Apostolos Mountrichas, a winemaker from the island of Evia, fell in love with Santorini and its wines in the early 2000s. Mountrichas, the accomplished owner of Avantis Estate, which had already conquered the Greek market with a great Syrah, began work on his Santorini project in 2012; by 2019, his new Anhydrous was fully operational, housed near Fira in a building that had once been an old cinema.
The building was completely renovated to accommodate a production area, an indoor wine-tasting area and a beautiful courtyard. In the production area, there are stainless steel tanks, cement and clay vats, and the large traditional oak barrels called “afoura” for the production of the wines, mainly made from Assyrtiko grapes. The winery produces six different labels, but the total production is still very small, no more than 10,000 bottles annually.
“We have a lot of people coming in but not enough wine,” says Mountrichas, referring to last year’s very bad harvest. He believes that yields are going to be extremely low this year as well, making it enormously difficult for winemakers to find enough grapes for their production. Nonetheless, he is optimistic about the future, especially after his acquisition of 100 hectares of land in one of the best parts of the island, which he has already planted with Assytiko.
The menus, tailored to accompany the wines, are designed by executive chef Michalis Marthas, and executed by chef Christodoulos Christodoulou. Guests can choose between the four set menus on offer, or they can order a la carte.
On our visit, as we were coming back to the courtyard from the production area, we came across some visitors taking a cooking class offered on the premises, learning how to prepare – among other local dishes – the island‘s domatokeftedes, or tomato fritters. Mounthrichas is happy to tell us that the restaurant has been a great success since it first opened in 2021 and that it now welcomes more than 30,000 guests annually.
FOOD AND WINE TASTING MENU
As there were two of us, we had the opportunity to taste a different menu each: one based on products produced on the land, and the second one based on seafood. The wines were perfectly chosen to accompany all the delicious dishes we tried.
MARE MENU
- Ospriada (a bean-and-chickpea salad) with smoked eel, tomato, zucchini, and aromatic herbs.
WINE PAIRING
Αnhydrous Santorini, a wine made from Assyrtiko, Aidani and Athiri. It has aromas of lemon and lime, and a mineral character. On the palate, the wine is dry, with refreshing acidity and a salty aftertaste that pairs perfectly with the dish.
- Grilled Octopus with Santorini fava (a local delicacy), onions, capers and sun-dried tomatoes.
WINE PAIRING
Αnhydrous Afoura, 100% Assyrtiko, a wine with a complex mineral character, with aromas of citrus against a background of nuts.
- Grilled sea bass with orzo barley, Greek saffron (Krokos kozanis), and a Bolognese sauce made with cured pork.
WINE PAIRING
Αnhydrous Icon, 100% Assyrtiko. the winery’s classic Santorini wine, it matures in an oval con- crete vat for nine months on the lees, giving it great structure and complexity.
- “An alternative galaktoboureko”, a caramelized filo pastry with rice cream, honey jelly and ice cream.
WINE PAIRING
Anhydrous Vinsanto, the winery’s version of the famed sweet dessert wine of Santorini.
TERRA MENU
- Crunchy zucchini with olive-oil pie, white cheese (anthotiro), black sesame and mint.
WINE PAIRING
Αnhydrous Two Islands, a varietal wine.
- Tomato fritter with tomato jam, yoghurt , zucchini, cucumber and crunchy gruyere.
WINE PAIRING
Αnhydrous Grace, a rosé from Mandilaria and Aidani. The aromas of fresh red fruit, raspberries and cherries pair nicely with the dish.
- Moussaka croquette with roasted pepper cream and white cheese (anthotiro).
WINE PAIRING
Αvantis Syrah. The wine comes from the estate’s other winery, Avantis, on the island of Evia, and is one of that establishment’s bestselling labels .
- Carob cake with chocolate namelaka, red fruit sorbet and crunchy chocolate.
WINE PAIRING
Anhydrous Sweet Sun, a dessert wine made from a blend of Santorini grape varieties.
