Mattheos Giannoulis of Naxos, the iconic performer of island songs, is once again returning to Australia where he’ll serenade his adoring fans.īrought to Australia by Absolute Business Brokers, Giannoulis will be performing on Saturday, 11 February at Q Room, 371 Settlement Road, Thomastown.The devastating railway accident near the Vale of Tempe in central Greece, which lies between Athens and Thessaloniki, has had a profound impact on the nation. He’ll be accompanied by clarinet maestro, Kostas Aristopoulos as well as associated acts Xenia Verra, Yiannis Sideris and Makis Aristopoulos.

One of the most well-known artistic personalities in the island song genre, known for his character, and a quadruple threat to boot, being a musician, singer, composer and lyricist all in one.Īt the age of 13, he moved from his native Naxos to Athens with his mother his father staying behind due to his work in the island’s now defunct emery mines. Giannoulis attended Athens’ National Conservatory while at the same time taking bouzouki lessons with Christos Kesidis. A multi-instrumentalist, he was instructed in playing the lute by Dimitris Firogeni-Metoharis and Vassilis Hatzopoulos.īut singing was his greatest love. His discography began when at 21, he demoed some of his songs to Stathis Koukoularis, the lyrics and composition his own, he was intent on entering the studio.īut costs ran high and he had little in the way of liquid cash but his parents sold their estate on the home-isle Naxos and helped the young aspirant finance his dreams. With songs recorded, he just needed to release them. Giannoulis approached the Greek label Colombia with the intention of getting his songs on tape. But Colombia’s asking price was steep, with the caveat he’d have to pre-purchase 5,000 tapes. In the end after seeking out parental advice, he bit the bullet, pre-purchased the cassettes and returned home.įrom there he went all over Greece, door knocking and handing out tapes wholesale, he sought out local radio stations, begging at times even paying for just one of his songs to go on air. His persistence paid off, after some time his songs could be heard in venues across the country, Giannoulis was beginning to stand out and most importantly, was starting to amass the adoration of loyal fans. In his own words, his favourite collaborations have been with George Koros, Stathis Koukoularis, Haroula Lambrakis, Yiannis Parios, Stamatis Gonidis, Lefteris Pantazis, Angela Dimitriou and Maria Nomikou. Giannoulis wrote a number of songs on Nomikou’s first album his own discography becoming absolutely prolific with between 2,000 and 2,500 songs released. To fans, the rest of his story is more or less known, after all he’s certainly got a passionate following.įor reservations and more information call the numbers 0422 472 0 640 933.Visit 3 Santorini’s top wineries, and enjoy cellar tours of each one to see how the winemaking process unfolds. Savor up to 12 different wine styles from across Santorini and Greece, such as Assyrtiko, Nykteri, and the sublimely sweet Vinsanto wine.įirst we will visit the Koutsogianopoulos Wine Museum Take a walking tour around one of the volcanic vineyards to discover the grapes growing in unforgiving island conditions. The wine museum is located in a natural cave eight meters below ground. It is the only one of its kind in Greece and it took the Koutsoyannopoulos family, fourth-generation wine makers, 21 years to build it.

The visitors of the museum have the opportunity to learn about the history of wine and the life of vine-growers in Santorini since the 1660s through an automatic audio guide, available in 14 languages or a guidebook, available in 22 languages.Īt the end of the tour, wines produced in Koutsoyannopoulos winery are available for tasting in the winery’s tasting room.Īrgyros Estate was founded in 1903 by Georgios Argyros and is located in a vineyard extension of 20 acres, in Episkopi Gonia, in Thira. Georgios Argyros followed the traditional vinification way of Santorini, in order to produce wines destinated for local market distribution.

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