Amyndaio

What is Amyndaio? Amyndaio (also spelled Amyndeon or Amynteo) is a Greek PDO wine appellation in the Florina regional unit of Western Macedonia, established in 1972. It is the northernmost, highest, and coldest PDO zone in Greece dedicated to the Xinomavro grape, and the only Greek PDO devoted to still and sparkling rosé. The appellation sits on the Amyndeon plateau, framed by three mountains and two lakes, where altitude and cool air shape a distinctive style. Its wines come exclusively from Xinomavro, vinified across dry red, dry rosé, and both dry and semi-dry sparkling rosé styles.

Climate and Terroir

The Amyndeon plateau lies in the southeastern part of the Florina regional unit, with vineyards planted between 570 and 750 metres of altitude and an average elevation of 615 metres — the highest among Greece's four Xinomavro PDO zones. The town of Amyntaio itself sits at 589 metres above sea level, taking its name from Amyntas III, king of Macedon and father of Philip II. The plateau is enclosed by Mount Vermio (2,052 m), Mount Vitsi (2,128 m) and Mount Voras (2,554 m), with lakes Vegoritida and Petron lying within the zone.

The climate is continental, with cold, snowy winters and warm, dry summers, and a wide diurnal temperature range that helps the grapes retain acidity and develop aromatic complexity. Soils are predominantly sandy and sandy-loam with strong drainage, complemented by alluvial deposits. The sandy character of these soils has also preserved a remarkable inheritance: many ungrafted, self-rooted vines that survived the phylloxera era and continue to produce wine today.

Grape and Wine Styles

Under the Amyndaio PDO, Xinomavro is the sole permitted grape — every wine in the appellation is 100% Xinomavro. The variety is known for high tannins and medium-high acidity, a structure that gives the wines genuine ageing potential and a recognisably firm, savoury profile. In the cool conditions of the Amyndeon plateau, Xinomavro tends to keep its bright acidity, which is part of why the zone has become so closely associated with rosé.

The PDO covers four styles, all from Xinomavro: dry red, dry rosé, sparkling dry rosé and sparkling semi-dry rosé. This makes Amyndaio Greece's only PDO appellation for still and sparkling rosé, and one of only two sparkling wine appellations in the country. Leading producers in the zone include Kir-Yianni, whose Akakies sparkling rosé helped put the region on the international map, and Alpha Estate, known for both still and sparkling expressions of local Xinomavro.