Vingårdene: Gentilini winery Kefalonia Island.

1978. Having spent time in the beautiful wine country of Cape Town, Spiro Kosmetatos returned to his ancestral island of Kefalonia and planted his first acre of an obscure local white grape variety with the vision of creating a world class wine in Greece.

1984. The first tiny vintage of Gentilini was released simultaneously in Athens and London. At the time Spiro was a pioneer in fine wine making in Greece and paved the way for other boutique wineries that followed.

2020. Now in his 80’s, Spiro is still fit and active and his mind is razor sharp. Although he enjoys helping out in the vineyards from time to time, he is busy as President of the Focas-Cosmetatos Foundation which operates a museum and runs cultural programs for children. Under his leadership, the Foundation has blossomed and 1998 saw the establishment of the Cephalonia Botanica which aims to preserve the local flora by collaborating with seed banks and other botanical gardens around the world. Both the charming museum in Argostoli and the lovely Botanica on the outskirts of the town are open to visitors throughout the summer.

The winery and vineyards have now passed to the next generation.

2002. Spiros’ daughter Marianna and her husband Petros Markantonatos took over the estate.

Growing up, Marianna assisted with harvests and in the winery when she could during school and university breaks. Since supplies and equipment were hard to come by in Greece she would often bring back yeast and pipettes in her suitcase! Her studies took her to America where she graduated from the Hotel School at Cornell University and began a career with the Sheraton group. It seemed as though she would follow a path away from wine.

Petros was born in Melbourne, Australia to Kefalonian parents. He graduated from RMIT with a degree in Applied Biology and Biotechnology, and received his Masters in Biochemistry and Yeast Engineering from the University of Sussex in the UK before returning to Greece.