“You close in a bottle the best elements and the air of your homeland and your love for them.” – Marios Kolios

Maratheftiko is one of several varietals that is indigenous to Cyprus, and like the other indigenous Cypriot varietals such as Xinisteri, Spourtiko, and Mavro, among others, it is absolutely unique in the world. After thousands of years of cultivation in the local soil and climate, Maratheftiko and the others have evolved a very special character. The high quality wine produced from them boasts a very full body with very delicate yet intense perfumes.

Kolios Winery produces two versions of wine from the Maratheftiko grape. Saint Fotios is not oak aged, while their Maratheftiko label is oak aged. Here we focus on the Saint Fotios label.

The label name Saint Fotios is taken from the village in Cyprus where the Kolios Winery is located, “Ayios Fotios”, with “Ayios” the Greek word for “Saint”. The village and the Winery, along with the Kolios family vineyards, are located on a mountaintop in the southern forest terrain of Cyprus, at an altitude of 3300 feet (3000 meters), in the Pafos region. Here the climate, soil conditions, self-rooted, non-American rootstock vines, and other factors give the grapes and the resulting wine its unique character. All Kolios wines are wild yeast fermented, using the natural local yeast, not a packaged or engineered yeast.

TASTING NOTES: Saint Fotios is considered a dry red wine, but it is not overly dry. It is a balanced red wine with intense flavors and soft tannins. It possesses a deep red color and great aromas with overtones of spices, plums and black cherries on the palette. A special characteristic of Saint Fotios is it’s pleasant upfront dryness followed by a long-lasting and unforgettable complex finish that makes drinking this wine a true pleasure, from the first sip to the bottom of the glass.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Excellent with red meats and sauces and mature cheeses.

SERVING TEMPERATURE: 61° – 65° F (16° – 18° C)