Cheese · PDO · Santorini
Also labelled Κοπανιστή
A cow and sheep and goat's milk cheese from The Cyclades.
Kopanisti is a soft, salty, creamy cheese of the Cyclades with a tangy flavour, made from Cycladic cow, sheep or goat milk or a mix. Per the PDO texts, the curd stands 20 to 24 hours, is drained in sacks and salted at 4 to 5 percent, then sits in wide-necked containers in a cool, humid place until mould grows on the surface; it is kneaded two to four times over a ripening of usually 30 to 40 days. Fresh butter up to 15 percent has been allowed since 2013. Greece recognised the PDO in January 1994 and the EU registered it in 1996. On Santorini, Aroma Avlis at Artemis Karamolegos Winery in Exo Gonia serves it as a spread in its Greek mezze platter.
Made in: The Cyclades
Soft and creamy, salty and tangy. The PDO summary says it is known for a woody and peppery taste and esteemed for its piquancy and rich aroma; the current single document adds a yellowish to tan colour. English Wikipedia says it is most popularly eaten as mostra: dry bread with kopanisti, chopped tomatoes and olive oil.
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
Kopanisti is a soft, salty cheese with a woody, peppery taste and marked piquancy. Vinsanto, sweet from sun-dried grapes and aged in oak, keeps a high acidity, and its sugar answers the cheese's salt and spice.
The grapes behind these winesAssyrtiko
Guided tastings by appointment in an organic cave winery in Pyrgos. The 4 and 6 wine tastings come with Naxos goat cheese and bread-rusks; the 12 wine tasting with Aegean island cheeses. Tuesday to Saturday.
A walk on the vineyard soil, then six wines from Santorini's indigenous grapes tasted with a platter of selected cheeses, cold cuts and local bites, guided by the winery's wine educator. By appointment.
Four premium Assyrtiko wines tasted under a pergola by the beach, with a complimentary plate of traditional Greek cheeses. The winery is open daily 12:00 to 20:00 from 29 April to 31 October.
On the menu at Aroma Avlis, the restaurant at Artemis Karamolegos Winery: a cheese plateau of arseniko from Naxos, Cretan graviera, geremezi, San Michali and melichloro, and a kopanisti spread.
Wine tasting on the main hall terrace of the Megalochori winery, with light snacks such as cheese platters available alongside. The cheeses are not named.
Winery restaurant in Fira Kontochori serving a la carte, a degustation menu, or a glass of Anhydrous wine with a platter of Greek cheeses.
The PDO area is the Regional Unit of the Cyclades, which includes Santorini. English Wikipedia names Mykonos, Tinos, Andros, Syros and Naxos as production islands and says it has been made on Mykonos for more than 300 years. On Santorini it appears on the Aroma Avlis menu as a kopanisti cheese spread.
Greece recognised the designation by ministerial decision 313046 of 14 January 1994, and the EU registered it in 1996.
The PDO single document gives a ripening period that usually lasts 30 to 40 days, with the surface mould kneaded through two to four times. English Wikipedia gives 45 to 60 days.
Same cheeseboard
Plan the trip
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, ec.europa.eu, en.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.
