Simply add “SO2GO”, wine preservative neutraliser, to your wine prior to drinking, using the handy spray bottle. The 5ml spray bottle is for a glass of wine and will treat a minimum of 20 standard glasses, equal to four 750ml bottles. You simply put 2 sprays per glass and give the glass a swirl. You can now enjoy pure wine without high levels of preservatives, which may trouble people suffering with allergies and reactions to the preservatives in wine and other drinks containing Sulphites. “SO2GO” removes the Sulphite  preservatives harmlessly and effectively, ensuring preservative-free wine.

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Passion and tradition are the key words that summarize the philosophy of a company that has always acted in the utmost respect for the territory by offering customers a genuine product, created with natural raw materials without ever giving in to the use of aromatic or natural substances, which move away production from traditional recipes.

The production is, still today, entrusted to highly specialized personnel who prefers manual production techniques in order to ensure the high quality of the entire supply chain.

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What better way to quench the thirst and take care of your body at the same time? With high nutritional value and only natural sugars added, “ODE – Pomegranate 100% Organic Juice” is certainly food fit for champions and vegetarians, made entirely out of homegrown greek fruit. Throughout the process there is no use of any form of additives, such as sugar and colorants, neither any kind of preservative nor dilution of the product. Pomegranate arils are removed and juiced separately in order to avoid the “stiffness” due to the peel. Juicing and bottling processes are tested and certified as organic by COSMOCERT.

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Pasta has always been part and parcel of the Greek larder. It seems more likely that pasta may not have come from any one place but from several, including ancient Greece. Greeks for many millenia prepared a kind of primitive pasta in the form of a grilled batter they called laganum. The word may be the etymological root of what the Italians now call lasagna. Even the word for macaroni might have Greek origins, from the makaria, as in funerary dish. Wheat-based foods, usually sweetened, are highly symbolic of rebirth and regeneration and thus have always been associated with the foods served in honor of the dead.

To each his own (pasta)

Anyhow, Greeks are a nation of bread eaters and subsequently there is a vast diversity of regional pasta throughout the country. There are at least dozens, if not more, different traditional Greek pastas and certainly hundreds of ways to cook them.

Before the advent of refrigeration, pasta was a necessity in every household kitchen. For one, it was a way to preserve eggs, although not all Greek pasta contains eggs; it was also a way to ensure that there was always something, however simple, ready to cook and an easy solution to feeding a large, hungry family.

Chylopites, kofto macaronaki, kritharaki, trachanas… Greek words that may sound weird, but refer to types of Greek pasta used in everyday recipes around the country. Greek dough miracles. In the past, women used to make their own homemade pasta, usually during the summer months (after harvesting), when plenty of raw materials was available. They made the dough, worked it, cut or rubbed it by hand into small pieces and then laid it out in the sun to dry. Then, the pasta was put away in fabric pouches in their cellars to keep throughout the year.

Passing the torch

Nowadays, grandmothers’ tradition has passed on to small family businesses and women’s cooperatives that craft the fine high quality pasta as it used to be, using only the best and purest of ingredients. One of those bearers of tradition is “Thracian Pasta”, the brandname of a family company from Thrace, the northeastern-most part of Greece, established in 2004 in the Aigeiros area of Komotini. The company produces mainly chilopites, couscous and trachanas, which they export in Germany and Italy (oh, the irony!), while also having grasped a sizeable part of the domestic market.

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But even if someone wanted to narrow the scope of greek spirits production down to just ouzo, they would soon find out that nowadays there are hundreds of ouzo producers across the country, most of whom are starting to go back to traditional ways as attitudes and consumer trends change.

On the rise

The reason being that along with the Greek economic crisis, there’s also been a resurgence in popularity of domestic alcohols in recent years, a reversion from the 80s and 90s culture. Small Greek labels offering more traditional liquors are becoming trendier than the big companies.

Tsipouro, otherwise referred to as the “greek grappa” and produced since at least the 15th century with a variety of herbs and spices, was once considered the sort of thing old men enjoy in the village square and which younger men learn to appreciate too late in life. The clear greek spirit is now making a comeback among the younger generation.

Know-how since 1904

The globalization of food market has also paved the way for Greek spirits to reach consumers worldwide. It is therefore possible for every consumer to experience the tradition and love for distillation that products from producers such as “Vantana Distillery” have to offer.

The company was founded back in 1904 in the port-city of Patras in northern Peloponnese. Locals and later the entire country got to know the traditional distillery and tasted its drinks like ouzo, vermouth, rum, brandy, tsipouro, mavrodafni, the “sweet drinks”, especially the “Vantana Tentoura”, the famous drink of Patras.
But times change and wooden barrels gave their place to modern units of production-distillation-bottling. Maintaining the tradition of three generations in the process and the techniques of distillation, making strict choices of the most qualitative raw materials and keeping up with modern trends, the company has its eyes set on foreign markets.

And when you come across one of their products just remember: Greeks sip and savor their liquor, they don’t guzzle or shoot it. Try to follow their lead and you won’t regret it…

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There are, thus, literally hundreds of different types of pies. Some are rectangular, some coiled, some shaped like sticks, and some folded into small triangles. Some are salty, some are sweet. Every Greek region has some form of pie made from local cheese combined usually with local greens. Nevertheless, traditional “tyropita”, or cheese pie, is a staple of Greek cuisine, even if the type of cheese or the shape of dough and other ingredients may vary in recipes from place to place.

