Ios Winery Rematies Cyclades, made from the Monemvasia grape is a gloriously coloured wine with hints of gold. Its complex aromas of orange blossom and wild herbs lead to a medium-bodied texture with layers of steely fruit. The palate is balanced with a long mineral intensity and a vibrant finish. Its rarity makes it a unique and sought after wine, as it is normally only available on the island of Ios!

Critic Review

Decanter Magazine: 92Pts
Drinking Window: 2023 - 2025

"From a terraced schist vineyard planted at 800m on the island of Ios, this is an intensely mineral and fresh white. Herbal and orange blossom aromas lead to a textured palate with vibrant acidity. Steely mineral notes, freshly sliced lemons, salinity, leading to a crisp, mouthwatering finish. Memorable. Only 1,320 bottles produced."
Julie Sheppard

JancisRobinson.com: 16.5Pts

"Intense aroma of yellow fruit and white blossom but gently stony too. Moderate acidity, the freshness due as much to the fruit purity as to actual acidity, it seems. Aromas and flavours of pear and a subtle stony mineral quality. Fills the mouth but finishes fresh and almost spicy. Good length."
Julia Harding MW

About the Producer

Inspired by working with the legendary Haridimos Hatzidakis on neighbouring Santorini, brothers Alex and Angelos Delis established this tiny micro-winery in 2015. Located on the island of Ios, the vineyard is planted with suitable Aegean grapes such as Monemvasia and Assyrtiko, on soils which are mainly schist, imparting incredible minerality to the wines. The wines are made as ‘naturally as possible’, in a gravity-fed winery using only minimal sulphur at bottling. They make miniscule amounts of wine; normally the only place you can try their wines is on Ios.

Vineyard and Winery

The grapes come from a hillside vineyard, 800 metres north of the winery, which is protected from the northerly winds. The eight year old vines have been orientated to maximise exposure to the sun. Trained using a unique bilateral cordon system developed by their father, the vines are low to the ground, protecting from the very windy conditions of the Cyclades region. The vineyard is characterised by its terraces, which make it difficult to use machinery, therefore cultivation is by hand. The soil in the vineyards is rocky schist, imparting distinctive mineral flavours to the wine; it is also high in clay content which retains moisture, nourishing the vines through the hot, dry summer. Rainfall is scarce on Ios, with only double the rainfall of the Sahara desert, and as a result, yields are low and the resulting wines are rich in flavour. Following a philosophy of natural viticulture, chemical pesticides and fertilisers are not used in the vineyards. The practices used are close to organic, with a copper-sulphur solution being sprayed as a preventative measure following rain. Manual harvesting takes place during the cooler hours from dawn until 10am.

This wine was vinified with minimal intervention in a gravity-fed winery. The selected grapes were transferred via conveyor belt to the destemmer and then gently pressed in the pneumatic press. The must flowed by gravity into the tank where it was chilled and clarified. The must was fermented in stainless steel tanks to retain the purity of fruit and characteristics of the terroir. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was chilled in tank at 10°C for five to six months to clarify and stabilise the wine. This wine was made in tiny quantities, only 1,320 bottles were produced.