Alpha Estate

Alpha Estate was founded in 1997 by viticulturist Makis Mavridis and Bordeaux-trained chemist-oenologist Angelos Iatridis, who chose Amyndeon after working in multiple Greek wine regions and abroad. The creation of a privately owned, estate-grown vineyard was a pioneering investment at a time when such structures were rare in Greek wine. Today the estate is managed with the involvement of the second generation from both families: Angeliki Iatridou and Emorfili Mavridou carry the project forward alongside the founders. Alpha Estate's philosophy centers on transparency: gravity-fed cellar design, refrigerated grape transport from vineyard to winery, sustainable viticulture across all 220 hectares, and wines certified both vegan and sustainably produced. Iatridis has been widely credited as the architect of modern Amyntaio's winemaking identity, bringing Bordeaux discipline and single-vineyard thinking to the high-altitude Greek plateau.

• Iatridis received winemaking training in Bordeaux before co-founding Alpha Estate; the estate planted its first vines in the late 1990s starting from just 7 hectares
• The winery is built inside the vineyard for minimum transport time; refrigerated bins and cool-hour harvesting preserve aromatics before grapes reach the cellar
• Building Management System monitors winemaking conditions remotely across the 220-hectare estate to ensure consistency across vintages and parcels
• Iatridis is credited as the architect of modern Amyntaio's winemaking identity through Alpha Estate's leadership and Bordeaux-trained discipline applied to indigenous Xinomavro

Alpha Estate's 220 hectares span the Amyndeon plateau, with two single-block parcels carrying particular historical and stylistic weight. The 17.93-hectare Hedgehog sub-region sits at 690 meters elevation with northwestern exposure on sandy-clay soils over limestone, replanted to Xinomavro in 2000; the parcel takes its name from the hedgehog population that inhabits the surrounding scrubland. The Barba Yannis parcel preserves ungrafted Xinomavro vines planted in 1919, gobelet-trained on sandy phylloxera-resistant soils, supplying the estate's flagship Ecosystem Vieilles Vignes Reserve. The plateau itself is bounded by Mount Vermio, Vitsi, and Voras, with Lake Petron and Lake Vegoritida providing critical climate moderation across the basin. The combination of high elevation, northwestern exposure facing the lakes, sandy phylloxera-protective soils, and continental climate produces wines with elevated acidity, fine tannin, and a distinctly cool-climate signature distinct from the warmer expressions of Naoussa Xinomavro to the south.

• Hedgehog sub-region: 17.93 hectares at 690 meters elevation with northwestern exposure facing Lake Petron and Mount Voras; planted 2000 in sandy-clay over limestone
• Barba Yannis parcel: ungrafted Xinomavro vines planted 1919, gobelet-trained on sandy phylloxera-resistant soils; supplies the Ecosystem Vieilles Vignes Reserve
• Lake Petron and Lake Vegoritida moderate the continental climate across the basin; Mount Vermio, Vitsi, and Voras provide topographic shelter from northern winds
• Cool-climate signature emerges from elevation (620-710m), northwestern exposure, sandy soils, and lake-moderated continental conditions on the Florina plateau
• Yield controlled at approximately 32 hl/ha through green harvest and selection; planting density 5,900 vines per hectare on VSP trellis at 0.80 by 2.10 meter spacing

Beyond the historic Hedgehog and Barba Yannis parcels, Alpha Estate cultivates international varieties (Syrah, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Tannat) and indigenous Greek varieties (Malagouzia) for PGI Florina-designated wines, alongside small plantings of Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer. Planting density across the estate is 5,900 vines per hectare on Vertical Shoot Position trellis at 0.80 by 2.10 meter spacing. Yield is controlled at approximately 32 hl/ha through green harvest and selection. The estate's 220 hectares represent one of Greece's largest privately owned estate vineyards, organized for single-block winemaking that allows separate parcel vinification before final blending decisions. The combination of indigenous Xinomavro, classic international varieties, and aromatic Greek whites gives Alpha Estate one of the broadest single-estate portfolios in northern Greece.

• International varieties (Syrah, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Tannat) and indigenous Malagouzia cultivated for PGI Florina-designated wines alongside the Xinomavro PDO blocks
• Yield controlled at approximately 32 hl/ha through green harvest and selection; planting density 5,900 vines per hectare on VSP trellis at 0.80 by 2.10 meter spacing
• Estate organized for single-block winemaking with separate parcel vinification before final blending decisions across PDO Amyndeon and PGI Florina labels
• 220 hectares represents one of Greece's largest privately owned estate vineyards; portfolio breadth includes Xinomavro, Malagouzia, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewürztraminer

The estate's flagship is Hedgehog Xinomavro, a 100 percent Xinomavro single-vineyard expression of the cool-climate Amyndeon plateau. Vinification begins with hand-harvest in 15-kilogram baskets and refrigerated transport during the coolest hours of the day. In the cellar, destemming without crushing is followed by cold soak and stainless steel fermentation. The wine then rests sur lies for eight months with regular stirring before twelve months in Allier-Jupilles oak barrels (medium grain, white toast, 50 percent new) and twelve months in bottle. Typical alcohol falls between 13.8 and 14.1 percent vol. Beyond Hedgehog, the estate produces an Amyndeon Xinomavro Rosé (the appellation's signature rosé style under the 1995 PDO extension), single-block Pinot Noir, Tannat, and Syrah, and the S.M.X. Syrah-Merlot-Xinomavro blend bottled as PGI Florina. The Ecosystem Vieilles Vignes Reserve Barba Yannis from the 1919 ungrafted gobelet-trained parcel represents the estate's most age-worthy expression.

• Hedgehog Xinomavro vinification: destem without crushing, cold soak, stainless steel fermentation, 8 months sur lies with stirring, 12 months Allier-Jupilles oak (50 percent new), 12 months bottle
• S.M.X. = Syrah-Merlot-Xinomavro blend bottled as PGI Florina; one of the estate's most successful international-varietal collaborations
• Ecosystem Vieilles Vignes Reserve Barba Yannis: ungrafted gobelet-trained Xinomavro from the 1919 parcel; unfiltered, the estate's most coveted bottling
• Amyndeon Xinomavro Rosé: still and sparkling rosé under PDO Amyndeon, the only Greek PDO authorized for still rosé wine following the 1995 amendment

Alpha Estate has been recognized as one of the leading estates of modern Greek wine. The estate was named Wine Enthusiast European Winery of the Year in 2020 and has appeared in Wine & Spirit Magazine's Best 100 Wineries list multiple times. The 2022 vintage of Hedgehog Xinomavro earned Gold at both Mundus Vini and USA Wine Ratings. Beyond awards, the estate has been instrumental in establishing Amyndeon as an internationally recognized terroir for cool-climate Xinomavro, building a market presence that has helped raise awareness of Greek wine more broadly. Broad international distribution has positioned Alpha Estate as one of the most internationally visible Greek wineries, and Iatridis is widely credited as the architect of modern Amyntaio's winemaking identity through this leadership.

• Wine Enthusiast European Winery of the Year 2020, one of the highest international honors received by a Greek estate
• Wine & Spirit Magazine Best 100 Wineries list multiple appearances spanning the late 2010s and early 2020s international recognition cycles
• Hedgehog Xinomavro 2022 vintage: Gold at Mundus Vini and USA Wine Ratings; demonstrates the cool-climate plateau's quality at international competition level
• Broad international distribution across multiple markets; among the most internationally visible Greek estates and a leading driver of Greek wine awareness globally