A leading figure of Santorinian wine died December 12 2011 He was 64 Argyros was the antithesis of the egodriven winemaker Man of few words modest Not easy to get much out of him either Disciplined and hardworking He let his wines do the talking His grandfather founded Canava Argyros in 1903 When Yannis took over in 1974 Santorinian wine fortunes had been in decline since the 1956 earthquake when a large chunk of the middle class emigrated to Athens or abroad Born into a farming family they did not only grow grapes Tomato paste was big back then as witnessed by the nine now defunct canneries that lie abandoned or have been converted into night clubs and beach bars
For 17 years I visited his vineyards and Canava Clamlike he slowly opened up Eventually in a measured and frank manner we spent precious hours tasting from dozens of Vinsanto casks and older vintages of bonedry wines However it was his profound understanding of the shrinking Santorinian subregions Akrotiri Megalochori Pyrgos Episkopi Imerovigli that was truly impressive He also knew who the best farmers were These were some of the fascinating aspects of this selftaught winemaker His legacy lives on in the stunning collection of Vinsanto In fact it was this mans persistence and continuous investment that singlehandedly repositioned Santorini Vinsanto as Greeces top sweet wine One of the great dessert wines to find anywhere in the world it is expensive to produce and requires extensive ageing Rewards include a searing acidity and a unique mineral character His son Mattheos 29 has been groomed to continue this family business now in its fourth generation
On my last visit in June 2011 prior to his being diagnosed with cancer I entered his tiny courtyard He had some type of measuring instrument made of transparent material It resembled a bicycle pump I had never seen anything like it before He pumped and looked at the gauge What is this I asked to which he retorted You tell me My deduction was that he was checking carbonic gas levels of the 2010 vintage It was so that was Yannis Always thinking ahead Always the perfectionist protecting his wines During the course of 40 years he amassed the finest reserves of the islands Vinsanto In my The Greek Wine Guide and The Illustrated Greek Wine Book his vintage Vinsanto was the only one regularly garnering 5 stars
The last time I saw him was under happy circumstances His great love was horses He kept a couple He was riding out with one of his soninlaws on a balmy Saturday afternoon They rode out to Monolithos a black volcanic beach Skimming the waves of the Aegean Brimming with joy A humble and gentle man Farewell Yannis Argyros