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We’re thrilled to welcome Effie Kallinikidou to our lovely shop for what will be an amazing evening tasting some of the most incredible Greek wines available. Read on to discover a little more about Effie and the Lryarakis estate.
The Lyrarakis estate is a family vineyard and winery which has been producing high quality wines since 1966. Lyrarakis has devoted itself to the revival of indigenous, almost extinct, rare varieties such as Dafni, Plyto, Melissaki and others, vinifying wines that highlight their unique and distinctive character. Lyrarakis is located in the mountainous commune of Alagni (440 metres above sea-level), south of the city of Heraklion, in Crete. The soils are predominantly loam with either more sand or clay depending on the vineyard site. The well-preserved 14th century stone-presses in the fields around the winery is proof of the area’s long history of grape-growing and winemaking. In charge of winemaking is Myriam Ambuzer, who has been vital in securing Lyrarakis a place in the elite wineries of Greece. Her philosophy emphasises precision, purity and supple texture of the fruit. She argues it is all about expressing authenticity, achieving harmony and that every variety needs to be worked in its own special way.
Effie Kallinikidou has an Oenology degree from the department of Oenology and Technology of Beverages Institute in Athens, while she attended a research wine program at Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim, Fachgebiet Mikrobiologie und Biochemie in Germany which resulted in a publication at the Scientific Magazin Die Wein – Wissenchaft, Viticultural and Enological Sciences.
She has participated in tasting panels for Food and Beverage Magazines and written several articles for wine at Food and Beverages Magazines in Greece, she has worked as tutor to restaurant staff conducting wine seminars and to consumers at Wine Clubs in Athens, while she was the Chief Oenologist in wineries at Cephalonia, Peloponnese, and Santorini in the beginning of her career. She has been engaged in the promotion of Greek wines in Export Markets since 2000 and currently is the Exports Manager at Lyrarakis Winery since 2016.