Katogi Averoff

The story of Katogi Averoff begins with efforts in the 1950s to give the region around Metsovo an economic boost.

Evangelos Averoff-Tossizza (born 1908, died 1990), aware of the winegrowing tradition in this cold region during Greece's 18th and 19th centuries, planted Greece's first Cabernet Sauvignon on the slopes of Mount Pindos and bottled the wine in the basement of his house in Metsovo. The wine was then named after these premises (κατώγι), and from the outset it was marketed as uniting "French vines and Greek soil".

This bottled wine has been offered continuously in Greece since 1963, which is very unusual by Greek standards. The "CMA" cuvée (in this case a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 30% Agiorgitiko) remains, to this day, the defining Greek take on the Bordeaux blend. A tasting note on the wine can be found here (in German).

Averoff had already served as a minister several times by the time of the first bottling. His final term in office ended with the start of the military dictatorship in 1967. Today, the winery is run by the founder's grandson, Alexandros Ioannou. It's housed in a complex that's been expanded many times over, first occupied in 1973 (and offering space for 1200 barrels). (Between 2002 and 2017, Katogi Averoff had merged with the Strofilia winery in Anavyssos, Attica. On the history of the joint venture, see here.)

Around Metsovo, at 950-1050m, lie what are, by their own account, Greece's highest vineyards, worked entirely by hand. Called "Yiniets", after the Vlach word for "vineyards", it reflects the winemaking family's Vlach/Aromanian origins. The grapes from these 12ha go primarily into the Di Munte range. (A small proportion also finds its way, via the Cabernet Sauvignon, into the entry-level wine.)

On top of that come other vineyards at various sites across northern Greece, partly for the aforementioned Katogi Averoff entry-level wines, and partly for the Inima range (a local word for "soul"), which specialises in native grape varieties. Accordingly, the labels also feature a whole range of appellation designations: PGI Metsovo lies within PGI Ioannina, which is in turn part of the larger PGI Macedonia. On top of that comes a Xinomavro (PDO Naoussa) and a Negoska from the Inima range with grapes from PDO Goumenissa (in German). In total, around 500,000 bottles are produced each year. The entry-level wine has become a fixture in Greek supermarkets, while the Di Munte range has already drawn considerable attention from critics like Yiannis Karakasis.

Katogi Averoff has also been a pioneer in Greek wine tourism. The estate receives 20,000 visitors a year, and since 2008 a hotel has been attached to it too. You can get in touch via social media on Facebook and Instagram.

On our website, we've reviewed the Inima Negoska 2017: here (in German), too.

A review of the well-known Katogi Averoff Red, 2018 vintage, can be found here (in German).