DOMAIN SPIROPOULOS

History

The Spiropoulos family has maintained close ties with vineyards and wine since the late 19th century. A witness to this relationship is the family's old winery, which is located just a few yards from the main installations in ancient Mantinia. It is estimated that this building was built around 1890 and one can notice two wine presses and underground tanks for the collection of the grape must.

The family has always owned vineyards. Of course, these vineyards provided wine only for the family and were not utilized for commercial activities. This changed, though, in the 1970s. It was then that Epaminondas Spiropoulos, guided more by his instinct and less by logic, evaluated the special conditions prevalent in the area of Mantinia for vineyard cultivation and, more importantly, realized how special the Moschofilero variety of grapes was, as well as its potential. Thus, he purchased land in the area of Artemisio of Mantinia and that is where he installed and cultivated one, if not the first, of the underpinned linear vineyards of Arcadia and Peloponnesus covering an area of approximately 12 stremata (approximately 3 acres). The vineyards grew and the family's production of grapes greatly exceeded their needs. As a logical result, the excess grapes were sold. This was, in essence, the first act that established Domaine Spiropoulos in its current form. Events followed a further course, bringing us to the middle of the '80s when the family then owned approximately 80 stremata (approx. 20 acres) of vineyards.

However, the value of Moschofilero had not yet been recognised. With very few exceptions, this variety of grape was sold at a very low price and was usually mixed with other varieties of white grapes from all parts of Greece for the improvement of plain table wines. That is when Epaminondas Spiropoulos decided, first on his own and then with his two brothers, to create Domaine Spiropoulos. Finally, the family's grapes would receive the recognition they deserved! Consequently, developments followed an upward trend and 22 years after the incorporation of the company, Domaine Spiropoulos is as we know it today. Solely a family enterprise with sales in Greece and countries in all corners of the world and, most importantly with a name in the world and the market of wine.

The Present

In its current form, the company has been incorporated since 1987 under the name ARKAS SA by the brothers Epaminondas Spiropoulos (dentist), Robertos Spiropoulos (electrical engineer, employee of OTE) and Yiannis Spiropoulos (teacher of mathematics). Since the late 1990s, the sons of Epaminondas and Robertos, Apostolos E. Spiropoulos and Apostolos R. Spiropoulos have also participated in the capital stock of the company. The vineyards of the estate are located in the center of Peloponnesus in the Mantinias plateau at an altitude of approximately 650 meters, as well as in the area of the ancient Nemea at an altitude of 400 meters. In total, more than 500 stremata (125 acres) are cultivated with varieties of grapes such as Moschofilero, Agiorgitiko, Lagorthi, Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah, as well as other varieties. DOMAINE SPIROPOULOS has, at the moment, a basic production unit (winery) in the area of ancient Mantinia of the prefecture of Arcadia within the zone of OPAP of Mantinia, which is also the 'headquarters' and primary site of the company. In September of 2007, the new winery of the Domaine began operating in the area of ancient Nemea, prefecture of Corinthia, in the zone of OPAP of Nemea on a privately owned tract of land belonging to the company which covers an area of 100 stremata (approx. 25 acres). The first phase of operations, concerning two buildings for production, maturation and storage, as well as smaller areas for wine tasting and customer service, is 100% complete. The construction of the third building for administration purposes, but mainly for areas to provide services to visitors to Domaine Spiropoulos, has been planned for the near future.

All facilities and operations of Domaine Spiropoulos have been awarded certifications in accordance with ISO 9002 between 2000 and 2003, ISO 9001, ISO 22000 (HACCP) and ISO 14001 since December of 2006. Since 1993, all vineyards of the company have been certified by the Organization of Control and Certification of Biological Products (DIO) (organic cultivation in accordance with regulation 2092/92 of the EU) and since 2003, they have been certified by BIO-SUISS with the standards DELINAT, which are privately established and very strict and determine not only strict standards for organic cultivation of vineyards (much stricter than regulation 2092/92), but also very strict standards for all phases of production in the winery, from the use of raw materials up to the use of detergents, etc. Also, Domaine Spiropoulos has been entitled to use the BIO marking of the German Department of Agriculture for all its organic products since 2004. Currently, Domaine Spiropoulos is in the process of certification by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), according to the American standards of organic cultivation and wine making.

From all the above, the commitment of Domaine Spiropoulos to the protection of the environment is more than obvious. Other elements supporting this fact are:

• The recycling of paper, glass and plastic, which takes place in the production areas at the expense of the company itself (since there are no recycling programs in the nearby cities).
• Provision for the collection and utilization of rainwater at the new unit in ancient Nemea, etc.
• Etc.

Domaine Spiropoulos also places great emphasis on the utilization of technology and innovation in all aspects of its activities. Some examples are:

• The importation of special vineyard equipment from other countries during the '80s and '90s, when such equipment was not available in Greece.
• The utilization of cutting edge equipment in all phases of production, which is also reconfigured and renewed each year with significant investments.
• A small but modern laboratory for quality assurance.
• The purchase of the ERP system in 2004, which includes all activities of the company, from the vineyard itself up to sales, in full harmonization and conformity with all ISO systems.

The permanent staff of the Domaine includes 18 employees, of which 7 hold higher education degrees, 2 of which hold degrees from technical schools and Professional Education Centers (IEK) and the rest are high school and lyceum graduates. These 15 employees do not include members of the Spiropoulos family who participate in the operations of the company. It is noteworthy that to this day, no employee has been terminated and only 4 employees have resigned for personal reasons (relocation, positions in the public sector, etc.). The senior employee of the company was also the first to be hired when the company was incorporated in 1987.

As far as sales, great emphasis is strategically placed on the international markets and as a result, 25-30% of the sales of the Domaine take place in more than 10 foreign countries, in Europe, Asia and North America. As far as the Greek market, Domaine Spiropoulos entered into a strategic cooperation with the company V. S. Karoulias in 2005 for the exclusive distribution of its products throughout Greece. Domaine Spiropoulos strives for and is highly active in the area of research, although no separate R & D department exists due to the small size of the company. Thus, the company participates in research programs with the Agricultural University of Athens, the Organization of Control and Certification of Biological Products (DIO) and the National Research Institute in programs funded by the EU or the General Secretariat for Research and Technology. In recent years, Domaine Spiropoulos has made 5 original announcements at 5 different international scientific conventions (Turkey, Italy, Greece, etc.) and during the period from 2007-2008, two of its publications were accepted in accredited scientific magazines of international reputation and prestige.

Since its incorporation, the company has participated, and still actively participates, in organizations and unions of its industry that participate in the shaping and modification of policies and strategies for the sector of wine in Greece and abroad (Greek Wine Federation ΣΕΟ), Inter-Professional Organization for Vineyards & Wine (ΕΔΟΑΟ), Association of Wine Makers of Peloponnesus (ΕΝΟΑΠ), Association of Wine Makers and Vineyard Owners of Nemea (ΕΝΟΑΝ), Association of Organic Farmers, etc).

Finally, Domaine Spiropoulos participates, with a percentage of 30%, in the capital stock of the company of organic dairy products ECOFARM OF PELOPONNESUS SA.

Vision

Our vision is for Domaine Spiropoulos to be the most successful and well-known boutique winery of Peloponnesus, in Greece and abroad, and that it becomes a model for the industrial food production units in Greece and Europe.

Our values include:

• Honesty and integrity
• Passion and creativity in all expressions of our work, as well as our lives
• Absolute respect and protection for the environment
• Innovation.

more in : www.domainspiropoulos.com