving up their jobs and life in the city of Athens, they returned to their homeland determined to work their ancestral land and enjoy the Ikarian way of life. With this in mind they restored and revived the 500-year-old vineyard that had been passed down to them and have engaged, ever since, in the propagation of the Ikarian way of life to their children and grandchildren, as well as to their guests and visitors.
The farm
This is an agrotourism establishment, in which small groups of guests lodge in the two restored traditional stone houses situated amidst an organically farmed vineyard opposite the winery. The estate is supported by a number of environmentally friendly applications that function upon the principles of sustainability: waste recycling and the production of sustainable energy.
The winery
The millennia long tradition of producing the ancient ‘Pramnios’ wine of Homer’s time has been preserved in our wine production. Though contemporary methods are used, our ancestral spirit, care and devotion are present in the production of our wine. These are ingredients that come from a five-century long family tradition, as shown by the records kept.
Our pillars
Our wines
All the wines produced are labeled PGI Ikaria (Protected Geographical Indication) and are minimal intervention products. Vinification takes place with the aid of indigenous yeasts that reflect the unique terroir of the island and naturally produce wine quite high in alcohol content. All of the dregs and sediments of the wine-making process are returned to the soil of the vineyards through a process of composting, thus enriching the locally-produced yeasts.
Farm-Stay Accommodation
Our guests lodge in two traditional stone built Ikarian houses, which have recently been refurbished with special attention paid to the architectural style and great consideration given to the choice of materials used (wood, stone, reed, fabric, traditional cast iron, etc.). The final outcome has surpassed our wildest expectations in terms of public approval, as it has been considered to be a paragon of a refurbished Ikarian home that embodies the answer to all the modern human needs inside structures that were created between 150 and 500 years ago.
Activities
Agrotourism to us means offering educational and recreational activities to our guests and visitors. We take pride in our cooking lessons and tasting activities, but we also offer our guests the chance to participate in sports, as well as seasonal farm-work activities such as grape-harvesting, seasonal fruit-picking, raisin-drying or the production of grape molasses. Alternatively, guests may choose to look after the farm animals or take care of the milking of the goats. Regarding sports activities, there is a selection of trekking, jogging, cycling and archery to choose from, as well as lessons in local Ikarian dancing.