OUR HISTORY

THE MOST MOUNTAINOUS MONASTIC VINEYARDS IN GREECE

Our winery, called IMPERATOR WINERY, is a small monastic winery founded in 2017, whose vineyards are located around our monasteries, in East Zagori and Metsovo. The title IMPERATOR is due to the founding emperor of one of the two monasteries, the Monastery of Votsa. These are the largest and most mountainous monastic vineyards in Greece, a fact which, combined with the exclusive use of the fruit (grapes) only from our own vineyards, makes the wine genuine and uniquely delicious. In our vineyards, which one can admire spreading around the monasteries, are cultivated the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Gewürztraminer, Vlahiko and a unique in the world, local variety which bears the name of Vlahavona.

"There are four factors that shape the character of the wine and play an important role in its quality. The soil, the climate, the variety of the vine, and finally the human being."

Our passion for quality wine

The production of wine is a process that has been going on for thousands of years. Winemaking is not only an art but also a science. The production of wine is a natural process in which each winemaker leads it through various techniques. Generally speaking, however, there are five basic stages in the wine production process : harvesting or harvesting, crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, maturation and bottling. Our winemakers follow these five basic steps, but add variations and deviations along the production route, such as de-stemming, to create a unique wine.


Our oenologist, Sophocles Petropoulos, who checks the vineyards of the winery with love and passion, studied oenology in Athens, did postgraduate studies in Australia and holds a PhD from the Agricultural University of Athens. He has worked for over 10 years in Nemea wineries. Since 2014 he has been providing consulting services to wineries in Greece and Lebanon. At the same time, he participates in research projects for the evaluation of unknown Greek varieties and clones. Throughout these years he has been in contact with the best vineyards and the most delicious wines in the world. Learning, therefore, from the best in his field, he puts his knowledge into practice, in order to produce a wine of excellent quality and taste, from our winery that will accompany your every moment.

At Imperator Winery, we take special care of the soil, as it is an important part of our entire production process. We use zeolite to improve the quality of our grape harvest, as well as in-field fertilization with natural fertilizers, such as manure from cattle grazing in the "Politsies" area of Metsovo, known for its herb-filled plain.


Many of our customers want to know where the wine they drink comes from and how it was produced. They want to know if it is naturally produced and healthy for them. This is why we only use the best and purest agricultural practices: we are proud of our vineyards and what they produce, our wines!

PHOTO GALLERY

OUR MONASTERIES

HOLY MONASTERY OF S. NICHOLAS

St. Nicholas Monastery is the oldest monastery of Metsovo, with the year of its acquisition unknown. The frescoes are dated 1700. The gilded iconostasis of the church is an excellent example of continental woodcarvings made with the oldest technique. The last renovation was carried out in 1960 at the expense of the Baron Michael Tositsa Foundation. It is located in the southeastern part of Metsovo, near the tributary of the Arachthos river, the Metsovitiko.

HOLY MONASTERY OF PANAGIA POGONIOTISIS VOTSAS

The Monastery of Votsas or Voutsas, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is located between the villages of Greveniti, Flambourari and Doliani of the Municipality of Zagori, between the wooded slope and the approximately 70 hectares of vineyard above the eastern bank of the river Varda, on the "basilostrata", which led to Constantinople. The Votsas Monastery was founded by Constantine IV Pogonatos (668-685) in the year 672. The monastery was destroyed during the conquest of Epirus by the Turks in 1430. It was burnt by the troops of Kara-Sinan Pasha, who was sent by Sultan Murat to enslave the then Frankish-occupied Epirus, while only the Catholic of the church was saved.

Our Unique Barrel

A handmade wooden barrel with a capacity of 12,000 octaves, which is located in the basement of the Monastery of St. Nicholas in Metsovo. It dates back to 1782, while there is a written reference in the book "Notebook of a Metsovite" by George Plataris, dated 1795.
It is available for visitation during the opening hours of the monastery of Agios Nikolaos.

Single Estate - Terroir

Single Estate indicates that a winery uses fruit (grapes) only from its own estate and does not blend grapes from other regions or estates.

Terroir is a word that has no translation in any other language and denotes the set of above and below-ground characteristics that make a vineyard unique. The soil, subsoil, slope, orientation, climate, microclimate, and, of course, the specific varieties planted there are just some of the factors that make up the terroir, as long as they result in wines that are both high quality and recognizable. In other words, it is a 'monopoly of taste', as stated in the book "The Art and Science of Wine" by Halliday and Johnson.

Quality Assurance

Today, wine is of great value, both for the economy and for its beneficial properties to human health. Quality control is the process of ensuring that the availability, reliability, maintainability, and manufacturability of a product are standardized. Quality control as a process must take into account the stages of planning, control, and improvement. Quality, in this sense, does not only refer to the durability of a product but also implies compliance with economic profitability, commercial development, and technical safety standards set by the company's management.

Protected Geographical Indication

Geographical Indications (GIs) protect intellectual property rights for specific products whose qualities are specifically linked to the region of production. The PGI emphasizes the link between the specific geographical area and the name of the product, where a particular quality, reputation, or other characteristics can be attributed primarily to its geographical origin. For most products, at least one of the stages of production, processing, or preparation takes place in the area concerned.

In the case of wines, this means that at least 80 % of the grapes used must come exclusively from the geographical area in which the wine is actually produced.