Ktima Kissa

We're excited to introduce to our portfolio our first ever Greek producer. Having tasted extensively in the Peloponnese at the end of 2023, we alighted on Ktima Kissa as a genuinely exciting prospect. Dimitris Kissa trained in California before taking up the winemaking baton at his family winery. He is producing deliciously fresh and aromatic white wines (as well as a rosé and a Pinot Noir) that are already charming customers (and ourselves). It goes without saying that these are just the thing for summer.

HISTORY

Corinth is is a place brimming with myths and legends: it is the legendary birthplace of the Pleiades, as well as the Greek god Hermes who is supposed to have been born in a cave on a local mountain-top, not far from where Ktima Kissa’s vineyards are now.

Dimitris Kissa is the fourth generation of what is now Ktima Kissa, in the enchanting, history-rich, mountainous region of Corinth in Peloponnese, Greece. His great-grandfather, George Kissas began with small scale wine production  in 1890. His grandfather Dimitrios built the winery in 1949, making wine from the indigenous varieties, Roditis and Savatiano. His father George invested in their own vineyards, beginning with the region of Diminio with the indigenous varieties Roditis and Savvatiano and later, in 2008, after years of research and fascinated by the terroir of the mountains of Corinth, he established his main vineyards in the region of Kallithea on the slopes of the Black Mountain at elevations reaching 900m. There, he bought 16ha in which he planted Malagousia, Moschofilero, Assyrtiko, Muscat Blanc, and Pinot Noir. And then Dimitris himself joined the family business to take over wine production. Dimitris is a qualified oenologist who studied at UC Davis in California and has spent time gaining wine-making experience in California, Australia and Greece.

VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING

Ktima Kissa's vineyards are all at altitude, benefiting from the unique terroir of the local mountain slopes of the Black Mountain of Ziria at an altitude of up to 900 meters, and a gentle breeze coming from the Corinthian gulf. Harvesting is all by hand, and indeed the steep slopes would make mechanised harvesting almost impossible. The vines are un-irrigated, while winemaking is traditional with controlled fermentation temperatures to produce wines of freshness. 

STYLE

These wines were a big surprise to us: due to the high elevation of the vineyards the wines all have remarkable freshness and acidity with relatively low alcohols and a vivacious, energetic charm.