Grape - Xinomavro

Origin - Kir-Yianni is one of Greece's top wine Estates. Established in 1997 by its namesake Yiannis Boutaris, a prominent figure in the Greek wine industry and the former mayor of Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city. He had departed from the historic Boutari Wine Group, which was established by his grandfather in 1879. As head of winemaking and vineyard management there, he had initiated significant research into varieties and terroirs. His new personal project focused on producing smaller quantities of exceptional wines from old vines at high altitudes. It all began with the establishment of the new winery on a 40ha vineyard of Xinomavro that was originally planted by Yiannis himself in 1970. Here in Greek Macedonia, nestled on the eastern foothills of Mount Vermion near Naoussa, this vineyard played a pivotal role in reviving the appellation, and showcasing its potential. Additionally, Kir-Yianni maintains a smaller vineyard area at 700m in Amyndeon, situated on the western highlands of Mount Vermion. Visitors can indulge in winter skiing on the higher slopes while exploring the winery's offerings. Now under the leadership of Stelios Boutaris, Yiannis' son, the Kir-Yianni team has emerged as one of the most renowned producers in Greece. 

The core pillars of the company’s philosophy are: innovation, respect to tradition, and specialized knowledge on wine, from the vineyard all the way to the consumer. The main aim is always the creation of wines of a special character: Rich but refined aromas, acidity to provide zest and ageing potential, perfect balance in the mouth and ease of combination with various dishes. 

They have become the leading proponents of the now highly esteemed Xinomavro red variety. This is most closely compared to Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo with its ability to produce utterly profound wines. Today, Kir-Yianni stands as a testament to the Boutaris family's enduring legacy and their unwavering pursuit of excellence.

What the critics say

95/100 Decanter World Wine Awards 2025

“Classic redcurrant fruit decorated with myriad floral and herbal notes: roses, lilies and dried thyme. Fine-grained and supple with bags of underlying freshness and purity“

91/100 Vintage Wine Picks

"Fragrant, intense, and slightly perfumed nose of red and dark cherry, rose floral, and touches of orange peel layered over savoury earth, plus accents of oak spice and sun-dried tomato adding further intrigue and complexity. On the medium bodied palate it has lovely ripe red and black cherry, blackberry, savoury earth oak spice, sun dried tomoato and rose floral flavours. Juicy acidity and well structured fairly grippy tannins that are youthful yet approachable. Earthy and floral notes with some minerality lingering on the long finish. Highly recommended buy!"

Winemaker Note

Our NAOUSSA is produced from a strict selection of Xinomavros grown on both our Estate (younger vines) and small vine growers’ parcels around the different areas of the PDO zone. The villages of Naoussa offer a most interesting diversification on their hilly terrain in terms of altitude, slope, soil structure, orientation etc. These conditions shape an intriguing mixture of meso-climates. Our NAOUSSA Cuvée Villages is a wine enthusiast’s introduction to the great richness ofthe viti-vini traditions of the region, featuring at the same time, the dynamics of Xinomavro at its heartland-terroir. The grapes are handpicked then cooled at 10 °C and proceed to rigorous grape selection on conveyor belt. Cold soaking for 6 days at low temperatures followed by fermentation in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of 20 – 23 °C for 12 to 15 days. Malolactic fermentation and maturation in mainly Frenck oak barrels of 225 and 500 liters in a combination of new and old use (3rd to 5th fill) for 12 months.

Bodega Muga was founded in 1932 and remains in family hands today with 250 hectares in La Rioja Alta and long standing contracts with owners of another 150 hectares of vineyards spread among five main vineyards on clay and limestone soils with a wide variety of microclimates. 

The Muga wines are exciting and interesting Spanish blends of indigenous grapes with Tempranillo in the lead, supported by Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano for the reds. 

If you’re a fan of Spanish wine, try this gorgeous next level reserve out for size. 

South Africa makes some great wines and this new Cabernet is not to be missed. Full bodied, dry, rich and dark; just like the world's best expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Kaapzicht is a fourth generation winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The winery was founded in 1946.

Complex, savoury Pinotage from South Africa (home to this quirky red grape variety). This wine has red fruit flavours, savoury earthy notes and a charred taste on the finish. 

