Oenos Mittas Naoussa Xinomavro 2022

Hailing from a long line of Macedonian grape growers, Yiannis Mittas is building a reputation as one of Greece’s most ambitious new winemaking talents.

After working for years alongside his cousin Kostis Dalamara – one of Greece’s finest vignerons – Yiannis jumped at the opportunity to purchase 1.8ha of his own vines in ‘Paliokalias’, a venerable site on the slopes of Mount Vermio which has been described by Greek Master of Wine Yiannias Karakasis as Naoussa’s Grand Cru.

Initially selling his top-quality, organically-grown Xinomavro to Domaine Dalamara, Yiannis decided to make tiny quantities of his own wines under the Oenos Mittas label from the 2022 vintage.

Fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks, it is matured for a year in a combination of small and large barrels of various ages before being bottled with minimal sulphur. It is a wine of wonderful purity, with sweet, floral-edged fruit – the result of particularly clay-rich vineyards – and manages to combine the elegance of Pinot Noir with the fine-grained tannins of Nebbiolo.

Greek wines are currently enjoying a renaissance with drinkers’ searching for authenticity, and Yiannis’ brilliant artisanal bottles are unrivalled in flavour and price.