Even since the days of Dionysus, Greece has a long and rich wine tradition that constitutes an important element of the national cultural heritage. Dionysus, the god of wine and the inspirer of ecstasy and ritual madness, has managed to keep this Greek tradition of winemaking alive. Peloponnese, the land of Dionysus, has been known for its vineyards since antiquity, the reason why it was the realm of Dionysus, according to mythology. In fact, the wines of this land have been praised from famous historians including Homer, Thoukidides and Pausanias. Valuable historical references on the culture of Greece’s wine gave to Peloponnese two beautiful appellations: “Ambeloessa” and “Polystafylos”, literally meaning full of vineyards and rich in grapes. Renowned worldwide and praised in the writings of great writers, Peloponnesian wines are produced from top quality grapes grown with care by committed wine specialists. Greece is par excellence a wine country with viticulture being one of the earliest activities since antiquity.

By continuing this longstanding tradition, Tselepos family has been recognized as one of the greatest wine producers in Greece who produce excellent Greek wines. The mysteries of Tselepos’ family lie in their special relationship between the Arcadian land and the art of vineharvesting.

A man born and raised in Cyprus, loved the Arcadian land as he was always there. Following his studies in Oenology at the University of Dijon in France, Yannis Tselepos moved to Arcadia, in the early 80’s, where he got involved with wine harvesting, worked as a wine consultant until he gradually invested in land in 1989.

Following a ten-year research on the Arcadian vineyard, Yannis Tselepos, along with his wife, Amalia, established the Tselepos Estate on the eastern slopes of Parnon Mountain.

The hills of this corner of Peloponnese, where Tselepos family chose to grow their vineyards, has been characterized from cold winters and cool summers, which together with the local clay and rocky soils, and a perfect drainage, are capable of producing high quality wines for the Arcadian vineyard. This unique ecosystem is situated at an altitude of 750m.

Today, Yannis Tselepos is the avid owner of 400 hectares of vineyards, 200 acres of cooperating producers with middle-aged vines of fifty years, and a modern winery, perfectly adapted to the Peloponnesian architecture, design and environment.

The main vineyards of Tselepos Estate include the Ktima Tselepos in Arcadia, a distinct wine region and an outstanding wine country that specializes in the production of the moschofilero vineyards. These 500 hectares of moschofilero vines have been the core of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Mantinia vineyards since 1971. The very special microclimate of Mantinia growth is what makes this variety differ compared to other varieties grown in Peloponnese. Thus, the “fileri” , which is cultivated throughout Peloponnese, turns into moschofilero in Mantinia, an important producer of premium white wines with a special aroma and flavour obtained thanks to the low temperature of the location and the late ripening. In 2003, Yannis Tselepos extented his wine making activity by acquiring a vineyard of 8,5 hectares, namely the Ktima Driopi in Nemea. This 50 year-old vineyard is located at Koutsi, Nemea at an altitude of 380 metres. Nemea is well-known among both wine producers and wine lovers as the perfect location to produce wines of the highest standards with great ageing potential from agiorgitiko grapes. The viticultural zone of Nemea, one of the largest winemaking regions in Greece, is surrounded by mountain ranges ending in hills and gentle verdant slopes covered in vineyards, where agiorgitiko is the prevailing grape variety. Agiorgitiko produces quality wines with intense colour, rich in polyphenols and with high levels of tannins. At last but not least, Yiannis Tselepos and Chryssou family bought 12 hectares in Pyrgos and Emporio, of Santorini island, and decided to mutually develop those vineyards to produce higher quality grapes, under the name Canava Chryssou Tselepos. Tselepos’ family took the challenge of introducing another PDO Region, as Mantinia and Nemea. The challenge of this project is the differentiation of the Santorini soil, vines and microclimate. And it can be achieved only because of the Chyssou family vineyards, which express the authentic characteristics of Santorini.

Travellers will have the opportunity to follow the entire process of winemaking at the Winery of Tselepos Estate, and dive into the world of wine as a ritualistic experience that enhances the appreciation of the simplest pleasures of life. Perched in 30 hectares of privately owned vineyard, the Tselepos’ winery fully fits the natural environment and ecosystem of the area, featuring elements of local Peloponnesian architecture. The lively spaces of Tselepos’ winery stand out for their design, which is highly artistic and at the same time austere and functional. The modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment perfectly serve the family’s philosophy and aim at producing supreme quality wine complying with international standards and exceeding the expectations of wine lovers. Thanks to the excellent equipment and our capable team, wine is bottled under excellent conditions and wine production has gradually increased coming up to 350.000 wine bottles per year and this is what makes Tselepos Estate internationally acknowledged  wine producers and wine exporters.

Take the chance to take a tour at the Tselepos Estate winery, where Yannis Tselepos and his team carry out the wine making process. During your visit, you will have the chance to observe from up close the whole process of wine production, from where grapes are picked to the filling of wine bottles, while the experienced staff will answer all your questions. It is worth mentioning that Tselepos Estate is a member of the Wine Producers Union of Peloponnesian Vineyard (ENOAP) and actively participates in cultural and tourist events pertaining to Routes of Wine in Peloponnese. The vineyard varieties grown at Tselepos Estate in Arcadia and Corinthia include aromatic whites and bold reds from indigenous Greek varieties such as moschofilero and agiorgitiko, as well as European varieties, such as chardonnay, merlot, cabernet and gewürztraminer.

Undeniably, Yannis Tselepos is one of the most emblematic figures in the field of Greek wine, since his name has been long identified with the wine-growing region of Mantinea and not only. He has been one of the pioneers who helped establish the Moschofilero grape and Shis name, which is closely associated with the so-called Greek Wine Renaissance.

The art and passion of the Tselepos family is, undeniably, winemaking.