It is something new and forgotten that came to life after several years in the "dark". This clone is different and you find the differences in the character of the wines produced from these vineyards and these vines. This unique grape combined with the 9 Muses Valley “terroir”, our modern winery and the innovative vinification techniques we implement lead us to the birth of “Two Rivers” White Dry Wine.
The Kontoura white vineyards where planted in 9 Muses Valley from 1955 to 1963. The "mother" plants where taken by "wild" vines saved from pestilens (Philoxira). Philoxira destroyed all the vineyards of the valley in the early 1950s. The 9 Muses Valley region was replanted mainly with three grape varieties - Savatiano, Roditis and Kontoura white. The vineyards cover more than 150 hectares of the valley, in total. Around 30 hectares are planted with Kontoura white.
Our grandfather Spyros Samartzis and his father Dimitrios Samartzis replanted their land on 1962. The selected grape variety was Kontoura white, which they regenerated from "wild" vines they found in the valley. They also planted 0.8 hectare with another indigenous grape variety named Mouhtaro.
The vineyards are dry cultivated. We irrigate them only when during the summer the weather is very hot and the temperatures are over 40-42℃ (degrees Celsius) during long periods of time. In that case the water provided to the plants is less than 70 liters per plant during all the cultivation period. Kontoura white is a grape variety with an enormous strength in lack of water. They are grown like short bushes and this helps them to beneficial from the humidity enclosed in the ground during the summer. The gradient of the hillsides helps them to get all the light that they need during the productive period of the vines. The pruning of the vines is done early in January.
We utilize a "nature friendly" cultivating program, avoiding the use of any chemical fertilizer or chemical additive for any interventions been done in the vineyards (if they are needed) during the cultivating period each year. All the interventions are recorded in the Cultivation log we keep according the ISO 22000 certificate we have for our winery.