I FELL IN LOVE WITH A VINEYARD
By Giannis Ligas
On the occasion of an excellent article by Mr. Simos Georgopoulos and the flattering comments of Ms. Meropi Papadopoulou on social media about the wine EVDEMON, I remembered the stories of its birth and thought I would share them with you.
Exactly 10 years ago, in 2011, I fell in love—passionately—with a vineyard! It was host to three different varieties of grape.
My friend, a viticulturist and wine producer, wanted to pay me for my oenological services.
– Forget about the money! I said to him. Can’t you give me grapes? I’ll do some experiments and create a commercial product.
At first he was bemused, but he did as I asked. We agreed that he would pay me in grapes, and we would do the experimental winemaking at his winery in Nemea.
The first attempts at creating a wine began in the autumn of 2012. The samples were brought to the laboratory. Somehow, we had to identify them. That is to say, to give them a name (for the record, this is a common process for new wines, which is why I’m the godfather to various wine products, some more well-known than others). I examined it and examined it again, and suddenly I turned to my closest colleague:
-What ‘demon’ is this? But… a good ‘demon’. I got it! We’ll call it Evdemon (the good demon)…
For some reason, the term Evdemon (‘Blessed’) was very familiar to me, and had very positive associations, but I couldn’t work out why… I knew an oenologist whose surname was Evdemon.
– That’s why it’s familiar, I thought. But, if that’s the reason, the oenologist himself may already have registered it as a brand name.
Partly for this reason, partly thanks to my obsession with formalities, I got my whole team, as well as external associates, to search for me. No, they told me, the name hasn’t been taken, there’s no wine with that name, and so we registered it for you. Just perfect, I thought.
And so, the first Evdemon (2012 vintage) appeared on Christmas 2013. I opened the first bottle with my closest friends at our favourite taverna. The first reaction came from a dear friend of mine:
-“Sicyon, eh?” He said, showing me the bottle!
-What about Sicyon, Vlasi? I asked, understandably perplexed.
–Sicyon the Blessed (‘Evdemon’)…
At last!! That is why the term ‘Evdemon’ was so familiar and so dear to me. ‘Evdemon’ was the epithet given to Sicyon in antiquity. The place where I am living now.
The wine received excellent reviews from all who tasted it. Commercially, was it successful? Possibly. But who cares? We’re talking about love here…
Each year I carried out experimental vinification with another of the vineyard’s grape varieties or with different pairings taken from the three varieties. And the wine goes on…
When I found myself in my new position at Strofilia, the label passed to my new love. And the process of experimental winemaking as well.
And one might ask:
10 years of Evdemon, 10 years of experimental winemaking, and no conclusion? Were any commercial products created?
Galari…
P.S. I love Evdemon wine for another reason. My friend, the viticulturist-winemaker, introduced me to Achilles Lampsidis in the early 2000s.
Evdemon, however, made the crucial acquaintance of the oenologist Giannis L. and the wine producer Achilleas L.
And here we are today…
