By Nicolas Bard
In 1859, Gustav Klauss (Gustavos Klaus), a spokesman for the company “Fels and Co”, purchased an area of 82.6 acres, in the Riganokampos area, just outside Patras, from the landlord and raisin. The establishment of the company, in 1861, coincided with a period of general volatility in the Greek state, characterized by the void of power after the exile of Otto and awaiting its successor, as well as more general security issues and safeguarding the public order. As a result, winemaking was a frequent target of robbers attacks, and Klaus himself was targeted in various ambushes. This explains, to a large extent, the exterior of the castle -like winery. The building complex is like a small fort and in its middle we find the central tower.
In 1872 the owners of Fels and SIA, Theodoros Harbourger and Gustavos Claus decided to establish the company “Achaia Société Anonyme”. From 1873 to 1881 the management of the company was assumed by Emilios Verl. A decade later, in 1883, Gustavos Claus took over the company and by 1908 the company focused on the production of noble wines, such as Mavrodafni, as well as, to a lesser extent, on the production of Demester.
After the death of Claus, the company passed into Gunderd’s hands, but with the outbreak of World War I he was forced to sell the company and go abroad. Until 1920, the year the company passed into the hands of Vlassi Antonopoulos, Achaia Claus had significantly reduced its production. From 1920 onwards, with a short break during the Occupation, the company began to grow rapidly. The climax arrived in 1955, when the operation was undertaken by Konstantinos Antonopoulos, who supplied the winery with new machinery, and also took care of the recruitment of specialist scientists. In 1983 the company launched the new bottling. In 1997, Nikos Karapanos assumed the position of President and Managing Director.
Achaia Klaus has been honored with 15 large awards, 51 gold medals, 38 silver and 32 diplomas, and introduced the concept of wine tourism for the first time, as the winery was open to the general public. Today you can see many storage spaces, which can be up to 7,500 tonnes. The main of them are the warehouse with old blacks, the table wares, the underground tanks and the Danilis warehouse. Of particular interest is the so -called “imperial cellar”, whose barrels are souvenirs of Greek and foreign kings. The oldest wine in Greece, the old Mavrodafni of 1873, is kept in this area. Inside the building complex you will also see the Orthodox chapel of St. Thomas and the Roman Catholic chapel of St. George.
His camera where there is Greece visited this historic Winery of Patras and toured us on the intoxicating paths of his history.
Source: Skai
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
