Greek wine maker profile: Paris Sigalas of Santorini

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Paris Sigalas

News:
February 25, 2003

Greek wine maker Paris Sigalas of Santorini

Paris (right) and Yiannis Tselepos (middle) on a road trip visit with Mihalis Boutaris at Kir-Yianni in Naousa in July.

Nutshell...

Company Name:

Sigalas Wine Company Ltd

Location:

Oia, Santorini, Aegean Islands

Winemaker:

Paris Sigalas

Find distributors, restaurants or retail locations that sell these wines.

Products:

Santorini OPAP

Oia Barrel OPAP

Niabelo White

Niabelo Red

Mezzo

Vinsanto

Quote of note:

"Everyone who makes wine believes he makes the best. The more simple the man and his ways, the more he believes it. With so many others also making the best wine, how can it be that you believe yours is the best? Somehow it is God's way of protecting you."

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Paris Sigalas is a self taught winemaker who is highly regarded in Greece by both the wine-drinking public and his winemaking peers. That a pursuit which began, by his description, by accident would propel him near the top of Greece's highly competitive new boutique wine industry was probably the farthest thing from his mind when he started. It was actually never his intention to become a winemaker. Paris had trained in Mathematics at the Sorbonne and returned to Santorini to pursue a career as a teacher in the local schools, a position he still holds. In Santorini he is regarded not only as a teacher and a winemaker, but also as an accomplished playwright, artist and philologist. His wife Antonía (herself a woman of considerable intellectual stature) says she spotted the Midas touch in Paris from the beginning. Alas, she would just a soon not relinquish Paris to winemaking, as she must for long periods every year. Her sacrifice is our good fortune, a fact which seems to offer her adequate consolation.

In the past, winemaking was an activity that touched every family on Santorini. Paris developed his passion during the mid-seventies when called upon to substitute for his father, who one day was unable to participate in the local winemaking. Gradually, he says, his passion grew. In 1991 he opened his own winery at his home in the village of Oia on the northern tip of the Island. Now that winery has been replaced by a modern facility nearby that boasts state of the art equipment, an extensive undergound cellar and smart visitor center.

There are few, if any, 100% estate wines on Santorini. For winemakers seeking to supplement their harvest, the tradition on the island is to either contract with growers or shop for desirable fruit just prior to the harvest or both. The decision concerning which grapes to buy can be as much a matter of style as it is of quality. For Sigalas, a mix of higher and lower elevation grapes provide the combination of acidity and ripe fruit that bring his wines balance and structure. Paris' status as a winemaker has brought him sufficient influence among growers that he has been able to convince several to intitiate organic farming policies. His own 7 hectares have been organically farmed for some time. As a result, he believes he acquired the best fruit on the island from the 2001 harvest.

Sigalas built his reputation on modern vinifications of the traditional Santoriniote white varities Asyrtiko, Athiri and Aïdani Aspro. Asyrtiko is front and center as the sole component in his dry whites. He produces three of these, and manages to create impressive stylistic differences between them. His Santorini OPAP is bone dry and strong, but gentle on the palate. Of all of Sigalas's wines, it most clearly displays the distinct terroir for which Santorini wines are famous. At the same time, it shows that Asyrtiko is capable of more complex fruit and aroma than is sometimes supposed. For all its body and structure, it is the most rich Asyrtiko to be found on the island.

His Niabelo White is produced from the second pressing of the same grapes. Interestingly, what is lost in aroma is compensated for in a pleasant character that hints at attributes of Asyrtiko's traditional treatment. The Santorini OPAP and the Niabelo couldn't (under the circumstances) be much more different; the former modern, but not slick, the latter more rustic, but not necessarily old-fashioned.

Asyrtiko, as has been mentioned elsewhere on this site, is fickle in its relationship to oak. Managing that relationship is Sigalas' greatest strength. His Oia Barrel OPAP is made from 100% organic Asyrtiko (local) and aged in oak barrels for 5-6 months. He has found the perfect oak recipe, it seems; 25% new oak during a 4-year barrel rotation. The wine takes on a hint of color from its contact with oak, more honey than the yellow-brown acquired by Santorini whites that have had too much contact with new oak. Honey also appears on the nose, validating Sigalas's assertion that "this area has incredible fruit". The combination of mouth feel and aroma reminded me of Riesling, strangely, a comparison that should not be taken too literally, but which adequately implies the relative class of this product.

Sigalas has a charming and telling tendency to speak about his wines as a father would speak about his children. This is especially true when discussing his red wines. Red cultivars played a more important role in Santorini's past than they have recently, inspiring a reexamination of their viabilty. Paris is at the forefront of this endeavor. For him, the local Mandilariá and (especially) Mavrotrágano are like children–only raising them well will unlock their potential. This is consistent with Sigalas' belief that wine is made in the vineyard. Typically low in alcohol and high in tannins, Mandilariá fares better on Santorini than it does elsewhere in the Aegean. Santorini's unique environment seems to contribute to higher alcohol and less astringency. Still, at its best, as Paris puts it, "Mandilariá is a shell–but a good shell." We sampled 100% Mandilariá (2000) from the barrel and were suprised by the depth of the fruit in it. Filling Mandilariá's shell, however, has remained his challenge. Until recently, his solution was to import Agiorgitiko from the Peloponessos. This approach created, for Santorini, a superior red wine, but probably seemed to him a compromise. At the same time, he began experimenting with the near-extinct local variety, Mavrotrágano. Test vinifications of this naturally low-yielding, small-cluster grape produced a big wine, suitable for blending with Mandilariá, but still lacking some alcohol and sufficient tannins. The solution to this problem was both logical and daring: to allow the grapes to overripen on the vine. If ever a modern technique had a likely ancient precedent, it would be this. It is a method that suits the Mavrotrágano perfectly, but which would be impossible with the Mandilariá. We tasted a blend of Mandilariá and Mavrotrágano from the 2000 vintage, still in barrel. It was exceedingly well-structured, replete with good tannins, showing pleasant personality in youth and a clear potential for aging. A mono-varietal 2000 Mavrotrágano, also in barrel, was big and rich, but not overly concentrated, reminiscent, I thought, of a sturdy Zinfandel, such as Ravenswood.

Clearly, these wines have set a new standard for reds on Santorini. While whites will continue to dominate our concept of Santorini wines, the continued refinement of these two red varieties will greatly benefit local producers seeking to establish reputations in foreign markets in which red wines are, on the whole, considerably more in demand than whites.

Sigalas is also the producer of two of Santorini's best sweet wines. His 15% alcohol Mezzo, from sun-dried Asyrtiko and Aïdani has a brilliant golden hue, flavors of golden raisin, peaches and citrus. Its light color is the result of eight days in the sun and one year in oak. He has been under pressure to release it as early as possible, but may resist this pressure in the future in order to deepen its character with more time in barrel.

His Vinsanto is fruitier than some, featuring unique lychee flavors in addition to toffee. It typically spends two to three years in barrel and consists of 75% Asyrtiko and 25% Aïdani. Having witnessed the contribution of Aïdani in the development of fruit, he hopes to cultivate this variety specifically for use in his sweet wines.

Some Sigalas wines have been available in America, but poorly distributed. An improved effort may yet bring exposure outside the ethnic market.

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