History of Kechris Winery
Kechris Timeline
1939
Kechribari retsina is born in the traditional family taverna ‘Kokoras’.
1954
The four siblings establish E. KECHRIS BROS, the original liquor company, in Kalochori, Thessaloniki.
1974
The winery begins to export its products to Germany.
1984
Stelios Kechris and Konstantina Kechri take over the management of the family winery, while in the same year they create Doriki home-made liqueurs, winning a gold medal two years later at SIAL.
1993
The ‘Wine Producers’ Association of the Macedonian Vineyard’ is founded, today’s ‘Wine Makers of Northern Greece’, with KECHRIS being one of its founder members.
1998
Kechribari becomes available in the popular green carafe with the cork stopper, based on our previous bottle design. This milestone is associated with Eleni Kechri’s officially joining the company.
1999
The Thessaloniki International Wine Competition awards a medal for retsina for the first time. Kechribari becomes the first retsina to be internationally recognised as a modern, quality white wine.
2003
Upon her return from her studies in Bordeaux, Eleni Kechri starts to implement new, innovative ideas into the winery.
2006
The Tear of the Pine comes on the market in its first year and is awarded the Grand Gold Medal at the Thessaloniki International Wine Competition.
2009
The construction of the winery’s new facilities is completed.
2015
The rebranding of the company and its products is completed. Retsina is placed at the heart of the company brand and Kechribari, the product whose name has been synonymous with quality over the years, features on the company logo, symbolising this daring strategic choice.
2016
‘10 years of The Tear of the Pine’ is marked with a vertical tasting of the first retsina to undergo ageing led by the master of wine Konstantinos Lazarakis. The same year, using an experimental bottling technique, Afros makes its first appearance, making it the fourth retsina in the winery’s line.
2017
The construction work for the new facilities of the winery is completed, which are officially opened at the event, ‘Kechribari, the retsina that breaks new ground’, dedicated to twenty years of the little carafe.
2018
The KECHRIS winery arranges and hosts the first scientific symposium on retsina under the aegis of ‘Oenon Historo’ and with the important contribution of Stavroula Kourakou. For the first time scientists from different disciplines share their expertise and views on the history and culture of retsina.
2020
The notion of Corporate Social Responsibility takes on a central position in the company’s philosophy. The programme ‘United for all that is of value’ is created.