The Alpha Estate has brought unmatched professionalism and cutting edge methods to a traditional wine growing region. Amyndeon, in the highlands of Western Macedonia near Greece’s northern border, has grown the classic red grape, Xinomavro, in a distinctive local clone for generations. The vineyards are on gentle, well drained slopes in a high plateau between about 600 and 700 metres in altitude. The local microclimate is formed by the altitude, the adjacent lakes and a surrounding ring of very high mountains which nonetheless allows exposure to afternoon and evening sun. Winter temperatures are extremely cold and summer nights are cool.

Alpha is a partnership of Makis Mavridis, a local grower of great experience, and Angelos Iatridis who as a consultant oenologist had established a reputation as one of Greece’s best winemakers by his early 30s. The estate consists of about 39 ha planted since the late 1990s with eleven varietals. Over three quarters of the vineyard are devoted to the estate’s flagship wines, Sauvignon Blanc for the white and Xinomavro (ungrafted, strikingly), Merlot and Syrah for the reds; of the rest 4 ha are planted with Montepulciano and Tannat the first, quite stunning, vintage of which was released under the name Alpha 1 in early 2006.

Demand for Alpha’s wines far outstrips the limited supply. The devotion to painstaking viticulture and the sacrifice of early harvests and current yields in the cause of quality have already brought their reward in a clutch of international distinctions that is noteworthy for so young an estate. Its prospects are remarkable, as is the ageing potential of its red wines.