Hatzidakis Winery

How to Complete

3 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. 📜 1

   Find the Skitali Bottle - the Baton He Passed Forward

   history $$

   Haridimos Hatzidakis died by suicide in 2017 at age 50. His family named a wine for his passing.

   'Skitali' means 'passing of the baton'. Haridimos Hatzidakis built the most respected organic winery on Santorini - the ONLY certified organic grower on the entire island. He pioneered indigenous wild yeast ferments, no filtration, minimal sulfites. Then in August 2017, aged 50, he died by suicide. His eldest daughter, and siblings Antonis and Ariadne, and their mother Konstantina carried on. They named this wine after how a baton is passed - not dropped. It ages 12 months on lees and 6 months in barrel. It is the most personal wine on Santorini. At the tasting counter or on the wine list, look for 'Skitali' by name. When you hold the bottle, read the label. Ask your host about the name. Most hosts at Hatzidakis will tell you the story directly if you ask simply: 'What does Skitali mean?' You do not need to say anything else.

   🔄 BACKUP: If Skitali is sold out (it is produced in small quantities), ask to see a bottle - even empty. The label itself carries the story.

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2. 🍷 2

   Taste the Nykteri in the Cave Where Haridimos Made It

   wine $$

   The tasting room is a cave carved into a hillside at 330m elevation - the highest winery on Santorini.

   Nykteri is 100% Assyrtiko, harvested at night (the name means 'worked at night' in Greek), with 12 hours of skin contact and 1 year in old French oak. The result is 15% ABV - Assyrtiko at maximum volcanic ripeness. Rich, honeyed, stone fruits, lemon, deep mineral. Haridimos's philosophy: 'Fine wine is made in the winery. EXCELLENT wine is made in the vineyard.' The vineyard above your head is his - 40-to-150-year-old ungrafted vines on biodynamic soil. In the tasting cave literally carved into the hillside beneath the family vineyard at 330m elevation in Pyrgos village, provincial road to Emporio, tasting costs €20 (45-60min, 6 wines + cheese platter). When Nykteri is poured, ask about the 'nykteri' tradition - historically, Santorini winemakers harvested at night to avoid grape oxidation in the summer heat. It is a tradition as old as this island's wine culture.

   🔄 BACKUP: Open year-round, but winter visits by reservation only. Tel: +306981107180. The cave itself stays cool regardless of outside temperature - bring a light layer.

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3. 📜 3

   Ask About the Man Who Dared to Go Unfiltered

   Optional

   history Free

   Haridimos was the first winemaker on Santorini to make completely natural wine. Ask about him.

   Before Haridimos Hatzidakis, Santorini wine was commercial - large cooperatives, consistent product, no risk. He arrived from the mainland (he and Konstantina had both worked at Boutari, a major Greek producer) and did the opposite of everything established: indigenous wild yeasts only, no fining, no filtration, minimal sulfites, no pesticides. He pushed Greek wine onto the international stage with unfiltered bottles that threw sediment and were considered eccentric. He won. Greek natural wine is now a movement. He started it here. Ask any staff member simply: 'Can you tell me about Haridimos?' This costs nothing, takes 3 minutes, and you will leave understanding why this winery exists and why it matters in ways that no wine score can communicate.

   🔄 BACKUP: The winery website (hatzidakiswines.gr) has a 'Identity' page with the family philosophy in Haridimos's own words - written before 2017. Read it before you arrive.

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