Litani is Afianes’ flagship white, made entirely from Begleri — an aromatic grape found almost nowhere outside Ikaria. It's a premium-tier release from the estate: hand-harvested from terraced vines, foot-trodden in a granite press, and fermented with wild yeast in clay jars buried underground, then bottled unfiltered.
Pale gold in the glass, with an intense, slightly exotic nose of stone fruit and orchard blossom that carries through to a lingering finish with a discreet saline note, a reflection of the vineyard's closeness to the Aegean. Begleri's naturally high alcohol gives the wine real weight, and Afianes reckon it rewards five years or more in bottle. Vibrant acidity keeps it lifted throughout.
Good with grilled fish, seafood, and richer Greek mezze; equally at home alongside mature cheeses.
At a glance
GrapeBegleri
RegionAegean Islands
Vintage2021
ABV11.5%
SweetnessDry
BiodynamicNaturalOrganic
Grape
Begleri
One of only two indigenous varieties Afianes has championed on Ikaria, Begleri is a low-yielding, strongly aromatic grape almost unheard of beyond the island. Older vine clones can develop a distinctive honeyed, amber-toned character as the wine ages — a trait unique to Ikarian Begleri.
Producer
Afianes Wines was founded on Ikaria in 1997 by Nikos and Maria Afianes, and is now run alongside their children, Konstantinos and Eftychia. For more than two decades the estate has focused on reviving Ikaria's two indigenous varieties, Fokiano and Begleri, once little known beyond the island. Grapes are still foot-trodden in a traditional granite press and fermented in buried clay jars, a method that shapes the wines' earthy, layered character; some cuvées see time in French oak. Everything is fermented with indigenous wild yeast and bottled unfiltered and unfined with minimal sulphites — a natural, biodynamic and organic approach that runs through the whole range.