Galodoro Tinto is a beautifully smooth, structured red wine made from a blend of three indigenous Portuguese grapes - Castelao, Tinta Roriz (also known as Tempranillo), Touriga Nacional with the addition of the French grape, Cabernet Sauvignon. If you're looking for a full bodied, dark red with rich black fruit flavours and spice, here's your wine. 

It comes from Lisboa in northern Portugal and ticks all the boxes from great value for money to succulently deliciously flavoursome. 

Deep juicy red from the arid dry Alentejo region in the south of Portugal, a climate that Syrah loves and adores, giving its best depths of dark fruit flavours and smooth powerful tannins. This dry Portuguese red has body to burn and rich flavours to impress with hints of dried red berries, ripe plums and even notes of stewed fruit. 

This is massively good value for money and comes from the family owned Casa Santos Lima winery.

Syrah, Alicante Bouschet, Touriga

Made from a blend of castelão, camarate and fernão pires, this wine follows Portugal’s traditional palhete style, where red and white grapes are fermented together. Castelão brings juicy red-berry fruit and gentle structure, camarate adds bright cherry notes and lift, while the aromatic white variety fernão pires contributes freshness and vibrancy. The result is a light, lively wine with berry and cherry flavours and easy-drinking character.

Confidencial is a taste combination of classic native Portuguese grapes Touriga Nacional (aka queen of Portuguese reds) with the better French red grapes, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. These three powerful red grapes each adds oomph and power to this wine, providing it with a full body, dry flavours and earthy complexity. 

We think that Confidencial offers great value for money and has layers of flavours, which will improve over time in the bottle, but also drink incredibly well right now. Decant and serve in your best big wine glass. 

Portugal is the most western country in Europe and home to a diverse range of wines from crisp dry whites in the maritime north to full bodied reds from the hot south, with many delicious variations in between. 

This wine takes it name from an old way Hungarian reference to the vineyard from where it comes. Mandolás is one of the Oremus vineyards and it is only planted with Furmint, the most respected grape variety of the region. During the weeks leading up to the harvest, the state of ripening of the grape is systematically checked and the golden yellow, health and ripe bunches are picked. A must with great density is obtained using a delicate and gentle pressing. Fermentation is in new wood barrels, which are carefully prepared, and takes between eight and 12 days. The wine is aged in 136-litre small barrels, which are typical of the region.

ZENKURO - This is New Zealand's first ever sake, handcrafted since 2015, in Queenstown.  Our fresh, Premium grade junmai style of sake is pure, nothing added, but give a unique twist with the use of Manuka timber, NZ's own miracle tree.

Our brand is Zenkura - while 'zen' means all, 'kuro' means black - a simple but powerful combination born in NZ.  We start with water from the snow-capped Southern Alps and special sake rice that has been milled to remove the outer30- 40%, leaving only the best part of each grain for the fermentation to begin.

Priorat is one of Spain's most esteemed regions for red wine, alongside Rioja & Ribera del Duero, and the most famous region for Grenache in Spain. The Llicorella slate and huge diurnal shifts contribute to powerful and ageable wines!

Made from Carinena & Garnacha fermented on skins for 11-12 days in stainless steel tanks at 24 degrees celcius. 70% was aged in French oak Barriques (20% new), & 30% in 30 hectolitre French oak foudres. 

Salmos is the spanish name for Psalms & is a tribute to the Carthusian Monks who first planted vines in Priorat.

The Wine:

50% Monastrell, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Garnacha Tintorera, 10% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 10% Syrah

Hand harvested, destemmed, natural yeast fermentation in stainless steel tanks. 

8 months in 250-500L French oak barrels and 5000L French oak foudres

About the Producer:

Celler del Roure is nothing short of the pioneer of quality wine in the DO Valencia. Until recently, Valencia was only known for its cheap bulk wines, but it is now blossoming into one of Spain most interesting wine regions. Thanks to the estate, which rehabilitated long-forgotten local grapes like the red Mando and the white Verdil, and also rediscovered the use of amphoras.

