Brousko Vertzami

Brousko Vertzami - Organic Greek wine - Siflogo winery - Lefkada island - Greece

Brousko is a traditional vinification of Lefkada island’s most famous grape variety, Vertzami. Vertzami is known for its almost black color and aromatic intensity, shown here in all its traditional purity.

  • Grower: Siflogo
  • Vintage: 2019
  • Type: Red Aged Dry Wine
  • Grapes: Vertzami 100%
  • Appellation: PGI Lefkada
  • Alcohol: 13.00%
  • Bottle: 750ml
  • Viticulture: Certified Organic
  • Vinification: Wild fermentation in stainless steel tank with mild temperature control, aging in old barriques for 20 months, and bottled unfiltered and unfined with minimal sulfites.
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Viticulture

  • Certified Organic
  • Climate: Humid Mediterranean
  • Soil: Rocky limestone
  • Vine age: Planted in 1988
  • Altitude: 500m
  • Slope: 20%
  • Planting density: 6,500 shoots / ha
  • Yield: 1kg / plant
  • Irrigation: None
  • Spraying: Twice with bordeaux mix during summer
  • Harvesting: Manually in crates

Vinification

  • Maceration: Skin contact for 6 days
  • Pressing: Press in mild pressure
  • Temperature Control: During maceration (~15ºC) and limitation of maximum temperature during fermentation (<24ºC)
  • Yeast: Indigenous with spontaneous fermentation for about 30 days in stainless steel tank
  • Malolactic: Naturally completed
  • Maturation: In stainless steel for 3 months and transfer to old french oak barrels (225L) where it stayed for 20 months.
  • Clarification: None
  • Filtration: None
  • Production: 1,800 lt
  • Alcohol: 13.00%
  • Acidity: 6.50 gr/l
  • RS: 0.99 gr/l
  • Total sulfites: 0 mg/l
  • Certification: Organic Grapes
  • Bottle: 750ml

Siflogo is a small organic wine “workshop” (as their owners call it), which was founded in 1994 by Dionysis and Maria Papanikolopoulos, in the small, mountainous village “Platystoma”, on the island of Lefkada in the Ionian sea. Their son, Vasilis, is also involved and destined to take over after a few years.

Viticulture and winemaking has been a family tradition and occupation for many generations. Its production is limited to a handful of “pure” wine bottles. The family has been farming organically (certified) the island’s indigenous grapes: Vertzami, Vardea, but also more obscure grapes, like Mavropatrino, Chlori, Thiako, Apsrovartzamo, Kokkinostafylo.

At an altitude of 500m on the dry, poor, limestone rocky soils – which have never seen chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or any harmful intervention – the vines struggle to produce low yields, which, however, lead to impressive results in the winery. Farming is done exclusively by hand, with only a little help from plant fertilization, bluestone, and sulphur.

Lefkada is renowned for its physical beauty. Picturesque villages, dense vegetation, impressive bays with clear green-blue waters, organized and isolated beaches of immense beauty, a strong local culture, and hospitable residents.

It is the fourth largest (both in size and population) island of the Ionian sea, with about 23,000 residents. It is also one of the only two Greek islands, that are connected to the mainland through a bridge (the other being Evia).

The topography of the island features steep mountains, multiple bays and little peninsulas, essentially forming fascinating fjords, and impressive world famous beaches. The most famous ones are Porto Katsiki, Kathisma, and Egremni.