Vasilis Vaimakis is a negociant producing exclusively zero sulfite wines and an elder figure in Greek wine.  With a truly distinct perspective and a staggering depth of experience and knowledge,  Vaimakis is the kind of sharp eyed mystic one dreams of meeting.  

 

Vasilis Vaimakis first came to the lake region of Amyndeo (Greek Macedonia) in the 1970’s without formal education or mentorship. “I had to invent ways to work,” he says.  Although his passion and curiosity eventually earned him a PhD, his early lessons were experiential.  Like many negociants, Vaimakis believes in a technical approach but his values are distinct.  He aims to preserve turbidity in the wines as he believes the suspended proteins enrich the flavor.  He vinifies wholly without the addition of sulfites, emphasizing oxidation and temperature as his principle points of control.  “We can’t do it as my father did it,” he says, “we must use the scientific knowledge to develop a new sector.”