Former Thessaloniki mayor, businessman, and oenologist Yiannis Boutaris passed away on Saturday, 9 November, at the age of 82. He took his last breath on Saturday night in a private clinic in the city, where he had been hospitalised recently due to serious health issues.
Yiannis Boutaris was born on 13 June 1942 in Thessaloniki. He held a degree in Chemistry from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, was a qualified oenologist, and continued his family’s rich winemaking tradition through the company “I. Boutaris & Son,” founded by his grandfather in 1879.
He left the “Boutaris” company in 1996 and founded “Kir-Yianni” – with the namesake wines and wineries on his own vineyards in Giannakochori, Naousa, and Amyntaio – which is now managed by his two sons. He served as president and board member of numerous professional, environmental, and cultural organisations, including the International Wine Academy, the Greek Wine Association, the Interprofessional Organisation of Vine and Wine, Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation, Thessaloniki Film Festival, and WWF Greece.
He was elected as the 60th mayor of Thessaloniki in 2010 and remained in office for two consecutive terms until 2019. In the recent municipal elections held in October 2023, he was re-elected as a municipal councillor with Spyros Pengas’ team, receiving a record number of votes. He also served as president of the Holocaust Museum of Greece.
Boutaris was a founding member of the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and the Centre for Dependent Support “Oasis,” as well as the founder of “Arcturos,” an organisation dedicated to the protection of brown bears and wildlife. He was honoured with many national and international awards.
The unconventional former mayor chronicled his life in his 2020 book titled “Sixty Years of Harvest.” In his characteristic direct style, Yiannis Boutaris recounted his predetermined path in winemaking due to family tradition, his collective activism, innovations, and the struggles that marked the sector in Greece from the post-war period to the present day. He spoke candidly about his battle with alcoholism, which he managed to overcome, and the support he provided to others with dependencies.
Yiannis Boutaris to AMNA: “I lived it to the fullest… Farewell!” – “History will judge if I was a good mayor.”
His remarks were distinctive… This was Yiannis Boutaris’ response in his final interviews with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency after he made the definitive decision not to run again for a third term as mayor of Thessaloniki and shortly before packing up his belongings to hand over the office to his successor, Konstantinos Zervas.
At the time, Mr Boutaris, despite the annoyance he admitted feeling over moving, had no regrets about his decision not to seek re-election. He believed that his nine-year tenure as mayor brought Thessaloniki “recognition” thanks to its “unconventional” mayor. “Everyone started talking about the city, and there were media reports,” he said.
Throughout his two terms in office, he met with various notable individuals, including German Ambassador Jens Plötner, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, historian Mark Mazower, and British bestselling author Victoria Hislop.
“The benefit was that my contacts with various people highlighted Thessaloniki. Everyone started talking about it, and there were reports worldwide about the city and its so-called ‘unconventional’ mayor. We highlighted the city’s past, with many Roman, Turkish, and forgotten Jewish monuments. No one paid attention to Thessaloniki’s history. The Rotunda, a replica of Rome’s Pantheon, is unique. We brought its history into focus, along with Kemal’s story. We brought to light the Jewish history that had been swept under the rug,” Boutaris said.
As mayor, he was particularly proud of the creation of the Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki, a vision he passionately pursued and for which he secured funding. He noted that it “will leave a lasting mark on Thessaloniki for centuries to come, giving the city a new level of international prominence.”
In his interviews with AMNA, he also addressed the question of whether the violent attack he suffered at the White Tower during an event for the Pontian Genocide influenced his decision to withdraw from local politics. “Not at all. On the contrary, the incident strengthened my resolve. It made me think about how I could use my position to expose those hooligans. It didn’t frighten me at all,” he stated.
“Mr Yiannis will remain forever in our hearts.”
“Yiannis Boutaris is no longer with us. He passed away tonight at the age of 82, surrounded by his family,” reads a post by the Boutaris family on the Kir-Yianni estate’s page, marking the death of the former Thessaloniki mayor, businessman, and winemaker.
“Visionary, charismatic, pioneering, unconventional, Yiannis Boutaris is both history and a source of inspiration for the revival of Greek wine. And much more. A boundless force of nature known by a simple name. Mr Yiannis will forever remain in our hearts,” the post continued.
Arcturos says goodbye to its founder
“With profound sadness, we bid farewell to Yiannis Boutaris.
He was the visionary who inspired and founded ARCTUROS in 1992 after witnessing a dancing bear alongside his son, Michalis. The sorrowful sight he encountered led him to establish an organisation dedicated to protecting wildlife and biodiversity.
Right up until the end, he never stopped fighting for nature, for wildlife, for freedom, for diversity for all, and for the right to life for every creature.
Farewell on your journey to eternity, dear Yiannis.
We promise to continue your vision for a life in which people, animals, and nature live in harmony and beauty.
Your light, your courage, your foresight, and your deep love for the environment and humanity will always guide us.”
Yiannis Boutaris’ Body to Lie in State at Thessaloniki City Hall on Tuesday
The body of Yiannis Boutaris will lie in state at the Thessaloniki City Hall, the place he honoured for nine years as the city’s mayor, on Tuesday, 12 November.
According to information from the family of the late Boutaris, his body will be displayed in the atrium of Thessaloniki City Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by funeral speeches.
Flags at Thessaloniki City Hall will fly at half-mast, while Naousa and Nymfaio also “mourn” the loss of Yiannis Boutaris.
“We would like to sincerely thank you for the countless messages of support during this difficult time,” said the family of the former mayor, businessman, and winemaker who passed away at the age of 82.
The family has kindly requested that, instead of wreaths, donations be made in memory of Mr. Yiannis to the following organisations:
- ARGO Social Cooperative Enterprise for Integration: https://argokoinsep.gr/
- ARCTUROS: https://www.arcturos.gr/
- The Asylum of the Child: https://asylopaidiou.gr
Edited from: AMNA
