Ktima Erithrou Rodou

PGI Drama in northern Greece is already home to some of the most internationally well-known Greek wineries (as a click on the corresponding tag on this blog will also show). In 2019, a newcomer joined them that, despite the already fairly high density of producers, made connoisseurs of Greek wine sit up and take notice – "Ktima Erithrou Rodou" from Giannis Triantafillidis and Katerina Karampatea.

Neither of them is a stranger to the world of wine, and both have already served as judges at numerous international competitions! Giannis has three decades of experience in viticulture, while Katerina studied chemistry and oenology in Greece and Bordeaux and gained work experience in, among other places, Burgundy. In Greece, she worked at some of the most reputable wineries. She can also point to a second place at the Wine Women Awards in Paris in 2011. On top of that comes a doctoral thesis on Greek grape varieties. What's genuinely unique, though, is one more component: the oenological laboratory "Oenopolis" the two of them run, through which they have insight into Greek viticulture that hardly anyone else can match.

The estate traces back to plantings of Malagousia, Assyrtiko, Muscat d'Alexandrie and Gewürztraminer on 2.5 ha in 2009, in the area of Kokinogia ("red earth"), in the Angitis valley. (The estate's name – literally "red rose" – is a play on words referring to this soil type and the family name.)

The specific terroir of the vineyard, which lies about 20 km east of the city of Drama that gives the PGI its name, is shaped by gravel and, on top, sand over rocky subsoil. The sand layer, which allows for good drainage, is also reflected in the site's name – Ammoudies ("sandy beaches"). The area is bounded by Mount Menikio and a spur of the Falakro massif, the Agios Pavlos mountain range, and, immediately to the north, a small river that flows into the Angitis.

The 2020 Malagousia is now the first wine to come to market. Further products will of course follow, with the focus on white varieties set to be complemented by plantings of Greek red varieties. Even the debut vintage of the Malagousia already makes clear that there's every reason to stay curious about what Ktima Erithrou Rodou will create in the future.

Because the 2020 Malagousia is definitely a quality wine. A yield of 26.5 hl/ha on an area of 0.85 ha, and a production volume of 3000 bottles, already speak a very clear language here, as does the restriction to free-run must for fermentation.

A tasting note with score for the wine can be found here (in German). It's now available in Germany too, and anyone who'd like to secure a bottle of this special wine, while stocks last, and support this blog in the process, can order it directly via this link (in German).

The winery's website is still under construction, but you can already follow it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.