Acritas Wines: Heroic Mountain Viticulture on the Island of Samos

Acritas Wines is a boutique winery on the Greek island of Samos, dedicated to expressing the unique character of its mountain vineyards through regenerative organic farming and minimal-intervention winemaking.

Founded by viticulturist Konstantinos Tellis and winemaker Stella Papadimitriou, the project focuses on old Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains vines growing on the island's steep, terraced slopes.

Mountain vineyards of Samos

Samos is the birthplace of the Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains grape variety, and is perhaps best known for its sweet Muscat wines, but Acritas offers a very different perspective on the island and its most important grape.

The vineyards are located high in the rugged mountains of Samos, with some vines more than 60 years old. Steep terraces, poor soils, altitude and cooling sea breezes create challenging conditions for viticulture, but also help produce wines with remarkable freshness, minerality and complexity.

These mountain vineyards are at the heart of Acritas' identity. Rather than trying to make Muscat that simply reflects the grape's famously aromatic character, Konstantinos and Stella focus on expressing the vineyard and the island.

Regenerative organic farming

The vineyards are farmed using regenerative organic principles, with biodiversity and the preservation of Samos' unique ecosystem at the centre of the approach.

This is particularly important in a landscape as rugged and fragile as the mountains of Samos. The old vines are cultivated among steep terraces and poor soils, with the aim of maintaining the health of the vineyard and its surrounding environment rather than simply maximising yields.

For me, this connection between old vines, mountain vineyards and regenerative farming is one of the things that makes Acritas so compelling.

Muscat beyond the obvious

Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is one of the world's great aromatic grape varieties, and it has a particularly long history on Samos.

It's famous for producing intensely floral, grapey and often sweet wines. But Acritas takes a very different approach.

Rather than focusing on overtly floral aromas, Acritas' wines show minerality, salinity, freshness and elegance, offering a more restrained and terroir-driven interpretation of Muscat.

It's a reminder that the character of a grape is never just about the variety itself. Place, altitude, soil, farming and winemaking all matter.

White Muscat from the mountains

Acritas' White Muscat is a brilliant introduction to this different side of Samos.

Made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, it combines the grape's natural aromatic character with the freshness and mineral quality of the mountain vineyards.

It's a wine for anyone who thinks they know what Muscat tastes like - and a good example of why indigenous varieties are so fascinating when they're allowed to express their individual terroir.

If you're interested in exploring more of Greece's indigenous white grapes, take a look at my guide to Greek white wines.

620 Skalia

Acritas also produces 620 Skalia, a single-vineyard wine named after the 620 steps that connect the terraces of this dramatic vineyard site at 500m altitude. The name itself tells you something important about the project: this is a wine defined by its mountain origins.

At this altitude, the combination of cooler temperatures, steep terrain and exposure helps retain freshness while the old vines and challenging soils contribute concentration and complexity.

It's a particularly interesting example of how altitude can shape Greek wine. If mountain viticulture interests you, it's worth exploring alongside wines from other high-altitude regions in Greece and Italy.

From Santorini to Samos and beyond

Konstantinos and Stella bring extensive winemaking and viticultural experience to Acritas, with experience spanning Santorini, the Cyclades, New Zealand and Australia.

That international perspective is useful, but the wines remain firmly rooted in Samos. The aim isn't to imitate another wine region or impose an international style on the island. Instead, their experience is used to understand how to get the best from these challenging vineyards and old Muscat vines.

The result is a style of Samos wine that feels both deeply traditional and distinctly contemporary.

Why Acritas?

Acritas represents exactly what I look for when selecting wines for Pale Ruby Wine.

It's a small-scale producer working with old indigenous vines, unusual mountain vineyards and careful winemaking, while taking a thoughtful approach to farming and biodiversity.

Most importantly, the wines challenge preconceptions.

Samos isn't just about sweet Muscat. Muscat isn't just about floral aromas. And Greek wine isn't simply about the varieties or regions that have become internationally familiar.

There is so much more to discover.

Discover Acritas Wines in the UK

I'm proud to import Acritas Wines to the UK, giving UK wine drinkers access to these distinctive mountain wines from Samos.

Explore the Acritas Wines collection.

Or discover the individual wines:

• Acritas White Muscat - a fresh, mineral expression of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains from the mountains of Samos.

• Acritas 620 Skalia - a high-altitude single vineyard expression showcasing the saline character of Samos' mountain vineyards.

  
  

You can also explore more about Greek white wines and discover other distinctive Greek producers in the Greek Wine Discovery Case.

Old vines. Mountain terraces. Indigenous Muscat. A very different taste of Samos.

Shop Acritas wines