Origin: Koniakos, Greece
ABV: 12.5%
USNW Classification: Natural
Varietal & Type: Kosmas 100%
Vintage: 2018

Kosmas (or “Kosmadia” as it was traditionally known), is a rare red variety of the mountainous Phocis region in Central Greece. It was saved from extinction and was recently officially recorded by the Greek authorities, thanks to the personal efforts of organic grower Giorgos Balatsouras. A truly bucolic grape with an alpine flare and fresh fruits and perfumy herbs, purely reflecting on the place it was born in, a high-altitude fir forest.

Manually harvested and hand selected, destemmed, wild fermented in open wood fermenters in ambient temperatures with no additives, with fir branches and thyme for cap management according to centuries-old traditions. A brief stay in neutral oak follows the 60-day maceration and slow fermentation. The resin secretion from the fir, supports an almost unsulfured bottling.

Dark ruby red color, loads of fresh forest fruit, round and soft on the palate with smooth tannins and an intense aftertaste.

About The Winemaker

"You might be wondering, what is a winemaker doing with fir branches. Meet Giorgos Balatsouras, who returned to his roots and the remote mountainous village of Koniakos - a short drive from the ancient Delphi Oracle - to revive his village’s unique winemaking traditions.
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Koniakos is nested among fir forests at 800m, and its small isolated community has always been making wine and herding goats (the Greek yogurt up there is an experience in itself). A walk around this bucolic village offers sightings of abandoned grape presses next to abandoned vineyards, including many tree-climbing wild vines. Using the rich resources the surrounding nature provides, they were traditionally vinifying their local varieties with the use of fir branches and river stones for cap management. This naturally secretes some fir resin into the must. This would add antiseptic protection, texture, and some flavor to the wine, giving it a unique place stamp. Unlike “retsina” wines though, the resin application here is indirect and quite minuscule.
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Giorgos caught the winemaking bug while in Burgundy in the 90s, which brought back to sweet childhood memories. A destiny calling brought Giorgos back to his village to revive this wine tradition, that he learned from his parents, now in their 90s.
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Giorgos even had the village’s hyper-local red variety, “Kosmas”, officially recognized with the authorities, after cross referencing a 1920 grape atlas with the grapes planted in his village.
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Today, Giorgos is the only person in the world that bottles wines from this rare Kosmas grape, using the unique winemaking traditions, and his tiny 0.85 hectare certified organic vineyard. Giorgos carries on the history of his village.
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His bottlings include a skin contact mountainous Roditis blend, a red Kosmas, and a lighter red Kosmas from grapes harvested from the wild tree-climbing vines! All are USDA organic with zero added sulfites, and we are happy to have secured a quantity from his tiny production for the US market.
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These are much more than natural wines. They are a gem of biodiversity, and a window into the ancient traditions of this remote village." -Aris Soultanos

Shipping Details

US Natural Wine ships once a week, every Wednesday. All orders should be placed by Tuesday at 10am in order to be picked up from our distributors and out on Wednesday's delivery truck.

Shipping cost is 18 bucks a box (up to 12 bottles) so we highly encourage picking up more than 1 bottle for the best value!

At $18, we have some of the most competitive shipping rates compared to other low-intervention wine e-commerce, which can range from $20-$25 a box. Ultimately, we eat the cost of shipping more often than not because wine can be damn heavy. As a small business, we are simply unable to offer free shipping. We can't thank you enough for your understanding!

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