The Apostolidis family began its winemaking journey in 1958, in the small village of Dialekto, making it one of the northernmost coastal wineries in the country. The tiny village “Eklekto” is right next to it, and both are right outside of Kavala, the hometown of our core team. We have always wanted to represent an area from our birthplace, since it is also at the epicenter of winemaking history in the area, with the Orthopetra site hosting the oldest indication of wine production of Europe (4,300 BC). Today, the region is unfortunately known for industrial wines, mainly made with international varieties.
The Apostolidi estate, is the bright and pleasant departure from this pattern, so it was only natural that we would cross paths. Now led by the third generation of the family, siblings Efthymios and Vasiliki recently returned to Greece after completing their viticultural and oenological studies in Germany, and there are many changes under way. Perhaps the most important was the transition from organic farming to a religious implementation of full biodynamics in the vineyard and the winery, with a complete Demeter certification. There is an increased emphasis on the production of natural wines with meticulous precision, including two of the classiest and most extensively aged sparkling wines of Greece. At the same time, there is an appetite for experimentation with different methods and materials. The young duo is testing the limits of the local terroir with amphorae buried in the sand (and partially under water), right next to the oldest traditional shipyard of Europe, ferments Assyrtiko retsinas in amphora with zero additives or sulfites, makes fun pet nats, and is about to release the first bottling of a light red from the local and forgotten Karapapas variety, which they discovered and saved from obscurity.
Considering they are still in their 20s and some of the nicest people we have come across, we expect a lot more down the road.
- Winery: Apostolidi
- Focus: Precise biodynamic wines with an emphasis on bubbles and amphorae
- Region: Kavala (Macedonia)
- Year founded: 1958
- Size: 13 hectares
- Grapes: Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Karapapas, Agiorgitiko, Vidiano, Sauvignon Blanc
- Viticulture: Biodynamic (Demeter certified) / Organic (certified)
- Climate: Mediterranean / continental, with proximity to river.
- Soil: Sand / clay
- Vine age: Planted between 2001 and 2011
- Altitude: 100-160m
- Distance from coast: 8 miles
- Percentage of estate owned grapes: 100%