Aristotelis ke Anthoula was established by Tony Zafirakos as a gift to his parents. The winery, established by Tony in 2016, sources grapes from across southern New South Wales and South Australia’s Riverland. They have recently returned from Raw Wine Fair in New York City, where they showed their spring releases including 2023 Aristotelis ke Anthoula ‘Sonnyboy’ and 2022 Aristotelis ke Anthoula ‘Little Red’.
Aristotelis ke Anthoula grew from a family history of making wine each year in the garage. Tony’s parents Aristotelis and Anthoula, like many Mediterranean migrants, would gather the family to make wine each year. With knowledge and experience gleaned from the small villages in Greece they hailed from, the seed was sown.
Tony and his partner Maddison Park-Neilson operate the 40-tonne winery at Pambula on the NSW Far South Coast. “We aim to create natural, lo-fi wines with no additives that are pure and not overly polished,” explains Tony. “We are looking for something vibrant and alive that respects our winery’s origins as a garage operation.”
Tony spent many vintages honing his craft in Italy, Germany, and Greece. This includes Italy’s Jacopo Batista’s Ajola and Patricia Nelson’s Gazzetta, as well as 2Naturkinder with Michael and Melanie Voelker in Germany.
Maddison, who studied biomedical engineering, joined Tony after spending many years in hospitality. “The brand has gone from strength to strength since Maddison joined,” continues Tony. “She has helped with the evolution in quality of our wines, and she created and runs our series of wine classes, ‘A (Natural) Introduction to Wine’, which we hold across venues in Sydney and Merimbula.”
“We want to give voice to the resourceful aunties and uncles making wine in backyards across Australia; migrants that have brought a wealth of culture and knowledge with them. These are high-quality wines, made slowly with care, with the same intentions Tony’s parents had when they started making wine,” explains Maddison.
“We use an array of alternative varieties from different corners of the world, including drought resistant Mediterranean varieties, and we have recently planted a small nursery of disease resistant hybrid varieties. We make wine with anything that grows well in the climate we’re working with.”
The 2023 Aristotelis ke Anthoula ‘Sonnyboy’ is named after the illustrious triangular frozen treat. It is a blend of vermentino and zibibbo with skinsy characteristics, but without a lot of tannins. “This is a juicy, ripe drink with good acid that slurps down easily on its own or matched with a spicy meal.”
The 2022 Aristotelis ke Anthoula ‘Little Red’ blends five varieties from NSW’s Hilltops Region. “Fermented using a natural carbonic maceration, this is a juicy light red that comes alive with some chilling.
“A lot of what we are doing is due to our commitment to sustainability. The fruit we source is grown organically, with certification to follow in the coming years. We enjoy working closely with our grape growing partners who have a similar approach to sustainability.
“We are striving for a better future. Over the years, the number of barrels and amphorae has grown, the press is a little bigger, but not a lot else has changed. The lo-fi approach to wine has been retained, and it is evident in the wines themselves – a slice of the village in every bottle”.
Pricing & distribution: The Aristotelis ke Anthoula wines are distributed directly and available at akea.wine. They currently export to Japan, Canada, Korea, Thailand, and Philippines.
- 2023 Aristotelis ke Anthoula ‘Sonnyboy’ $39.00
- 2022 Aristotelis ke Anthoula ‘Little Red’ $35.00
For further information, samples, interviews, or images please contact:
David Cumming at Define Wine Marketing & Communications: 0414 736 342 and david@definewine.com.au
Tony Zafirakos & Maddison Park-Neilson at Aristotelis ke Anthoula: info@akea.wine