Alpha Estate

"Alpha Estate" is the Greek estate founding of the last twenty years that has drawn as much international attention as, probably, only "Ktima Biblia Chora," likewise located in northern Greece, about which we reported recently.

Here too, two founders stand behind the estate, with the roles clearly divided. Makis Mavridis (right in the photo below) is a second-generation winegrower from the area and is responsible for the vineyards. Angelos Iatridis (left in the photo below) holds degrees from the universities of Thessaloniki and Bordeaux and looks after the winery.

After planting as early as 1995, the 2003 vintage was the first to come to market two years later. Much has happened since then. From the 7 ha of 1995 and the 28 ha in the year of the first commercial bottling, the estate has today grown to 220 ha, laid out as a contiguous area around the property. This large area is worked by 52 employees, joined by another 26 in the cellar – plus 50 seasonal harvest workers. This quantitative growth goes hand in hand with an international expansion, in which the long-standing export manager Konstantinos Arvanitakis, as the third partner, plays no small part.

This expansion is accompanied and driven by the recognition the estate's quality has earned. Twice already – in 2014 and 2019 – "Alpha Estate" was named Winery of the Year by "Wine & Spirits Magazine." International accolades pour in elsewhere too, including regularly high ratings from Robert Parker (or rather Mark Squires for the "Wine Advocate") and Jancis Robinson.

With all these laurels, "Alpha Estate" is without doubt the leading light in PDO Amyndeon, which lies in Macedonia within PGI Florina. (The following illustration is from Wines of Greece, all the others from the estate itself.)

This PDO is the only Greek appellation with a semi-continental – not Mediterranean – climate. Cold winters with sufficient moisture are followed by very dry summers, in which mild winds accompany the ripening of the berries. Anyone who wants to seriously get to grips with PDO Amyndeon should definitely study Yiannis Karakasis's free introduction.

The vineyards lie at 550-750 m and are hemmed in between three mountains and two lakes, which shape the microclimate.

It's also prehistoric lakes that shape the soil. In places, the roots have to work their way through many metres of barren sand to reach water reserves in the limestone.

Additional irrigation is used very selectively: the vines are kept at a perfect stress level via an elaborate underground irrigation system – the very first of its kind in Europe. Nothing is left to chance in the process. Collaborations with the University of Thessaloniki allow meticulous monitoring of the microclimatic conditions in the vineyard. Even multispectral satellite imagery has already been used.

Working to the very highest technical standards is clearly important to the estate. In doing so, though, traditional craft isn't forgotten. Cultivation is certified sustainable, and ageing vegan (certification for the majority of the products is still in progress). No herbicides are used, and green manuring is relied on instead. The harvest, too, is done by hand.

Among international white varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are grown (along with Gewürztraminer as a blending partner for the sweet wine), as well as the autochthonous variety Malagousia (on its rescue (in German), see here). On the red side, internationally, Syrah dominates, with a little Merlot for cuvées. More unusual varieties like Tannat and (unusual for Greece!) Pinot Noir can also be found. As the native variety, it's of course above all Xinomavro that takes centre stage, which is also permitted as a rosé to be sold as a PDO wine. The estate's best-known wine, also a Xinomavro, comes from vines that predate the estate's founding by a long way.

The "Barba Yannis" site was already planted with Xinomavro back in 1919 (!). These ungrafted vines yield a PDO Amyndeon that has made international waves. 19 points from Jancis Robinson (tasted by Julia Harding) is quite a statement in itself. At the "50 Great Greek Wines," too, it took a fantastic 3rd place, making it the best red wine in the running.

What stands out about this bottle (besides the sheer weight, which is sometimes criticised) is, for connoisseurs of Greek wine, above all one thing: the site designation printed on the label with real self-confidence. "Alpha Estate" is right at the forefront when it comes to asserting Greek wines as quality products of specific terroir (marked here by the term "Ecosystem").

The precise labelling of the grapes' origin also reflects a focus on transparency that distinguishes the estate. As a consumer, you find extremely comprehensive information on the back of the bottles about the production process – right down to the yeast used and the oak that comes into play.

Alpha Estate simply gets an awful lot right. It'll be exciting to see what the future still has in store. At the moment, for instance, experiments are underway with nine different Xinomavro clones, and work is under way on a sparkling wine from this variety. Tasting notes on the individual "Alpha Estate" wines will follow soon on our website.