CAIR Rhodes

To View their website click www.cair.gr

Modernization, innovation and quality

Cair is a company operating according to the modern marketing rules for the production of high quality wines.

Continuing the century-long wine tradition of Rhodes, Cair is constantly developing by making modernization investments. It has already completed projects amounting to 2.3 million EURO and is preparing a great investment of approximately 13 million EURO to be completed in the end of the year 2008, including its reinstallation in very modern covered premises of 10.000 square meters. Half of these facilities are already operative.

Cair has established the small productivity of the Rhodes vines aiming to obtain a high quality raw material.

It has also implemented very strict standards for the quality separation of grapes favouring a new system of “honest harvest” which ensures an absolute quality selection.

A prestigious label in sparking wines

The label of Cair has become the synonym of Greek Natural Sparkling Wine of Quality. It is made according to the French ‘Champenoise’ method used for the champagne – that is the method of secondary fermentation in the bottle - which was discovered by the French monk Dom Perignon in the 17th century, in Cair’s underground controlled temperature cellars.

Made out of Athiri, coming from selected mountain vines, it is fermented and matured during 18 whole months in low temperature to develop rich sparkles which last and give great pleasure. Its quality has been honoured twice, by gold medals including the ‘Olympic medal’ awarded by the International Wine & Spirit Competition to the collectors’ Cair Rosé 10 years Reserve.

HISTORY

Rhodes & wine, 2.500 years history

It is a historical fact that the isle of Rhodes was one of the most important wine production and trade areas in the ancient world.

The thousands of Rhodian amphorae all of them bearing god Sun as their trade mark that were found dispersed in the Mediterranean basin quenched with "Rhodian wine" not only Greece’s but also Egypt’s and Rome’s thirst divulging a precious label of the ancient times. Rhodes was one of the first regions of the Aegean Sea that welcomed the vine from the Orient worshipped it and built on it their well-being and their strength. This fact was acknowledged by great historical personalities such as Aristotle and Virgil who praise the Rhodian wine consolidating its reputation in a privileged manner.

The year 1928 – when Cair was founded – is a milestone for modern developments in the island with regard to wine. It was Cair that kept viticulture alive and so in 1971 Rhodes was ready and obtained the right of the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée label for its white, red and sweet wines.

By combining tradition and high technology Cair has succeed to become one of the major (top) wine-producing units in (of) Greece. This is proven both by its numerous prizes in international competitions and its exports in Europe and America.

Cair’s latest achievement is the granting of a quality certification according to the new standard ISO 9001/2000 by the Certification Body ‘European Quality Assurance Limited’ which is accredited to the British Body UKAS.

Rhodes a privileged Mediterranean vineyard

Placed in the south-eastern edge of Greece Rhodes is a gifted Mediterranean area for viticulture. And while it benefits the greatest amount of sunshine in Greece, summer heat is tempered by the mistral blowing from May till September.

Cair has a privileged relation with vineyards and viticulturists of Rhodes. Through long and in some cases 20-year long contracts with them Cair guides and supports scientifically the culture of vines in order to achieve the production of grapes of excellent quality. In the same time, the company’s private vineyards are the theatre of not only the production of excellent wine but also experimentation with new vine varieties, which renew the product range of Cair. At a high altitude in the selected vineyards of the mount Attaviros grows the prime Athiri as well as the white Muscat and the excellent Trani Muscat the Italian clone that was introduced by the Italians from Puglia. The red Mandilaria, the “Amorgiano” as local people call it, is also harvested there. After the athiri it is the second most important vine of the island.