The unknown history of wine from Arcadia that conquered the world

Kostas Spyropoulos' documentary "1900 Arcadia, Champagne d'Orient" tells the incredible story of the Papanikolaou brothers and their fine wine.

The Papanikolaou family's oenological feat began in the village of Rizes Tegea at the end of the 19th century. It was around 1885 when the news in the newspaper he was reading, that some Greek wines were being distinguished abroad, forced the strict father of the family, Spyridon Papanikolaou, to wonder within himself: "Why not me?" The ecclesiastical merchant and importer of precious stones realized that there is ... gold in the wine market and decided that it would be a good move to exploit the rich vineyards of the region. In fact, in order to be more certain of success, he forced two of his eight children to study oenology in order to discover new technical methods in winemaking.

The results were impressive, fully justifying the vision of Spyridon Papanikolaou, played by the well-known actor George Michalakopoulos. From 1885 to 1935 the Papanikolaou family produced champagne of fine quality and won international awards at the World Exhibitions of the time. In this way, they managed to get their brand name into the World Oenological Dictionary of Bordeaux, referring to Tegea as the 'place of production of sparkling wine comparable to the French'.

The scientific figurehead of the family winery was the oenologist Vasilios Papanikolaou who, after studying in Montpellier, was introduced to the traditional way of producing champagne and added, as early as 1900, innovative techniques which were included in the scientific literature 60 years later. In 1905, he even presented in Liège the pioneering method of vinification without the use of sulphur (the famous 'secret Papanicolaou recipe'), which we see clearly in the film in a tense scene as the grim father scolds his son for 'revealing the family's secrets to foreigners'!

The title of the film "Arcadia, the Campania of the East" comes from a quote by Vassiliou Papanikolaou in his book "Arcadia under Oenological Consideration" which proves that this vision was not an exaggerated ambition. It was based on the absolute similarity between the French province of Campania and the Mantinean plateau in terms of soil composition, microclimate, altitude and, in particular, the cultivation of the aromatic variety 'Fileri'.

The family's achievements do not stop there. They have exported to the largest international markets (France, Germany, USA,) opened six shops in Athens and a wine bar (since 1901 please! ) in Omonia, next to the "New Stage" Theatre of the director Konstantinos Christomanos, with whom they were friendly, won gold prizes at the biggest world exhibitions - Paris (1989 and 1900) Chicago (1893) Liège (1905) and San Francisco 1915 - while their original and highly aesthetic French replicas caused a great sensation. He told: A Bon Vin Pasd’ enseign. The fine wines don't need ads!

Music by Evanthia Reboutsika