On a piece of paper scrawled with a friend, we had just the name of a village on the island of Lemnos, Pedhino, and the name of a cellar, Kremidas ... After an arduous but fruitful search on the map of the island, we embark on the road Tsipouro, this alcohol-clear water of life, slightly sweet and very gentle, which the Greeks we met love . Arrived in the village of Pedhino, we soon spot a sign indicating the direction of the cellar by chance in the Latin alphabet. We arrive on site, of course the places are empty, but there is a phone number taped to the window, neither one nor both of us call and set an appointment with our interlocutor 6 hours later. At night, we return to the scene and therefore our 'contact' agrees to show us his machine. We follow by car into the center of the village, he opened the door of a cluttered old house utensils dusty as we cross to reach a kind of barn. The smell is powerful and candied grapes in the light of an old lamp, we discover the distillery to take the machine Tsipouro.
Our contact, a man in his mid-fifties, the air jovial and passionate, is embarking on a comprehensive explanation of the distillation process. We proudly present his machine dated 1935 which operates on a wood fire and can produce 45 liters of alcohol every precious distillation. It takes place in 2 stages: the first involves distilling the pomace of grapes (what remains of grapes after they are made wine) diluted in a little wine for 4 hours. Then, the product of this first distillation is mixed with anise syrup is again distilled. This second step allows a Tsipouro purer and clearer. In fact, we understand there are almost as many ways to produce Tsipouro there are producers: do not add some anise, others do only one distillation, others use the fuel at the expense Fire wood and quality of alcohol. Raki Tsipouro or, frankly, we're a little lost in the newspapers, it seems that the names vary by region, but also the presence or absence of anise in alcohol ...
This year, our contact has produced 200 liters of Tsipouro from 500 gallons of brandy. He says he is not but it buys winemaker grapes harvested in September to producers of the island from which it produces its own wine in September-October and then its Tsipouro end of October. Unfortunately we arrived too late this year, barely 24 hours after that long night in which alchemy was held in this barn out of sight and light. Our contact is a passionate, clerical, production Tsipouro is his second business. It's a family tradition as old as the still, passed for three generations. However, his two daughters will not resume may not be the torch, but our contact remains confident certain that the machine will continue to distil the elixir for many years.
And we leave at night on deserted roads of the island's richest meeting generous and a bottle of authentic Tsipouro.
This year, our contact has produced 200 liters of Tsipouro from 500 gallons of brandy. He says he is not but it buys winemaker grapes harvested in September to producers of the island from which it produces its own wine in September-October and then its Tsipouro end of October. Unfortunately we arrived too late this year, barely 24 hours after that long night in which alchemy was held in this barn out of sight and light. Our contact is a passionate, clerical, production Tsipouro is his second business. It's a family tradition as old as the still, passed for three generations. However, his two daughters will not resume may not be the torch, but our contact remains confident certain that the machine will continue to distil the elixir for many years.
And we leave at night on deserted roads of the island's richest meeting generous and a bottle of authentic Tsipouro.
