Claudia Papayianni, Arnea

On the 5th March I visited Claudia Papayianni and her father at her estate in Arnea, Chalkidiki. Claudia's mother is German, her father is Greek. She started to create a 25-hectare vineyard at an altitude of 650 m in 2003. She organically grows Malagousia, Assyrtico, Xinomavro and other regional varieties. At the end of 2006 the construction of a 3300 square meter winery started. The result is a state of the art showpiece. Claudia is a perfectionist. Her work is driven by attention to the smallest detail. The winery includes offices, a tasting room, a shop where the wines can be purchased, a wine-theater in the size of a cinema room with a screen and a glasswall that opens the view directly into the winery, an area where the temperature of each tank and the whole winery is computer controlled, a large cellar and an adjacent cellar room with space to keep older vintages. The outside area includes a large terrace with a BBQ, so that visitors can easily be entertained with food and wine. I was impressed by the sheer size of it all. This is a place I can highly recommend for anyone to visit.