Domaine Karanika is a three-level winery on a slope at the banks of Lake Vegoritida, between the villages of Amyntaio, Vegora and Lakkia. The vinifivation operates under the law of gravity and thanks to the winery's special design, wines are produced without the disastrous effects of pumping and filtering.
The domaine was founded by Laurens M. Hartman - Karanika and Annette van Kampen. Laurens comes from a Greek mother and a Dutch father. Both he and his wife Annette were born and raised in the Netherlands, where they worked for about 15 years in various publishing management positions before deciding to pursue their dream: to produce high quality wine. They have been trained as winemakers, oenologists and wine growers in both Europe and the United States for many years. They carefully considered every possible option, from Australia to Germany, but their love for the amazing variety of Xinomavro led them to Amyntaio, Greece.
The philosophy of the winery dictates the elemental handling of grapes and wines and the avoidance of chemical additives. We are not trying to control nature, but to follow it. In particular, the transport of must and grapes is carried out without the use of a pump, but by gravity. For the production of wine, the method of manual pressing of the grapes is used for the wetting of the piegage, only sulfur compounds and montmorillonite are added to the wine, while homeopathic solutions are used for spraying the vineyard. In the winery and vineyard we work according to Maria Thun's biodynamic diary so that our wines reflect the typical microclimate characteristics of the area, have rich aromas, clear color and a remarkable aftertaste. Our goal is not to produce pompous wines, but honest wines.
