Bancroft

About Troupis Winery

Troupis is a family-owned winery founded in 2010, and based in the region of Mantinia PDO, in the Peloponnese, where they farm 10 hectares of vineyards. Although the Troupis family cultivated vines since the 1970s, it was only during the economic crisis when circumstances forced them to take the decision to create their own brand. The winery is run by Yiannis Troupis alongside his sister Panagiota (nicknamed ‘Pitsa’ by her family), her husband Kostas who oversees winemaking, and their young but extremely knowledgeable son Thodoris. Thodoris is currently studying for his Masters degree in Oenology, and already has already worked several vintages in Greece and abroad. Undoubtedly, he has a very bright future ahead of him.

The region of Mantinia is a high-altitude plateau (36 kilometres long and 16 kilometres wide) between the Menalo mountain and the Artemisio range. The winery and vineyards are located at 670 metres altitude. The rich red clay and sandy soils are home to the indigenous, pink-skinned, and lightly aromatic Moschofilero grape. Until Troupis arrived at the scene, Moschofilero was uniquely vinified as a white wine and indeed the Mantinia PDO remains a classification for white wines only.

The Troupis family were brave and experimental from the very start. They were the first winery to try and make skin contact wines from Moschofilero, back in 2015. Nowadays, their ever-expanding range includes numerous iterations of Moschofilero, from white and pale rosé to low intervention orange expressions and a 100 day-macerated wine that is less of a rosé and more of a light red. These wines highlight the astonishing versatility of Moschofilero, a variety with a lightly aromatic profile, high vivacious acidity, naturally low pH, and low tannins. The wines are truly a revelation. Troupis also make wines from grapes grown in neighbouring Nemea region, where they work with one contracted grower who farms Agiorgitiko and Mavrodaphne vines in the highest part of Nemea, at 900 metres altitude.

The Troupis labels bear images of mythical creatures from their respective areas. In Mantinia, it is the bestial god Pan, who is said to have been born in a cave in Mantinia. In Nemea, it is the Nemean Lion, one of the creatures Héracles was sent to slay as part of his twelve labours of penance.