Ktima Apostolidi Karapapas Palaiochori 2023

Ktima Apostolidi sits up in Kavala in northern Greece making wine with a huge amount of energy, personality and very obvious love for the vineyard itself. The family have been working the land since the 1950s, but the winery feels much more modern than that history might suggest. Biodynamic farming, minimal intervention and a proper focus on expressing the local terroir all play a massive role in how the wines come together.

The wines themselves lean fresh, vibrant and Mediterranean without becoming heavy or overripe. Sauvignon Blanc, Assyrtiko and local Greek varieties all show up across the range, usually carrying loads of citrus, herbs, stone fruit and minerality. The reds tend to stay savoury and structured rather than huge jammy monsters.

There’s a slightly wild living quality running through the wines too, which makes sense given the biodynamic approach. They feel energetic rather than polished into total uniformity. Thankfully the winemaking stays clean enough that you get complexity without drifting into “is this bottle supposed to taste like this?” territory.

A lot of Greek wine still flies under the radar compared to where the quality actually sits, and producers like Apostolidi are a big reason wine people keep getting increasingly excited about the country.

Also, vineyards overlooking the Aegean Sea feels like a fairly unfair advantage.