Grapes are clinging from the top of a rolling hill overlooking the magnificent lagoon of the Florina’s four lakes, Vegoritida, Lake Petron, Zazari and Cheimaditida. This is Samaropetra -“Saddle Rock” in Greek – the most beautiful and imposing vineyard of Kir-Yianni at the Amyndeon appellation in Florina, the coldest winemaking PDO region in Greece.
Here, under the influence of the 720 meters high altitude, the winters get heavy, allowing the vineyards to rest, and the summers come with mild, dry breezes. The lakes turn off the heat wave, as the grapes mature. The Aegean salty air does not touch them, the strong wind from the sea stays away as it strikes against the bulky heights.
Vermio and Vitsi mountains, guards of the wine-growing zone and eternal companions of the lakes, create the most favourable conditions for the cultivation of great Greek and foreign varieties. Poor soil produces rich grapes, and every late summer, the vintage becomes a story that with few words and many deeds narrates the miracle of this earth.
At Samaropetra vineyard Sauvignon Blanc finds one of its best expressions with a fine structure and balance, fruity finesse, rare aromatic intensity, and generous flavour.
Its history is marked by two firsts for the siblings of the Kir-Yianni family. Samaropetra is the first vineyard that Michalis Boutaris has cultivated, and at the same time, the first wine that Stelios Boutaris has named.
The etiquette was first released in 1997, the same year that the well-known winemaker and current Mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris, founded Kir-Yianni. Within its 20 years of existence, Samaropetra has come along way engaging a lot of wine-enthusiasts and winning several prestigious trophies.
But as with any wine that counts vintages and successes, the most precious gift of its course is the deeper understanding of the land and the character of the wine it produces.
Celebrating the twenty years of Samaropetra, Ktima Kir-Yianni, has bottled this heritage and offered it to a new, varietal Samaropetra Sauvignon Blanc.
The redesigned package welcomes a one-of-a-kind dry white wine consumed as a delicious, fruity aperitif-style white, or a perfect accompaniment of a wide food range including greens and salads, fish and seafood courses.
A number of core etiquette elements have altered and improved. The Samaropetra origins have been given greater prominence on the bottle emphasizing on the Estate Grown identity of the wine. The logo was redesigned, ensuring the brand is well defined and recognizable among its competitors. All the essential components were gold printed on a better quality paper and embossed onto the front and on the back of the label, conveying at first glance what the content of the bottle is all about, and representing, in a simple yet, classy way, the status of Ktima Kir-Yianni as a top-notch Greek winemaking establishment.
Overlooking at the twilight and the new horizons reflected by the lakes of Florina, Samaropetra sets and rises new, after twenty years of a unique history. In this vineyard one can stand to appreciate what has been blessed with and to take a fresh look at what one’s do.
The new varietal Samaropetra reflects vibrantly this balance imposed by the landscape. Its renewal is the proof that a fine wine can improve with age, even when it’s white.
The new Samaropetra has been unveiled at the Kir-Yianni wineries at Amyndeon, Florina and Yianakohori, Naoussa, and rolled out widely from the beginning of 2018.