Pablo Calatayud is like the exception that proves the rule. He has no family roots in wine. He is a newcomer in the profession, which is not really a bad thing in a region like Valencia, where it is better not to follow the « tradition » of high yields, low prices and bad quality. He was lucky enough not to be influenced by all this and to start with a sound basis. His family is active in the local furniture business but supports his project wholeheartedly. Since a few years, his wife Sandra has also been working on the estate. The vineyard is located in Clariano, Valencia’s hinterland, a region with an enormous wine potential. Pablo’s wine story began in 1995-1996, just after he finished his agronomy and oenology studies. Then, with the help of his father and brother, he decided to buy an estate in the highlands and plant it with vines. French grapes, but also old local varieties, which bear witness to the Valencian wine history (even if most of them are long forgotten). In 2000, Pablo produced the first vintage of his Alcusses (the name is a reference to an Iberian settlement dating 4 centuries BC). On the labels of the wines and in the boxes, we'll find the text of a small tin plaque dating from these times, found on the estate. It is written in paleo-hispanic. This is a way for Pablo to pay his dues to the culture of this beautiful region. Pablo’s ambition re-dynamised the whole region. Several other estates followed his example and started producing quality wines, in accordance with their terroirs and tradition. Pablo’s most important decision was the purchase of an old bodega on the mountainside. There they found a real treasure: nearly 100 dug-in amphoras in an almost perfect state of conservation. This is something really unique, all the more so as these amphoras are nearly 500 years old ! Pablo is experimenting with making white and red wines in them, and the results are encouraging. This estate’s future looks bright and the birth of Pablo’s first daughter, Carla, on March 8th 2011, only confirmed it.

Terroir:

Vineyards are divided between four fincas, on the northern flank of the Serra Grossa (“l’Ombria”) and in the Alforins-Alcusses vale. The average altitude is 550 m. Most soils are very poor in organic matter - mostly sands, clay and limestone. The area is in a transition climate – this is what is called the pre-meseta, a link between the high plateau of Castilla La Mancha and the Costera valleys (Vall d’Albaida and Rio Cànyoles). The mountain ranges guide the wind coming from the interior (El Poniente) to the vineyard; the area also takes advantage of the humid breezes coming from the Mediterranean (El Levante), which gives the region some 600 mm of rainfall.

Bodega Terras Gauda overlooks the gentle green countryside of Galicia in north west Spain where its vineyards are planted. Terras Gauda uses its own yeasts, selected from its vineyards. These yeasts are unique to the winery and have been patented. This is one of the reasons the TG wines are so consistent because they don’t need to rely on commercial yeasts.

Chill this wine to 12 degrees and break out your best seafood, recommends wine importer Sophie Cotter, who brings this wine into New Zealand. 

Albarino is on trend globally right now and originally comes from north west Spain and the north of Portugal, where makes its fresh, zesty, dry as a bone and super flavoursome taste go particularly well with seafood. This wine comes from Terras Gauda Winery on the Spanish side of the Minho River, which separates Portugal from Spain.This region and its Portuguese counterpart over the border is the original home for the Albarino grape, known in Portugal as Alvarinho.

100% Bobal from DO Manchuela near Cuenca. 

Bodegas Ponce has been at the forefront of modern Spanish wine since their inception in 2005. 

Juan Antonio Ponce's dream was to make wines with the old vineyards of his native Manchuela. He attended viticulture and enology school when he was 14 years old, and after five years of working with Telmo Rodriguez after his graduation he started his own winery Bodegas Ponce when he was 23 years old. Inspired by his years with Telmo and the growing minimal intervention movement in France. He approached his native varietal Bobal in a way unlike that of neighbors. Farming sustainably, with organic and biodynamic principles and harvesting the grapes weeks before his neighbors. In the winery he works simply and cleanly, whole bunch fermentation, native yeast fermentation and aging in old wood vats. His wines are more like those from Beaujolais and the Loire Valley than Rioja and Priorat. What is fascinating is that Manchuela is a region where the locals joke that there are nine months of winter and three months of hell, which sounds nothing like the bucolic hills of Beaujolais nor France’s garden, the Loire valley. The P.F. stands for Pie Franco. The vineyards for this wine range in age from 40 to 90 years old and they are all ungrafted. Juan Antonio’s wines are some of the most elegant wines being made in Spain.