PAROS FARMING COMMUNITY, PAROS island, GREECE
This image of a horse on the island of Paros symbolises the strong winds found here & the freedom of curiosity and exploration that’s engrained in the island’s community.
Paros Farming Community brings together a network of 30 growers safeguarding approximately 8 hectares of old-vine vineyards, with an average vine age of 75–85 years. Prioritising quality and innovation over volume, the community produces fewer than 60,000 bottles annually from organically farmed plots, including rare pre-phylloxera vines. This marks the rebirth of an almost century-old cooperative, first established in 1929 and rooted in the early farming unions that shaped Paros’ agricultural and social identity through wine, cheese, and olive oil production.
Paros’ vineyards carry a viticultural history that stretches from the Cycladic Civilisation (3200–2000 BC) almost uninterrupted to the present day. The island is widely regarded as the preservation ark for the white variety Monemvassia, part of the Malvasia Oenos lineage, preserved through Venetian rule and remaining today the only Greek white grape permitted in a PDO red blend. Alongside it thrives Mandilaria, the deeply coloured and structured red variety long embedded across the Aegean, whose contemporary expression is being redefined under the guidance of master vigneron and visionary Dimitris Mansolas of Hetero Wines.
Image: Dimitris Mansolas of Hetero Wines.
The island’s topography and ancient geology have fostered a community deeply connected to its land. Old vines are cultivated using the traditional aplotaries system, trained low and stretched across the soil to form a living “vine carpet", a practice that has sustained Paros’ agricultural landscape for centuries. Today, the Paros Farming Community builds on this legacy by modernising production, safeguarding its phylloxera-free vineyards, and focusing exclusively on its two indigenous varieties to express their fullest potential. They make "wines for curious minds" and Their wine range is called Seiradi - a name with a twofold meaning: in agriculture, it describes a row of plants while in literature it depicts the invisible thread that connects the past, the present and the future.
Approaching its centenary, the community remains woven into the social fabric of the island. Its mission centres on training growers, strengthening local livelihoods, and honouring Paros’ agricultural heritage while embracing responsible, nature-led viticulture. Organic treatments, beneficial insects, and compost derived from the winery itself support a thriving vineyard microflora, ensuring the wines remain firmly rooted in the essence of Paros.
Image: Old vines are cultivated using the traditional aplotaries system, trained low and stretched across the soil to form a living “vine carpet", a practice that has sustained Paros’ agricultural landscape for centuries.