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Robola – PDO Robola of Cephalonia

Robola of Cephalonia - Panos Sarris - Kefalonia, Ionian Islands - Natural wine - Eklektikon

Robola is considered the queen grape of the Ionian islands, and Panos Sarris vinifies it naturally from his family’s old, ungrafted vines, showing its crunchy and maritime character in all its glory and purity.

  • Grower: Panos Sarris
  • Vintage: 2018
  • Grapes: Robola 100%
  • Appellation: PDO Robola of Cephalonia
  • Alcohol: 13.10%
  • Bottle: 750ml
  • Viticulture: Organic (not certified)
  • Vinification: 1/3 foot stomped and skin macerated for 3 days, then pressed with the rest and spontaneously fermented with no temperature control, with half fermenting in neutral oak and the rest in stainless steel, until bottled with minuscule sulfites.
  • Notes: Salty water, raw dairy, lemon, peach, with a round and crunchy texture.

Key Info

Viticulture

  • Organic (not certified)
  • Climate: Low Winter temperatures, normal rainfall, hot Summers, low humidity.
  • Soil: Limestone gravel
  • Vine age: Planted in 1979
  • Altitude: 600-700m
  • Slope: 70% (terraced)
  • Planting density: – Coming soon –
  • Yield: 3,000kg / ha
  • Irrigation: None
  • Spraying: None (1 sulfur dusting / vintage)
  • Harvesting: Manually in plastic crates

Vinification

  • Pressing: Pneumatic Vaslin press, mild
  • Temperature Control: None (ambient temperatures)
  • Maceration: 3 days in stainless steel for 1/3 of must
  • Yeast: Ambient (spontaneous fermentation in neutral oak and stainless steel)
  • Malolactic: Not completed (naturally, due to low magic acid of the Robola grape)
  • Maturation: 3 months in stainless steel tank
  • Clarification: None
  • Filtration: None
  • Production: 3,500 lt
  • Alcohol: 13.10%
  • Acidity: 4.10 gr/l
  • RS: 1.50 gr/l
  • Total sulfites: 18 mg/l
  • Certification: –
  • Bottle: 750ml

Winery

Panos Sarris is a young sommelier / winemaker, who took over his family’s old vineyards in Kefalonia island, and followed his ultimate passion; winemaking.

His vineyards in Avithos are planted with the historical and highly praised Robola grape, and sitting on poor limestone gravel, at an altitude of 800m. The vines are 40 years old and ungrafted.

Panos’ wines are wild fermented, unfiltered, and unfined, using foot stomping and various neutral oak barrels, to give his wines the raw maritime character that reflects the island of Kefalonia. Panos produces some of the crunchiest and most idiosyncratic wines we have tasted.

Region

Kefalonia is the largest island of the Ionian sea. Famous for its exotic beaches and untouched nature, Kefalonia is the island where “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” was filmed, showing the world all its beauty. Kefalonia has an indented coastlines, made up of limestone cliffs, bays, and short strips of white sand. Some of its best known beaches are Myrtos, Fteri, Dafnoudi, and Kimilia. The caves of Melissani and Drogarati are also quite unique.

Kefalonia is a mountainous island, with a rugged topography and little arable land (less than 15%). It has a long history of winemaking, and is famous for the Robola grape, which is considered the ancestor of the Ribola Gialla grape found farther up North, across the Adriatic coast.