Sotiris Karagiannis is the winemaker at Achaia Clauss, aka House of Clauss, in the Patras PDO of Greece. He was born in 1978 in Galatas, Trizinia, and graduated from the University of West Attica with a degree in Oenology and Beverage Technology. His first harvest in 2000, completed during his internship, confirmed his decision to pursue a winemaking career.
He joined Antonopoulos Vineyards in 2001, gaining experience across all aspects of vineyard management and wine production. In 2013, he began collaborating with Achaia Clauss, the company’s parent organisation. In 2017, he helped launch Castro Clauss, an innovative line of wines produced entirely without the use of electricity at any stage of production — a project that reflects a commitment to sustainability and traditional craftsmanship.
He now serves as the Head Oenologist for the House of Clauss Group, overseeing Achaia Clauss, Antonopoulos Vineyards, and Castro Clauss. Media Inquiries: Sotiris Karagiannis achaia-sot@clauss.gr | https://houseofclauss.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
One of the most unique and fascinating aspects of the House of Clauss group is the diversity of challenges I am called to work on. We are dealing with entirely different terroirs, spread across varying altitudes — from 150 meters up to nearly 1,000 meters above sea level.
The place where I work is the very same location where Gustav Clauss began winemaking in 1861 — 164 years ago. Within these stone-built facilities, which are still in operation today, one truly feels the weight of history. Although the winery lies just seven kilometers from the city center, once you pass through the castle gates, it feels as if you’ve traveled centuries back in time.
The tranquility and energy of this place naturally inspire creativity — the drive to experiment with new products while honoring the century-old winemaking tradition that defines us. Among our treasures are vintage fortified Mavrodaphne wines dating back to 1873, resting in large casks of 2,500, 4,000, and even two monumental barrels of 13,190 liters each from the 1892 harvest.
This living legacy encapsulates the evolution of modern Greek winemaking. In tribute to those who left us these wines as their inheritance, we continue the tradition by filling one 4,000-liter barrel every year — a cask that will only be opened a hundred years from now, for future generations to taste.
The Mavrodaphne variety itself possesses remarkable potential, and we explore it through every possible expression — from sparkling and rosé wines to still dry reds, aged reds, fortified sweets, and naturally sweet sun-dried styles. The most authentic representation of the variety’s dynamic character, however, can be found in the Castro Clauss range — wines crafted without the use of any technological intervention. Each vintage reveals its unique personality, and we bottle only when we are completely satisfied with the result.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
I’m driven to push boundaries by exploring Greek grape varieties that remain largely unknown to the wider public. Greece has nearly 300 indigenous grapes, yet only a small number get real attention. My goal is to bring these lesser-known varieties forward — to place them on the global wine map as the future of the Greek vineyard and of high-quality Greek wine.
I’m already working with Pavlos, Skiadopoulo, and Vertzami — three varieties that have shown outstanding results and are now moving into bottle — along with several others still in the experimental stage. My vision is to collaborate with a vine nursery to vinify individual clones, study their differences, and understand their strengths. Through this work, I hope to help shape new wine styles that reveal the full diversity and potential of Greek viticulture.
What is One Wine of the most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
I chose the 2017 dry Mavrodaftni because it is the first wine we created without electricity, and the effort to express the variety in a dry form turned out wonderfully. It is also the first label of the Castro Clauus series, which marked the beginning of a new winemaking approach and a full expression of our vineyard’s terroir, with very old vines and exceptional low yields per hectare. We are proud of this and continue our effort to highlight these varieties with old vines, low yields, and minimal interventions both in winemaking and in the final product, which is bottled by hand, without filtration or any clarifying agent. Please read my review of the 2017 Mavrodaphne here.
Bonus Question: Why Winemaking?
For me, winemaking is the most creative thing a person involved with wine can do. You work with a fruit that you only get one chance a year to handle — and it’s never the same twice. Each harvest brings something new, and you are called to make countless decisions: from choosing the precise harvest date, to the winemaking techniques you’ll follow, the style of aging and maturation, the type of barrels you might use, and many other parameters that shape the final outcome.