Kir-Yianni
Naoussa & Amyndeon, Macedonia, Greece
Kir-Yianni are one of the wineries responsible for convincing the rest of the world that Greek wine is far more exciting than people realised.
Founded by Yiannis Boutaris in 1997, the estate works across Naoussa and Amyndeon in northwestern Greece, focusing heavily on indigenous varieties like Xinomavro while managing to balance tradition and modern winemaking incredibly well.
Xinomavro is the star here and honestly deserves far more global attention than it gets. Think somewhere between Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir after spending a holiday in the Mediterranean. Sour cherry, tomato leaf, olive, spice, dried herbs and proper tannic structure, but with enough freshness to keep everything lively. Kir-Yianni handle it brilliantly, making wines that feel serious without becoming exhausting.
The Amyndeon wines especially bring loads of elegance because of the cooler climate and higher altitude vineyards around Lake Vegoritis. Freshness and acidity stay really sharp there, which gives the wines this lovely tension underneath the fruit.
What’s nice about Kir-Yianni is that even the more affordable wines massively overdeliver. Paranga Red has basically become gateway Greek wine for loads of people because it’s juicy, spicy and ridiculously food-friendly.
The winery also seems genuinely invested in sustainability and long-term vineyard health rather than simply slapping eco language on labels for marketing points.
Greek wine in general feels like people are finally catching up to how good it’s always been, and Kir-Yianni are a huge part of that story.
