Kir-Yianni was founded in 1997 by Yiannis Boutaris, one of the leading figures in the Greek wine industry, when he left the Boutari Wine Group, the premium family wine company that his grandfather established in 1879.

Today, Stellios Boutaris, member of the fifth generation of winemakers, leads Kir-Yianni into the next phase of its history, by dynamically exploiting the cornerstones of the Kir-Yianni philosophy: desire for innovation, respect for tradition and true knowledge of the wine, from the grape to the end consumer.

1970: Yiannis Boutaris plants 40 hectares of Xinomavro vines on the eastern foothills of Mt Vermion, in Yianakohori, near the town of Naoussa. Later this vineyard will become Ktima Kir-Yianni.

1985: Yiannis Boutaris plants 20 hectares of white varieties on the highlands to the west of Mt Vermion, in the area of Amyndeon.

1985-1990: Merlot and Syrah vines planted in selected vineyard parcels of Ktima Kir-Yianni are perfectly adjusted to the area’s mesoclimate, giving great results.

1996: An old winery in the village of Agios Panteleimon is bought. This building, nicknamed “Paranga” -the “Shack”- will become the Kir-Yianni winery in Amyndeon.

1997: This is the year when Kir-Yianni is founded and the first vintage is entirely vinified in the newly built winery within Ktima Kir-Yianni.

1999: Stellios Boutaris, son of Yiannis, becomes managing director of Kir-Yianni.

1999-2001: Mihalis Boutaris returns from his studies in UC Davis. A period of intense experimentation and research on Xinomavro begins.

2003: The year when the new generation of Xinomavro wines is born based on the results of our experiments of the previous period.

2004–2006: 28 hectares of vineyards are re-planted with Xinomavro and other Greek and international varieties, focusing on the right vineyard sites and appropriate Xinomavro clones

2009: 10 more hectares are acquired by Stellios Boutaris, making Ktima Kir-Yianni one of Greece’ s largest vineyards.

2014: The first Kir-Yianni Wine Bar opens at the Athens International Airport followed by a second one in 2015