One of life's true pleasures is connecting with amazing humans—hearing their stories, where they're from, and what has shaped the person you see.
I feel deeply privileged that Nikolina has shared her story with me, and even more so that she's sharing it with you. This one is an emotional read, and I love that for this series - and more so for introducing the people of Sifnos. These stories show you why this island is more than great stays, amazing food, and beaches. It's the people that make your experience.
I only met Nikolina a few years ago at Cantina, her 'home' in the summer. She got me at ‘hello, can I tell you about our wine?’ Her brightest smile, energy, and knowledge about 'her' winemakers is exciting. Her ability to tell their story like it was her own is an experience before you've taken the first sip.
What’s the story behind how you ended up here in Sifnos?
My love for Greece dates back 12 years. I first visited Greece back then, and I've been returning regularly ever since. I've naturally integrated this love into my work: Ritual Wine, my Berlin-based company, distributes and promotes also Greek wine.
Chance (or fate?) brought me to Sifnos four years ago. I came here with a friend, and we were staying at Kastro. Upon arrival, early in the morning, I immediately wanted to go swimming, so I ran down to the small cove.
And I experienced something completely new: I immediately felt the energy of the place. Not people, not food, but the elements of the place itself. The small cove breathed my air, drawing me in completely. We left our beach clothes next to a house on the left, and after a while I told my friend: I'll be back here, and this will be my house.
Later, I discovered that the house I was pointing to was actually the Cantina Restaurant, and the bay was called Seralia. Seralia comes from serai in Turkish and is also the root word for Sarajevo—the capital of Bosnia, the country where I come from.
Two years later, I visited Seralia again and met several people, including Georgios Samoilis, the owner of Cantina Restaurant. After an hour of talking, in the crowded Botzi Bar in Appolonia, he offered me the position of sommelier at Cantina. We both had a very good gut feeling about each other and although I have never wanted to be sommelier, I immediately accepted Samoilis offer, and it was one of the best decisions of my life.
When you wake up in the morning and look around, what makes you think ‘I’m exactly where I belong’?
I think it's more about feeling than thinking. I feel safe here. This feeling of security is made of the sounds, smells, and movements of the sea, the closeness to animals, and a mountain that looks like a Japanese garden, almost psychedelic. Seralia connects my inner East and West and is a good host for my grief. It's as if my grief is in a safe place here; it no longer takes over my everyday life, and I can live in harmony with it.
Perhaps this is what one calls peace.
If someone asked you to show them the real Sifnos in just one day, where would you take them?
Immediately to Maro. Maro is Sifnos, the essence of Greek hospitality, and it evokes the entire island. Her smile, humour, food, pureness, its unique. You go there and are reminded that everything in life is fine, even when it isn’t.
What brought you to this moment of your life?
My willingness and openness, after twenty years of living in Berlin, to shape this new phase of my life differently: less big city, more nature, and the simplicity of everyday life. All this stems from a personal urge to hear my inner voice better, so that I can then express it authentically and honestly through my work.
In winter I stay in Berlin, I travel through other cities, to see what’s the prodigy. During the summer I create and live.
Walk me through how you discovered this was your calling.
The thing about careers is quite interesting: I don't believe that people have to or should have only one career. We all have different talents and should be able to explore them. The system rarely allows that, and we stick with one profession because it promises a sense of security.
My path so far has been such that I've had to try out different things, whether I wanted to or not. Luckily, I did. I initially wanted to be an actress in Bosnia and dabbled in that for a while until I moved to Berlin at a very young age. There, I realised that all those castings and interviews weren't for me, so I studied German Literature (because I secretly still wanted to write a book). After literature, I studied anthropology, specifically the cultural history of food. That's where I found myself: alongside my studies and working as an assistant at Humboldt University in Berlin, I cooked a lot, had my own garden, and photographed the food. That's how Ritual Cuisine was born about 13 years ago: a supper club in my apartment in Berlin where I invited complete strangers and cooked for them. It showed a lot of potential, I had a lot of fun hosting different persona in my dining room, but I moved to Vienna for nine months, where I accepted a fellowship at the Institute for Cultural Studies as a doctoral student.
When I returned to Berlin to work on my doctoral thesis, I felt trapped at my desk and almost disconnected from everyday life. One day I was invited to dinner and for the first time tried something like wine pairing with the menu. That's when I discovered the wonderful interplay between food and wine, and I immediately wanted to explore this for myself. I began to drink wine more consciously, selective, always thinking about the food with it. I learned a lot on my own, started working at a wine distribution company in Berlin, and thus came into direct contact with the wine world. After four years, I decided to go into business for myself and founded Ritual Wine. Now I run my company in Berlin and also work as a head sommelier in Cantina. And I'm very excited about what life brings next.
If you could teach someone the most important thing about what you do what would it be.
We tell stories to each other in order to survive. Being sommelier also means telling the story. It’s not only about the technical facts of wines we offer, it’s way more about why we are drinking it at this particular moment, what does it make it special, what is the context. Being sommelier is not about ego, its not about how many great wines you have drunk before, in what Michelin restaurants did you work etc. You are just a medium who is transferring the story of the wine to the guest. Wine is the unique bond between human, nature and divine. Make this story authentic, simple and to remember.
What challenges in your work taught you something important about this community?
Hospitality means constant contact with people. If we want to give our best to our guests, we have to find time for ourselves to recharge, to rest, in order to remember the original purpose of why we are doing what we are doing.
Also, we like to drink, but we shouldn’t drink way too much. The joy is in the balance.
What’s your favourite time of day in Sifnos and why?
In general, I like mornings. Early morning in Sifnos is quiet, fresh, and I live on the side of the island that has most beautiful sunrises.
When you have friends visiting from far away, what part of your daily routine do you most want to share with them?
I am so grateful and happy that I have so many friends visiting me here and I can share my love for Sifnos with them. I like to bring them to my favourite coffee shop in Kastro, Diporto. Maria and Haris are like my family, I am drinking my coffee every day there. But I also like to show to my friends my favourite restaurants and beaches.
What’s small moment from this week that made you smile?
Night swim after the work.
What’s a dish that tells the story of this place?
Chickpea stew made by Maro. Chickpeas are something like a national symbol of Sifnos and Maro knows how to cook it best- overnight, in the typical Sifnian clay pot. It’s simple, mellow, flavourful and nourishing.
What food from here do you crave when you travel?
Fresh raw fish and fresh capers.
What’s the most formative experience that shaped who you are today?
I was born in Yugoslavia, just a few years before the war began in Bosnia. My childhood was marked by the war, and it also shaped my adulthood. Later, the loss of dear friends and family members left the mark that affected me most deeply as a person and had the greatest impact on my life.
Describe a time when someone here showed you kindness that stuck with you.
This happens every day in our team at Cantina. I work with fantastic colleagues who enrich my everyday life, even when we clash. They are cheerful, talented, and fundamentally good people. That makes a big difference. Our boss, Samoilis, is a wonderful person, a mentor, and a friend who is there for us and supports us endlessly. And he constantly shares great music with us!
What moment made you realise you truly belong here?
In Sifnos, I started sleeping again. In Berlin, I struggled with insomnia for many years. I think that's a good sign :-)
If you could change one thing about how visitors experience Sifnos what would it be?
I would tell them to stay longer that 3 nights to connect with the place better. Sifnos is not only about fancy restaurants. Its about slowing down and simplicity.
What do you want people remember about their time here?
I wish everyone could feel the harmony of the place at least for a few hours. So, when they leave, they can remember this feeling, when the everyday life starts to bring obstacles to their inner peace. Sifnos as hope.
