Lafkiotis Winery

Lafkiotis Winery was founded in 1963 in the village of Archaies Kleones, in the Korinthia prefecture of the northeastern Peloponnese, by three brothers from the Lafkiotis family who set out to build a commercial winemaking operation around the area's Greek grape varieties. The 1963 founding placed the project among the first private commercial wineries to bottle wine in Nemea, predating the formal ratification of the Nemea appellation in 1971. The Nemea Wine Cooperative had been established decades earlier as the appellation's first formal commercial entity, and the Lafkiotis family operation extended the appellation's commercial footprint into the private-estate category at a time when most Nemea fruit moved through the cooperative system. Today the estate is owned and managed by the children of the three founding brothers, operating as a multi-generational family project with five cousins continuing the work that the founders began in 1963.

• Founded in 1963 in the village of Archaies Kleones (Ancient Kleones), Korinthia, by three Lafkiotis brothers as a private commercial operation.
• Among the first private commercial wineries to bottle wine in Nemea, predating the 1971 ratification of the Nemea appellation.
• Extended the appellation's commercial footprint into the private-estate category at a time when most Nemea fruit moved through the cooperative system.
• Today the estate is owned and managed by the children of the three founding brothers, operating as a multi-generational family project.

Archaies Kleones (Ancient Kleones) is one of seventeen villages within Nemea PDO, sitting in the Korinthia prefecture in the broader Argolid valley of the northeastern Peloponnese. Producers within the appellation informally recognize three altitude bands across the seventeen villages: a lower zone roughly 230 to 450 metres, a semi-mountainous zone roughly 450 to 650 metres, and a mountainous zone reaching as high as 1,050 metres. Archaies Kleones sits in the lower-altitude band, where warmer conditions produce riper fruit and the appellation's most approachable, fruit-driven Agiorgitiko expressions. The village's classical Greek heritage as the ancient city-state of Kleonai is first mentioned in Homer, and the Lafkiotis winery sits near the remains of the city, its Acropolis, and the Temple of Hercules, bordered by the Aesopos River. Soils across the broader Nemea zone show considerable variation, ranging from clay and clay-loam to clay-sand and limestone, with the lower-altitude positioning placing the Lafkiotis house style toward the appellation's rounder, fuller-bodied register rather than the brighter, more structured expressions from the mountainous zone.

• Archaies Kleones is one of seventeen villages within Nemea PDO, in the Korinthia prefecture of the northeastern Peloponnese.
• Producers informally recognize three altitude bands: lower (230 to 450 metres), semi-mountainous (450 to 650 metres), and mountainous (650 to 1,050 metres); Archaies Kleones sits in the lower band.
• The village's classical heritage as the ancient city-state of Kleonai is first mentioned in Homer; the winery sits near the Acropolis ruins and the Temple of Hercules.
• Lower-altitude positioning places the Lafkiotis house style toward the appellation's rounder, fuller-bodied register rather than the brighter, more structured mountainous-zone expressions.

The Lafkiotis lineup centres on 100 percent Agiorgitiko PDO Nemea expressions across an entry-tier Nemea bottling and the flagship Agionimo Reserve. Agionimo is a Protected Designation of Origin Nemea wine made entirely from Agiorgitiko, produced using traditional red winemaking with long extractions and aged for one year in new French oak barrels in the estate's climate-controlled cellar. Tasting notes for Agionimo describe a discreet wood frame around vanilla and small red-fruit aromas, with a rich palate and a velvety finish, served at 16 to 18 degrees Celsius. The entry-tier Lafkiotis Nemea presents fresh cherry and raspberry aromas with a spice undertone, softer tannin, and an approachable register suited to early drinking. Beyond the PDO Nemea reds, the portfolio extends into a Syrah-Agiorgitiko blend and white wines from Greek varieties grown in the broader Corinthia and Peloponnese region outside the PDO scope. The Lafkiotis family does not own vineyards; instead, the winery contracts with local Nemea growers under long-term agreements that allow the family to maintain control over fruit quality across the lineup.

• Range centres on 100 percent Agiorgitiko PDO Nemea expressions: an entry-tier Nemea bottling and the flagship Agionimo Reserve.
• Agionimo is a PDO Nemea Agiorgitiko produced with long extractions and aged for one year in new French oak; tasting notes describe vanilla and small red-fruit aromas with a velvety finish.
• Broader portfolio extends into a Syrah-Agiorgitiko blend and white wines from Greek varieties grown in the wider Corinthia and Peloponnese region.
• The winery does not own vineyards; fruit is sourced from local Nemea growers under long-term contracts to maintain quality control over the grapes.

Lafkiotis Winery's international distribution spans seventeen countries through specialist Greek wine importers and broader fine-wine retail channels, including Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Austria, the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Poland, Japan, the Czech Republic, France, Cyprus, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The producer also distributes through Greek restaurants and specialist wine retailers, supporting a strong domestic presence alongside the export programme. The current generation operating the estate comprises five cousins from the three founding-brother families: two named Panagiotis, plus Michalis, Anastasia, and Ioanna Lafkioti. The estate's longstanding tenure in Archaies Kleones gives Lafkiotis a deep working knowledge of the village's lower-altitude terroir and the Agiorgitiko variety's expression on the surrounding parcels, with the family's grower contracts representing more than half a century of relationships with local Nemea farmers.

• International distribution spans seventeen countries including Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Austria, the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and others.
• Strong domestic Greek presence through restaurants and specialist wine retailers, alongside the export programme via specialist Greek wine importers.
• Current generation comprises five cousins from the three founding-brother families: two named Panagiotis, plus Michalis, Anastasia, and Ioanna Lafkioti.
• Grower contracts represent more than half a century of relationships with local Nemea farmers, supporting the family's quality control over fruit sourcing.

Within the broader Nemea producer landscape, Lafkiotis sits in the appellation's traditional family-house tier as one of the early private commercial bottlers, distinct from the modern reference cluster anchored by Domaine Skouras (founded 1986 in Argos by Burgundy-trained George Skouras), Gaia Wines (founded 1994 with vineyards in Koutsi), and Driopi (Tselepos's Nemea project). The Lafkiotis identity rests on multi-generational family continuity, longstanding tenure in Archaies Kleones, and an approachable house style built around Agiorgitiko from the lower-altitude zone. The Nemea appellation was ratified in 1971, joining the original Greek OPAP cohort alongside Naoussa, Mantinia, Santorini, and Rapsani, and was later harmonized into the unified European Union PDO designation. Nemea remains Greece's largest PDO zone for red wines, and Lafkiotis's role as an early private commercial bottler in the appellation contributes to the producer's recognized place in the Nemea historical record.

• Lafkiotis sits in the appellation's traditional family-house tier as one of the early private commercial bottlers in Nemea.
• Distinct from the modern reference cluster of Domaine Skouras (1986), Gaia Wines (1994), and Driopi (Tselepos's Nemea project).
• Identity rests on multi-generational family continuity, longstanding tenure in Archaies Kleones, and an approachable house style built around Agiorgitiko.
• Nemea was ratified in 1971 in the original Greek OPAP cohort alongside Naoussa, Mantinia, Santorini, and Rapsani; later harmonized into the unified EU PDO designation.