Winemaker
Vassilis Kanellakopoulos
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Korakochori, Greece
i. Biography
Vassilis Kanellakopoulos runs Mercouri Estate in Korakochori, Greece, where the work has been to replant, renovate, expand, and turn the vineyard into a modern winery. The scale of that effort is best measured in his own plain account: “We started with one pair and now have around 40.” It is a useful line because it names the work in the units that matter: field by field, row by row, season by season.
The Path
Training at Athens Technical University and Surrey University gave Vassilis Kanellakopoulos a base shaped by both Greek and international study. That matters in a job that depends on reading a place closely while also making practical changes to keep it working. At Mercouri Estate, the task is stewardship with a production mandate: maintain what gives the property its character, and adjust what the present requires.
The Work Today
The work at Mercouri Estate is anchored in the vineyard, where patience has been turned into structure and continuity. The move to a modern winery did not replace the estate’s character; it organized it, so the site could keep moving forward without losing its identity. The estate’s signature red is made in two traditional styles: Refosco Mercouri and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso. The wines sit inside a broader discipline of keeping a historic red alive through practical work in the vineyard and cellar.
Signature
Refosco Mercouri and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso are the names most closely tied to Vassilis Kanellakopoulos’s work. They locate the estate’s identity in a historic red and in the decision to sustain it through contemporary production. The point is not novelty; it is continuity, maintained through care, labor, and the demands of a working vineyard.
Acclaim
The recognition here is tied to continuity: a historic red carried through two named Refosco expressions and a vineyard remade for modern winemaking. At Mercouri Estate, achievement is visible in the sequence from what the property was to what it has become, without breaking the line between those two states. For Vassilis Kanellakopoulos, that is the standard: a living estate, shaped by family effort, enduring vines, and renewal that keeps faith with the site.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Vassilis
What is Vassilis Kanellakopoulos's current role?
As of 2026, Vassilis Kanellakopoulos is Managing Director.
Where did Vassilis Kanellakopoulos train or study?
Vassilis Kanellakopoulos trained at Athens Technical University and Surrey University.
What is Vassilis Kanellakopoulos known for?
He and his brother replanted, renovated, expanded, and transformed the vineyard into a modern winery.
