Domaine de Kalathas

History

Domaine de Kalathas sits on the eastern Cycladic Island of Tinos. Prior to establishing his Domaine in 2011, Jerome Charles Binda worked as a graphic designer and art dealer in his native France. Having not come from a family of winemakers, it seemed a bit spontaneous when, at the age of forty-five, Jerome decided to become a farmer and a winemaker, focusing on the extraordinary potential he sensed in the Tinian heritage grapes. Following his intuitions and the goodwill of family and friends, he is now building a Domaine aimed at producing a rich palette of natural wines with an ever-learning attitude.

Farming Philosophy

Jerome’s commitment is to produce the finest expression of his non-phylloxeric granitic/sandy terroir, using manual techniques in the vineyards and the cellar. Organic-certified, he is building his own interpretation of biodynamics with patience and humility, according to the specific habitat of his vineyards: hand-harvesting and feet-treading before gentle vertical pressing, whole-cluster maceration, little temperature control, low-intervention winemaking in the cellar – all in an obstinate pursuit of healthy and self-sustained grapes in the vineyard. Domaine Kalathas produces white, rosé, orange, light red and deep red wines, fermented and aged in stainless-steel vats, as well as a few small cuvées in different types of clay vessels. Since 2016, everything is vinified and bottled with no added sulphur.

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Vineyard Site

There are no chemicals in the vines, no chemicals in the cellar, fermentations are spontaneous, and there no added sulfites. Jerome benefits from indigenous old vines as well as from a younger experimental and ‘franc-de-pied’ vineyard. Most of these vines are more than 150 years old, from varieties including native Aspro and Mavro Potamisi, Koumariano, G'durra (Kondoura or Tinian Mandilaria), and Rozaki. These are the core of Jerome’s heritage vines safeguard project - aiming at protecting and developing the Tinian traditional own-rooted "crawling" vineyards and supporting local activity in helping the young generation keep their heritage alive while building a sustainable future. Facing northeast to southeast on the slopes of the Falatados mountains, at an altitude of 320 to 400m, subject to very strong Aegean Sea salty winds, the vineyards are used to dealing with extreme weather conditions and a low amount of organic matter. On the other hand, they benefit from unique geology and a striking balance between sunlight exposure and windborne freshness.