Homemade red wine has been on the table of George’s family for at least 6 generations. Today, he invited us to show us his well kept secret family tradition – Authentic Traditional Eastern Mediterranean Winemaking.
Thrace
George’s family comes from Thrace.
If you want to visit the historical and geographic region of Thrace nowadays you need to visit the Eastern Mediterranean in Southeast Europe. Thrace is spanning across parts of Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. Historically, Thrace was home to the Thracians, an Indo-European people. It became part of the Roman and later Byzantine Empires before being incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century. Under Ottoman rule, Thrace experienced significant demographic shifts due to migrations.
Winemaking in Thrace
Thrace boasts a long and storied tradition in winemaking, with viticulture dating back to ancient times when Thracians were known for their wine production. The region’s favorable climate, soil, and topography have supported this craft through various historical epochs, including under the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires.
Each era contributed unique techniques and grape varieties, like the indigenous Thracian varieties Mavrud and Melnik. Post-Ottoman, winemaking in Thrace saw a revival, with modern techniques blending with traditional methods in Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. Today, Thrace is celebrated for its diverse, high-quality wines, preserving and innovating on its ancient heritage.
Homemade red wine
We visited George in the middle of September, when he harvested the grapes from his front yard. George’s family tradition includes 7 simple steps, very old equipment including an old wine press, a family oak barrel, few plastic buckets and that’s it! As simple as it gets. His wine is marvelous.
Step 1: Harvest the grapes
George does not use any pesticides on his grapes. It’s pure nature. He does not wash the grapes after he has harvested them.
Step 2: Mashing – Crush the grapes wine press
George uses his very old equipment to mash the grapes.
Step 3: Strain the Grape Juice from the Wine Press
George uses a huge plastic bucket to collect the grape juice and lets it sit for a few days with the fruit inside.
Step 4: Sugar testing
Next step he makes a sugar testing and always aims for a Brix range of 21-25 Brix for Red wines.
Step 5: pour it in your barrel for Fermentation
George prefers barrel fermentation because he says by fermenting in a barrel you get deeper flavors and textures.
Step 6: 40-50 days: vigorous fermentation
After the grape juice is poured into the barrel, he keeps it in his basement in a dark and cool place. He keeps it slightly open with a tube to to let out the gases produced by the fermentation out. Otherwise there is a risk of explosion, he says.
Step 7: 50-60 days: silent fermentation
For the last 10 days, when the fermation is silent, how he calls it, he just keeps it dark and cool.
Step 8: After 60 days:
And that’s it! After two months, ready for the mild winter, his young wine is ready to consume! Cheers George!
Taste of the Homemade Red Wine
The young wine, George produces for his family consumption, has a vibrant character, and exhibits a bold and robust flavor profile.
The color is deep ruby red, with purple hues due to its youthfulness. The aroma is a bouquet of dark fruits almost like cherries, with the hint of a spice. On the palate, the young wine has a firm structure with high tannins. There is also a slight acidity that adds freshness to the red wine. The finish is long with a lingering taste of red fruits and spice.
George’s wine is robust, somewhat tannic and it’s a good match for hearty dishes. It’s less smooth than his aged wines, but this is characteristic of young wines. We loved it!
If the winemaking makes you hungry we have for some Greek Dinner Recipes, you could try at home. Follow us on YouTube and find the well kept secrets of Europe.
Cheers!
