GR: North/Central Flashcards
Greece’s most planted grapes, largest to least
- Savatiano (16.52%)
- Roditis (14.34%)
- Agiorgitiko (5.28%)
- Liatiko (3.85%)
- Xinomavro (3.44%)
Greece’s main mountain range
Pindos (southern extension of the Alps)
Greece climate
Mediteranean except:
- Continental: Epirus, central Péloponnèse, western Thessaly, western Macedonia
- rains most in north & west
Greek Wine Law
- PDO: 33 total, 19% of production
* 100% of grapes must come from said PDO - PGI: 120 total, 62% of production; regional, district, area (being as small as a single vyd)
* 85% of grapes from said PGI
** 2 traditional PGI: Verdea, Retsina - Varietal: vintage + grape, no origin
Greek % laws regarding origin, grapes, vintage
Vintage: 85%
Origin: 85% for PGI, 100% for PDO
Grapes: 85% of listed varietal, 100% of listed varietal if multiple
Xinomavro
- characteristics
- main PDOs/regions
Widely planted in Macedonia, Thrace
- Goumenissa PDO (blend w Negoska_
- Rapsani PDO: (blend w Krassato, Stavroto)
- Naoussa PDO
- Amynteo PDO
Light color, high acid/tannin, prone to oxidation. Often blended bc it isn’t always that agreeable on its own.
Debina
WHITE
Epirus - Zitsa PDO is its main home
* drought sensitive (Epirus gets plenty of rain)
* low alcohol, high acid (perfect for sparkling)
[zitsa sits on a plateau at avg 650M; sparking wines are traditional as fermentation stopped during cold winter, restarting in spring.. trapping CO2 in aging vessels. Most vineyards here are fenced as wildlife is the main viti threat]
Thrace
- climate, soils, grapes
GRAPES: Mavroudi, LImnio
CLIMATE: Mediterranean, some continental inland. Rodopi Mountains block cool northern air, Aegean Sea gives warm, moist air. Very humid place
SOILS: deep, sandy by the sea. Clay inland, rocky & poor up in the mountains
Thrace - PGIs
Regional PGIs: Thrace
District PGIs: Evros
Area PGIs: Avdira, Ismaros
* NO PDO
No economic center, no rebound after phylloxera. Tsantali est. here 1990’s, turning things around.
AMYNTEO PDO
- location
- varieties/styles
- climate, elevation
Major producer
Macedonia (NW)
100% Xinomavro (SP/Ro/R)
- CLIMATE: Continental. Cold! (ties with Epirus for coldest). Highest levels of rainfall, hail, snow
- ELEVATION: 520 - 720M (highest of 4 Macedonia PDO)
- TERRAIN: sits on an elevated plateau; temps moderated by surrounding lakes
- SOILS: Sand (mainly) + limestone, loam. Phylloxera has a hard time surviving aka there’s patches of ungrafted old vines
Alpha Estate
Greek PDO for sparkling wine (3)
Amynteo (Xinomavro)
Zitsa (Debina)
Rhodes (Athiri, Mandilaria-based)
NAOUSSA PDO
- location
- mountains
- climate
- soils
Macedonia
- TERRAIN: E-facing band of vyd along Mt. Vermion/Vermio Mtns.
* CLIMATE: Continental climate - the mtns create a foehn wind that suck cold, damp Aegean air
* SOILS: Clay & limestone
Naoussa “crus”
13 total. Ones to know….
- Trifolos: lower elevation, fuller-bodied
- Fytia: higher elevation; spare rocky soils
- Ramnista: home of Kir-Yianni
Boutari
Est. 1879, Naoussa (Macedonia)
* 1st to bottle wine in Greece
PDO of Macedonia (4)
- Naoussa PDO (Xinomavro)
* 80 - 350M - Amynteo PDO (Xinomavro)
* 520 - 720M - Goumenissa PDO (Xinomavro + min 20% Negoska)
* 150 - 300M - Slopes of Meliton
* 100 - 250M
Halkidiki
Macedonia; Aegean Coast.. home to the Slopes of Meliton PDO (home to Dom. Porto Carras)
GOUMENISSA PDO
- location
- grapes/styles
DRY RED: Xinomavro + min. 20% Negoska
* South-facing. Warmest of the Xinomavro PDO’s. 150 - 300M
* Mount Paiko
* lesser established
SLOPES OF MELITON PDO
- location
- climate
- grapes/styles
- major producers
Halkidiki, Macedonia (Aegean Coast)
* Mediterranean climate
* sandy loam, limestone. 100 - 350M
* one estate - Domaine Porto Carras
WHITES: Athiri (50%), Assyrtiko (35%), Roditis (15%)
REDS: Cab Sauv + Lemnio, max 30% Cab Franc
1st PDO to allow foreign grapes (PDO Messenikola followed 12 years later)
Mount Athos - where, significance?
Area PGI, Macedonia
* easternmost peninsula of Halkidiki
* fruit is divided between the monk’s Mylopotamos and Tsantali
* Cab Sauv, Grenache, Assyrtiko, Athiri, Limnio, Chardonnay, Xinomavro, and Roditis
Vineyard is owned by the monasteries - no women allowed in the vines
Siatista - what is it?
PGI in Macedonia
Traditional passito-style sweet wine from dried Xinomavro, Maschomavro
- western Macedonia’s hinterlands. Diamentis Magoutes is from here.
Moschomavro
- characteristics
- use
The Pais of Macedonia? Widely grown red grape featured in 0 PDOs
- traditional sweet Siatista is made from dried Xinomavro + Moschomavro (Macedonia)
Thessaly PDOs (3)
- Rapsani (Xinomavro, etc)
- Anchialos (dry to semi-sweet Roditis/Savatiano)
- Messenikola (Mavro Messenikola-based dry reds)
RAPSANI PDO
- location
- terrain
- climate
- grapes/styles
major producers
PDO in Thessaly
- TERRAIN: SE-facing slope of Mt. Olympus. 150 to 800M. Aegean Sea.
- CLIMATE: Mediterranean - high humidity. Best comes from elevation.
- GRAPES/STYLES: Xinomavro (principal), Krassato, Stavroto
Tsantali vinifies 95% of fruit, though owns no vineyards.
** Greece’s smallest PDO and the only to feature Xinomavro outside of Macedonia.
Rapsani PDO grapes?
Xinomavro (principal), Krassato, Stavroto
(only non-Macedonian PDO to feature Xinomavro)
