Our Master Vigneron, Stephane Derenoncourt will be presenting Clos Stegasta Mavrotragano Rare 2022 (99 points) and Clos Stegasta Asyrtiko 2024 (97 points).

Precision. Terroir. Intensity.
Wines that speak of wind, granite and Aegean light — recognized among the finest in the world.

See you in the US:

March 2nd & 3rd, New York

March 5th & 6th, Miami

March 8th, San Francisco

Book your ticket at https://www.jamessuckling.com/

The Cycladic island of Tinos has always been shaped by extremes: relentless meltemi winds, dazzling light, and a harsh, rock-strewn landscape that seems almost otherworldly. Today, that same raw environment is giving rise to a remarkable “new wave” of Greek wines—defined by precision, intensity, and a striking sense of place.

In Failoni’s feature, Tinos is described as a territory of singular beauty, punctuated by bizarre rock formations that look as if they fell from the sky. In the glass, the island’s identity translates into salinity, concentration, and a deep, clean, resonant finish—wines that feel carved from the elements rather than simply made.

At the heart of this movement stands T-OINOS, a pioneering estate of modern Tinian viticulture, with vineyards near the village of Falatados. The project is ambitious by nature—demanding in effort, uncompromising in vision—built around organic and biodynamic farming on terrain that can be capricious, yet, at its best, profoundly generous.

The story begins in 1999, when Greek founder Alexandre Avatangelos and Gérard Margeon, head sommelier for the Alain Ducasse group, joined forces to establish T-OINOS. In 2016, the team welcomed renowned winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt, further refining an already exacting approach to expressing Tinos through its most compelling varieties—most notably Assyrtiko and Mavrotragano.

The international recognition has been emphatic. The article highlights Clos Stegasta Rare 2022 (Mavrotragano)—a tiny production of around 2,000 bottles—awarded 99/100 by James Suckling, who spoke of energy and intensity. Equally telling, an Assyrtiko 2023 (a barrel sample slated for release) is noted at 98/100, reinforcing the estate’s trajectory across both red and white expressions.

These are wines born “between rock and wind,” in a landscape that feels lunar—remote, elemental, almost atavistic. And yet they are anything but rustic: they are focused, profound, and crystalline, carrying the tension and clarity that only a place like Tinos can give.

Tinos is no longer a quiet outpost on the Aegean wine map. It is a benchmark. And T-OINOS is one of the reasons why.

The word “Philótimo” is unique to the Greek language with no direct translation, and it encompasses several concepts at the same time: appreciation, selflesseness, empathy, humility, pride, giving without expectation of return, to mention the most important ones.

The video includes landscapes from Tinos and the Stegasta plateau, people working on the vines, and of course Alain’s unique composition and performance in situ.

Watch the video on YouTube here

T-OINOS, the iconic wine estate from Tinos, took center stage during these culinary evenings, offering guests a rare opportunity to discover the depth, energy, and uniqueness of its wines. Carefully paired with traditional and contemporary Greek dishes, T-OINOS wines sparked admiration and enthusiastic comments from guests, many of whom were tasting them for the first time.

The presence of T-OINOS at such a prestigious international brand event further confirms its status as one of Greece’s most remarkable wine success stories. As recently featured in Les Echos, France’s leading financial daily owned by LVMH, T-OINOS was described by Jean-Francis Pécresse as “a Greek giant” – a label that reflects both its bold vision and its ability to express the spiritual and elemental power of the Cycladic landscape through wine.

From the granite soils of Tinos to the sleek, modern elegance of the Range Rover House, this collaboration offered a memorable meeting of heritage, innovation, and timeless luxury.

Read the full article below…

T-OINOS, A GREEK GIANT
By Jean-Francis Pécresse

If we ever needed proof, to us wine lovers, that Greece, its deities and heroes have not left the land of living myths, it is surely in the wines of this country where, for the past fifteen years, a new golden age has begun. Because among the most beautiful wines of the last twenty years, ten are from two men, one Greek and one French, who decided to give Tinos Island the destiny of a great wine. T-Oinos, as the name suggests.

A Greek philosopher, then a businessman, Alexandre Avatangelos, a native of Corfu, had the idea, a century after another, to plant vines on granite soils. Because these vines had disappeared, uprooted in the 20th century by the islanders. If there is (still) wine in the Cyclades, it is thanks to Tinos and its rebirth. In 2016, consultant oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt, then theologian turned winemaker, joined the adventure. Since the lazy irrigation of the plants, Claus Steggasta, the other soul of T-Oinos, has tirelessly led the vineyards and faced the challenge of producing great wines in such harsh conditions as granite and wind.

With love, patience, and difficulty at times, the wines have ended up achieving their goal, becoming the ambassadors of this vibrant Greek energy. This extraordinary vitality reflects the light of the Cyclades. Today, Claus Steggasta pushes the ambition even further into greater purity, which expresses the soul. It is not only a return to ancient sacredness but the dawn of a dynamic that few people saw coming. Perhaps a new era.

T-Oinos, Clos Stegasta blanc 2023, approx. €96. terresmillesimes.com

If you would like to read the full article follow the link here.

Plumes d’ Or du Vin et de la Gastronomie is a prestigious gala dinner orchestrated by 4 Great Chefs, where in front of an assembly of guests of 400 people, five journalists and personalities from the world of wine and gastronomy are presented with a trophy during a unique ceremony.

Among this year’s awarded personalities was our own Jacques Perrin for his book L’ Archipel du Gout.