Nowadays, consumers across the world are able to taste the purest traditional Greek pie in the form of delicious packets of crispy phyllo pastry wrapped around a savory cheese filling. A handmade Greek traditional product of premium quality, fresh-frozen “Cheese Pie” under the brandname “Verga Pastry” is offering excellent taste in an easy to cook package, becoming the undisputed pita champion.

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Even better than that, is a paste made from Kalamata Olives, the most tasteful variety of Mediterranean olive groves and often referred to as the “Greek olives”, which have distinctive taste and appearance, being oval shaped, of dark purple color, big size, intense flavor and fleshy texture. These hand-picked olives of superior quality are what makes “Kalamata Black Olives Paste”, a product of Athens-based company “Xrisi Stagona”, a true delicacy that suits every taste.

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Especially monks of Mount Athos, a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia of Northern Greece, a place also known as “Hagion Oros”, the “Holy Mountain” in Greek, follow a strict diet. Strict, yet also simple, delicious and 100% healthy. Based on pure materials, which come abundant from the Greek land, it is a shield against obesity, cancer and dozens of other diseases.

The monks of Mount Athos eat food without preservatives, fats and spices. They make small meals at certain times of the day and exercise naturally with their rural and other day-to-day activities. To achive that they had to include multiple natural products in their diet. Fasting for Orthodox Christians lasts more than 110 days annually. That means almost a third of the year without consuming any meat, seafood, dairy products and on some holidays even olive oil.

In holy company

On the northwestern side of Mount Athos, Monoxilitis area spreads over an area of over 800 acres. According to historical sources, the name derives from a monk who used a single-wood boat to fish, hence the greek work Monoxilo, while another version speaks of wood that was driven by the Avars’ shipwrecked fleet during the siege of Constantinople in 626 AD.

It was there that Eyloyia PCC was established in 2013 with the sole mission of providing authentic products from Mount Athos blessed by nature, to the domestic and global markets. It it worth noting that it is the only company allowed to operate in the “Athonite State”, an autonomous polity of monasteries within the borders of Greece.

The year 2016 is regarded as a milestone, when the company came to an agreement with Saint Paul’s Monastery and took up management of the monastery’s metochi in the Monoxilitis location, implementing an innovative program, with the aim of producing and promoting its goods under the brandname “Monoxilitis”. In this way, it contributes to preserving the Mount Athos legacy, always having the same philosophy and mission: to produce unique products, based on and inspired by the special Athonite way of life and the rich monastic tradition. Their main products are wine, olive oil, honey, jams, sweet preserves, herbs and spices.

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Such is the case with wine and the use of sulphur, which dates dates back to Roman times, when sulphur was burnt in storage vessels before filling to prevent spoilage of wine. More recently Sulphur Dioxide was introduced directly into wine to take advantage of its remarkable properties.

Why Sulphur?

Sulphur Dioxide is mainly used for its anti-oxidant and anti-microbial qualities. This means that it will inhibit the growth of unwanted yeast and bacteria as well as binding to oxygen, since excess oxygen causes wine to spoil. In addition to these properties, Sulphur is considered low irritant and easy to detect if present in high quantities.

Despite the obvious benefits, there are some people who are allergic to sulphur. Some are sensitive to sulphur dioxide, commonly known as sulphites/sulfites, but may not even be aware of this fact and tend to attribute these reactions to “hangovers”. Reactions to sulphites include headaches, flushing of the face, nausea etc. Others may also experience shortness of breath, wheezing, and nose stuffiness. As sensitivity varies from individual to individual, the extent of the reaction will vary. It is further problematic because, even if Sulphur Dioxide is not added to wine, there will always be a small amount of Sulphur Dioxide present as it is a by-product of alcoholic fermentation.

Innovative solution

Where there is a will, there is a way, as the saying goes. That is what drove a family owned business from Australia to create the first ever preservative remover for wine, champagne, beer and other alcoholic drinks. Their company name tells the whole story: SO2GO. And their equally revealing motto is “Enjoy a night to remember, not a morning to forget!” Established in 2009 in Perth of West Australia, it already enjoys substantial success domestically, while also being exported in USA and the UK.

But what does “ SO2GO” do exactly? By neutralising/lowering preservatives, such as Sulphur Dioxide, it prevents nasty symptoms caused by wine sensitivities. “SO2GO” is a completely safe, tasteless and natural product, which contains a measured, dilute solution of food-grade Hydrogen Peroxide. It oxidises the active wine preservative, Sulphur Dioxide gas, significantly reducing the sulphur dioxide preservatives! It doesn’t sacrifice taste in the name of wine allergy prevention, and wine is still fresh and enjoyed in a vibrant condition. Winemakers use the same method to remove bulk sulphites in the wine, prior to bottling. They must leave a certain amount in the bottle to keep the wine from spoiling. What “SO2GO” does is safely and easily eliminate the residual wine preservatives.

Easy to use

Their product comes in sachets and sprays, which are easy to transport in your pocket or handbag. Convenient packaging of “SO2GO” means it’s perfect for a night out… or in. This also means that you can enjoy preservative free wine at any time. Per their explanation, all you have to do is: “Simply spray your glass or empty a sachet into your bottle. No messing around trying to count drops! Perfect, safe wine!”

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