Our Story
The land that spoke for itself
About twenty years ago, while exploring the walking trail that connects Kambos with Loutra, we discovered and fell in love with one of most magical areas in the interior of Tinos. The place spoke to us and we became forever bonded to it, its history, and its myths. We immediately recognized the difficult task ahead and were filled with a strong sense of responsibility to carry it out correctly and respectfully. Cleaning, conserving and reinvigorating the land itself; taking care of its ancient olive trees, its gardens, the orange grove of the great Ursuline School, and, in the center of it all, the maternally looming Linden Tree. Finally, we had to restore the historic structures, the farmhouses and the dry-stone mortared walls (Xerolithies).
And so, steadily, we created a convivial, ecologically conscious haven among the trees, the flowers, the stones, the shrubs and the waters for visitors who sought a different kind of island holiday (Under the Linden Tree). The resulting structures are powered exclusively by solar panels, and the land’s bounty is harvested with utmost respect for the harmony and continuity of nature. Over time we discovered that this blessed land held many more secrets: concealed wells, hidden berms and underground passages, all built centuries ago, but surrendered several decades since to the kingdom of wild overgrowth.
The hidden vineyard
Among the xerolithies, we also found several abandoned grape vines. Ancient, crawling vineyards, thriving and producing grapes with minimal, if any, human nurturing. In a way, the land spoke for itself. Our unearthing of historical sources and old maps confirmed the land’s gentle nudging. The slopes below Exomvourgo and Xinara had been an agriculturally vibrant area, with many different cultures – key among them, vines. Our visceral experiences and historical discoveries led us to a vision of a new vineyard, centered around the indigenous (Potamisi, Koumariano) and Cycladic grapes (Asyrtiko, Mavrotragano). Finally, our illuminating chats with many wise inhabitants of the island, who shared with us their deep love and knowledge of their home, gave us the final conviction to advance.
Realizing the dream
We were given the opportunity to move forward more swiftly than we’d imagined and to build a modern winery, capable of producing premium quality wine. The winery’s state of the art equipment together with the expertise, talents and attention to detail of our oenologist, Eleni Alevra, opens the door towards uniquely harnessing the distinctiveness of the indigenous grapes.
Philyra and Chiron
On our winery’s logo we see a tree and a centaur with a grapevine. This tree is our maternal Linden Tree, or Philyra in Greek, named after the homonymous nymph. The centaur is the mentor of Achilles and many others, the wise teacher and healer Chiron, son of the very same nymph Philyra. He became a centaur, and she a tree, both necessary transformations. These mythological references symbolize the eternal pursuit of humanity to evolve itself and be reconciled with its inhabited environment. The same holds true for the grapes’ journey from the well-cared-for vineyard, to its processing and production into an excellent wine. The enjoyment of a glass of wine that has traversed such challenging transformations is a unique experience for our senses. At the same time, it reveals to us something of the land, its myths and history, but also the toil of the many hands that made it.
Papageorgiou Family.
