Efrosini Ipomoni Sweet Red

With a rapidly growing reputation in Crete and beyond, Efrosini is a small- medium-sized Cretan winery located near Heraklion. In the wild countryside of the village of Kerasia which is part of the Dafnes PDO. 

The family had a history of growing sultana grapes and graduated to wine in 1999 under the guidance of current generation Antonis and Maria Tylaki . Today they work with a combination of their own vineyards which are tended organically, and purchased grapes for the cheaper wines. Their vineyards  are located at 350 metres above sea  level on ideal clay-limestone soils.

A combination of local varieties are grown, including  Vidiano, Malvasia di Candia, Assyrtiko, Kotsifali and Liatiko, plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay. The wines are precise and modern in style, while capturing the essence of the local grape varieties. 

They have already gained widespread recognition and medals, with their Sophia white blend appearing in the prestigious 50 Great Greek Wines awards. 

Liatiko is an indigenous Cretan grape variety with relatively low colour intensity, verging on the garnet and a nose rich, ripe red fruit and sweet spices. The palate is full, with high levels of alcohol yet very soft tannins. It is frequently used for sweet wines made from sun dried grapes with long barrel ageing.

Ipomoni is a classic local dessert wine, made from Liatiko grapes which are sundried for 8-10 days before vinification in open tanks. The wine is then aged in old barrels for minimum 5 years and further ageing in the bottle. 

The result is a remarkable aged red sweet wine, with incredible depth of prune, dark cherry, raisin, coffee; luscious and long. The sugar is an immense 300 grammes per litre. Drink with chocolate, blue cheese, or just pour over ice cream!