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)
MESSENIKOLA PDO
- location
- grapes/styles
Thessaly; 2nd Greek PDO to feature international varieties (w Slopes of Meliton)
DRY REDS ONLY: Mavro Messenikola + max 30% Syrah and/or Carignan
Lake Plastira, gravel-rich clays up to 750M
ANCHIALOS
- location
- grapes/styles
PDO; Thessaly
* Min. 80% Roditis, max 20% Savatiano
* dry to semi sweet
PDO for Xinomavro
- Amynteo
- Naoussa
- Rapsani (w Stavroto, Krassato)
- Goumenissa (w min. 20% Negoska)
ZITSA PDO
- location
- terrain
- grapes/styles
PDO; Epirus
- TERRAIN: limestone-rich plateau near the center of the Ionnina PGI. 500 - 700M. Pindos Mtns, Ionian Sea to the west moderate cool continental climate
- WHITE/SPARKLING (dry, semi-dry): 100% Debina .. ** tank or traditional method
Greek name for Central Greece? What style of wine is it known for?
Sterea Ellada
Retsina (thus, Savatiano and Roditis dominate here)
Max RS (generally) for Greek PDO dry wine
max 4gl RS
