Our History - Vourvoukeli Estate

Thrace, a blessed place with an extensive history of viticulture, wine production, and wine trade, was mentioned even by Homer (with Akratos or unmixed wine) and the famous wine varieties of Ismaros and Maroneia. The wider region of Thrace due to the fact that was the last part of Greece to be liberated by the Turks in 1920, was neglected in terms of wine making during the period of Turkish occupation, after the Muslim Turks, based on the Islamic religion, banned the cultivation of grapes and wine production, since it is considered a sin. In the following period, a few steps were taken to restore viticulture, but due to the phylloxera epidemic which is a vine disease, the inhabitants of the area turned towards tobacco production. Some timid first steps were taken in the early 1990s.

This is how the story of Vourvoukeli Estate began, in 1999, by the late Dr. Nikos Vourvoukelis. He had grown up surrounded by vineyards, with wine being a part of his family life, since his grandparents owned a winery in Smyrni. This latent interest, passion, and awareness of his own unbreakable connection with the history of his homeland made him realize that Avdira could make a dynamic “return” to the forefront of the wine sector. He planted his first vineyard consisting of 2 hectares (that nowadays reached 10 hectares), which is cultivated with respect for the environment, in the area surrounding the winery. The first bottling started in 2001, in nearby wineries in the province of Kavala, labeled “Fysis Ambeloessa”. The privately-owned winery was built in a traditional style and was completed in 2005. The estate is now managed by the two older sons of the family, Giorgos, and Odysseas, who have pursued studies in the field of oenology.

Vourvoukeli Estate Winery was founded by Nikos and Flora Vourvoukeli in 1999, in the area of Avdira, in the province of Xanthi, when Nikos, who had grown up surrounded by vineyards and wine from a very young age, felt the desire, beyond his professional occupation as a doctor, to work with the cultivation of vineyards and wine. With the vision of resurrecting the famous vineyards of Avdira, he planted two hectares in the fertile hills of the area (that nowadays reached 10 hectares) with native and international varieties of wine grapes.

In parallel with the pursuit of this enterprise, the two older sons in the family, Giorgos and Odysseas, pursued studies in the field of oenology and became involved with the winery, that they now manage. Their younger brother Alexios is following their father’s steps in medicine. Their mother Flora continues to support their efforts. Unfortunately, the founder of the Estate, Nikos Vourvoukelis, passed in February 2014.