The Kir-Yianni team consists of the following dedicated members:
The Boutari Family
Yiannis Boutaris, Founder
Founded Kir-Yianni in 1997 with the vision to create a super premium Greek wine estate. After more than 30 years of owning a controlling stake and running the operations of Boutari —the leading Greek wine brand— Yiannis decided to spin off two of the best vineyards belonging to the Group in order to create Kir-Yianni. At the present, he is currently involved in the Board of the National Interprofessioanl Association of Vine and Wine. However, his interets extend well beyond wine to local politics and wildlife conservation, where he plays a prominent role.
Stellios Boutaris, Winemaker
Runs Kir-Yianni since 1999 with the ambition to turn it into a world-class brand. Stellios got his MBA from INSEAD and his M.Sc. in Econometrics from LSE after a BA in Mathematics from Wesleyan University in the USA. As a brand manager at Paterno Imports he dramatically enhanced the distribution of Boutari wines in North America. Upon his return to Greece Stellios headed the sales of Boutari Group during the birth of Mythos beer until taking up the Kir-Yianni portfolio. He currently also acts as a wine consultant to W.S.Karoulias, one of the largest distributors of wine & spirits in Greece. Stellios is married with three children and spends most of his time traveling in and out of Kir-Yianni Estate.
Mihalis Boutaris, Advisor
Serves Kir-Yianni as a Board Member focusing on research & development. Mihalis spent three years living at the Estate to oversee the initial investments made by the family and currently assists his brother Stellios in new projects related to further expansion and improvement of vineyards and winemaking facilities. Mihalis graduated from UCDavis with a M.Sc. in Viticulture and from Harvard College with a B.A. in Philosophy. He is married with a daughter and pursues a career in the industry of clean energy.
Administration
Yorgos Anastasopoulos, General Manager
Joined Kir-Yianni in 2004 with the key challenge of managing the rapid growth in our sales. Formely the Director of Arcturos Yorgos has worked as a financial director in large enterprises and several of his own ventures. Based at the Estate he heads operations and financing on top of co-developing a business for side products like vine leaves and vinegar. He is married with two children.
Dorilea Ioakimidou, Executive Secretary
Joined Kir-Yianni too long ago to reveal. She has loyally stood by Yiannis Boutaris during his lasting career in the Greek wine industry and beyond. Apart from assisting day-to-day management she is in charge of Public Relations and all our corporate communication.
Viticulture
Haroula Spinthiropoulou, Vineyard Manager
Joined Kir-Yianni in 2005 as a consultant to upgrade existing viticultural practices and refine our new vineyard establishment projects. Haroula completed her Ph.D. in 2005 at the Agricultural School of Athens University after a Diplome d’ Agronomie Approfondie from ENSA at Montpellier, France in 1995. Her undergraudate degree is also in viticulture from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Her expertise lies in vine vigor and how it relates to cover cropping, clonal selection, and trellising among other things. Haroula has written a book on Greek ampelography published by Olive Press, five articles in professional publications, and more than a dozen conference posters and scientific articles. Her seminal work in identifying, selecting, and propagating the clones of Xinomavro under the auspices of Boutari Wineries in the 1990’s along with her extensive fieldwork in the Naoussa appellation add great value to the focused efforts of our vineyard crew. Haroula has two sons and runs “Argatia” a family winery with her husband, Panayotis.
Thomas Karanatsios, Head Vineyard Grower
Joined Kir-Yianni in 1997 as part of the vineyards acquired from Boutari Group. He has been inextricably linked to the Yianakohori Estate, which he planted first in the late 1960’s and then replanted twice in his lifetime. Thomas is now retired, but a day does not pass when he is not up in the vineyards helping the new shoots align themselves on the trellis and taking care of the old arms get rid of eutypa. His empirical views usually coincide with our scientific methods. When they don’t, it’s a hell of an argument to witness!
Winemaking
Antonis Kioseoglou, Oenologist
He joint Ki Yianni in 2010, after having worked in Alpha Estate and in Mesimvria Wines. He has received a degree in Chemistry from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and after that the Diplôme National d’Oenologue from the University of Bordeaux.
Damos Damianidis, Cellar Master
Joined Kir-Yianni in 1997 as our first employee and still serves at the core of our business. Damos gained his experience as a cellar master at the Central Facility of Boutari Wineries in Naoussa. He completed his studies in Food Science & Enology at the Polytechnic Institute of Thessaloniki. In his spare time, he runs a small alambic that produceds our fabled grappa. He is married with a son and a daughter.