Gerovassiliou Estate

10/01/2025
Best Practices, Businesses

Title - Name

Scope / Sector / Industry

wine tourism

Country / Region

Greece, Thessaloniki, Epanomi

Why is it good practice?

The Gerovassiliou Estate exemplifies good winemaking practice, offering a variety of activities centred on wine and beyond. It is a place where the tradition of winemaking intersects with other forms of culture, serving not only as a winery but also as a cultural centre where Greek art and the tradition of winemaking are harmoniously combined and showcased to visitors. At the same time, it is a company that, in practice, recognises its responsibility towards the environment and its protection, and acts in accordance with the principles of sustainability.

How is it applied?

The Gerovasileiou family has been active in the wine industry since 1981. The estate, comprising the winery and vineyards, is situated on the slopes of Epanomi, 25 kilometres from Thessaloniki. The vineyard covers an area of 950 acres, three sides of which border the sea, and both Greek and international grape varieties are grown there.

The company’s aim is to produce high-quality wines from the family’s privately owned vineyard, reflecting the characteristic features of the area’s microclimate (terroir), whilst at the same time carrying out ongoing experimentation to study both well-known and lesser-known Greek and international grape varieties.

In addition to the winery, the estate is also home to the Gerovassiliou Wine Museum, which showcases the history of wine. The museum comprises two major collections: one featuring corkscrews, bottles, vases and ancient Greek banquet artefacts, and the other comprising tools used in viticulture, winemaking, barrel-making and bottling. The Gerovassiliou family began collecting tools relating to viticulture, winemaking, bottling and barrel-making from all over the world as early as 1976. The corkscrew collection in particular, which dates back to the 1970s, comprises more than 2,600 mechanical and non-mechanical corkscrews and is considered the 10th largest in the world, with the oldest corkscrew dating back to the 17th century.

The vineyard also features 38 large-scale works of art by contemporary and past artists.
There is also a restaurant, a café and a shop in the Visitor Reception Building.

As part of its programme of experiences, the Estate offers a variety of activities, which are briefly outlined below:

A visit and tour of the vineyard with a wine guide, followed by a tour of the production and bottling areas and the Wine Museum.
Tastings, some of which are accompanied by food.
Educational programmes designed to familiarise children with the vine and its products, the winemaking processes, and an exploration of the concept of quality in relation to the production and consumption of products, etc. Depending on the age of the educational groups, the winery has devised a special programme, which in some cases includes suggestions for activities to be carried out before and after the visit.
A meal featuring vegetables and herbs grown on the estate itself.
Purchases of standard products from the Estate itself – such as salt dipped in Avaton red wine, olive oil made from the Estate’s olives, petimezi and mustoukouloura – from the Museum shop, along with the wines.

In addition to the above, a series of events takes place throughout the wine year, centred on two themes: wine and the museum. As regards the events focusing on wine, there are private tasting sessions held throughout the year, such as seminars for beginners, wine and food pairing sessions, wine-themed games, and so on. As for the events centred on the museum, these are not necessarily related to wine. For example, the museum invites speakers to talk about theatre, history, poetry, science, etc. Occasionally, temporary exhibitions of photography and musical instruments, as well as musical and theatrical performances, are also hosted.

In addition to the services provided by the winery, another important reason why the Gerovassiliou Estate is a model wine tourism business is that it makes a significant effort towards sustainability. In this context, the family is committed to environmental protection and strives to ensure full compliance with all environmental standards, whilst prioritising the improvement of business performance. Specifically, it focuses on reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, whilst investing in effective strategies to tackle climate change.

The specific measures it implements are summarised below:

Implementation of organic cultivation for some of the wine grapes (Xinomavro).
The use of manual labour in a number of agricultural tasks – including harvesting.
Creation of a production area in accordance with bioclimatic criteria.
Installation of a photovoltaic plant with a capacity of 459.8 KWP to fully meet the company’s energy requirements, thereby helping to reduce its environmental footprint. At the winery, four buildings meet all their energy requirements through solar power.
Storage of surplus energy from photovoltaic systems for future use.
Replacement of all lighting with LED bulbs.
The entire Clark fleet will be powered by electricity, with a significant reduction in the use of oil.
Installation of two electric vehicle charging points, for use by company vehicles and visitors.
Construction of a liquid waste treatment facility for the winery, with a final product capacity of 750 tonnes per year. The facility is designed to treat the winery’s liquid waste, which is generated during the harvesting and winemaking processes. The treated waste can be used for the unlimited irrigation of the vines in the Estate’s vineyard.
Development of drainage schemes for optimal water management in the vineyards.

Where is it applied?

The Gerovassiliou Estate, owing to its location (very close to the city centre of Thessaloniki), is a winery that is easily accessible to visitors, as well as to schools in the wider area. Thanks to its wide range of educational and cultural activities, it is a place worth visiting for both educational and leisure purposes. It is also suitable for people with disabilities, as it is fully accessible.

When did it apply?

The Gerovassiliou Estate began producing wine in 1981.

Results

The winery has won numerous national and international awards for its wines and other products. Some of these awards are listed below:

“One of the 100 best wineries in the world” for eight years, as ranked by the renowned American magazine *Wine and Spirits*.
“Winery of the Year” by the European Oenogastronomic Brotherhoods Council of Spain (2009).
“One of the six best wine producers in the world” according to the Wein Gourmet Awards in Germany (2006).
“The best wine producer in the Eastern Mediterranean” by the International Wine & Spirit Competition in the United Kingdom (2005).
Gold medal from *Alles über Wein – Das internationale Magazin für Wein* (Germany) (2004).

Other information

Since 2016, the Gerovassiliou Estate has been certified with the “ELLA-DIKA MAS” mark, having met the required quantitative and qualitative criteria: Greek ownership, Greek production, Greek products, alongside participation in environmental and social initiatives, a commitment to health and worker safety, product safety and consumer protection.

In addition, the production process at the winery complies with all hygiene and food safety requirements, as set out in the quality and food safety management system in place, which is certified to the ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 standards.

It has also been awarded the “ETHOS” mark for its corporate social responsibility, having implemented practices that promote human rights, environmental protection and ethical and responsible governance.

In this context, the “Code of Ethics” has been drawn up with the aim of setting out the general principles and rules governing Gerovassiliou Management’s commitment to its employees, as well as the professional conduct of all employees of the Estate.

The official website of the Gerovassiliou Estate is: https://www.gerovassiliou.gr/