Family-owned Kefalonia estate farming indigenous varieties since 1863 under regenerative viticulture on the Lixouri peninsula.
The producer
Haritatos Vineyard occupies five hectares in Kladata, on the outskirts of Lixouri on the western peninsula of Kefalonia. The estate has been in family hands since 1863 and is now managed by three siblings: Ioanna, Haritos, and Konstantinos Haritatos. The farming is regenerative, avoiding synthetic inputs across all parcels. The wines are built on indigenous varieties, Mavrodaphne, Vostilidi, and Muscat Petit Grain, and all carry PGI Kefalonia designation. Mademoiselle is a tank-fermented dry Mavrodaphne with soft tannins, crisp acidity, and primary red fruit, made without oak and suited to a slight chill.
Known for
Dry Mavrodaphne and indigenous Kefalonian varieties
Notable facts
Estate in continuous family ownership since 1863.
Currently managed by three siblings: Ioanna, Haritos, and Konstantinos Haritatos.
Five hectares farmed under a regenerative agricultural approach.
Mademoiselle is fermented in stainless steel tanks with no oak maturation.
The story
Tank over barrel
Mavrodaphne on the Greek mainland is almost always made sweet and fortified, a style linked to Patras on the Peloponnese. Haritatos Vineyard took a different path with Mademoiselle: the same grape, grown on Kefalonia, goes straight into stainless steel tanks with no oak contact, producing a dry, light-bodied red with cherry and raspberry fruit, crisp acidity, and soft tannins. The estate recommends serving it with a slight chill. Mademoiselle bears almost no resemblance to its fortified mainland counterpart.
Tank over barrel
Mavrodaphne on the Greek mainland is almost always made sweet and fortified, a style linked to Patras on the Peloponnese. Haritatos Vineyard took a different path with Mademoiselle: the same grape, grown on Kefalonia, goes straight into stainless steel tanks with no oak contact, producing a dry, light-bodied red with cherry and raspberry fruit, crisp acidity, and soft tannins. The estate recommends serving it with a slight chill. Mademoiselle bears almost no resemblance to its fortified mainland counterpart.
From the atlas
Haritatos Vineyard
A family estate in Kladata on the Lixouri peninsula of Kefalonia, farming five hectares of indigenous Greek varieties under regenerative practices since 1863.
At A Glance
Region
Ionian Islands, Greece
Appellation
PGI Kefalonia
Village
Kladata, Lixouri
Main grapes
Mavrodaphne, Vostilidi, Muscat Petit Grain
Signature wine
Mademoiselle (Mavrodaphne)
Defining feature
Regenerative viticulture on an island estate in continuous family ownership
The Producer
Kladata sits on the outskirts of Lixouri, the main town on the western peninsula of Kefalonia. Haritatos Vineyard has occupied this ground since 1863, growing grape varieties that exist almost nowhere else in production: Mavrodaphne as a dry table wine, Vostilidi, and Muscat Petit Grain. Three siblings, Ioanna, Haritos, and Konstantinos Haritatos, now manage the estate and farm its five hectares under a regenerative agricultural approach, working the soil in ways that avoid synthetic inputs and aim to rebuild the vitality of the land over time. All five of the estate's labels carry PGI Kefalonia designation, tying them to the island's protected geographical indication. The estate is also part of the Greek Ministry of Tourism's Open to Public Wineries network.
Place
Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands and sits off the western coast of mainland Greece, separated from the wine regions most associated with Greek red wine production, including the Patras area on the Peloponnese. That geographic distance matters for the grapes. Mavrodaphne grown in Patras is typically made into a sweet, fortified wine. On Kefalonia, in the hands of Haritatos, it is fermented dry as a table wine, producing something altogether different in weight and character. The Lixouri peninsula, where Kladata sits, gives the estate its western exposure and island climate.
Wines
The range is built on Kefalonia's indigenous varieties. Mavrodaphne is the anchor, appearing in Mademoiselle, a wine made in stainless steel tanks without oak maturation. Fermented this way, the grape retains its primary fruit: cherry, raspberry, fresh fig, and a finish with laurel. The wine has a medium-full body, crisp acidity, and soft tannins. It is made to be served with a slight chill, which suits the style, since the fruit stays vivid and the tannins do not grip when the wine is cool. Vostilidi and Muscat Petit Grain account for the rest of the range, though the packet's detail on those bottlings covers variety and appellation rather than production method or tasting character.
Final Word
Haritatos is a five-hectare Kefalonian estate farming varieties rarely seen outside the island, with Mademoiselle, its tank-fermented dry Mavrodaphne, showing what the grape becomes when it is made without oak and served cool.