Wine Regions Flashcards
Where is the Greek region of Macedonia located in the country?
Along its northern border.
PDO Naoussa covers the southeastern slopes of which mountain and at what altitude are the vineyards planted?
Mount Vermio at between 150 and 400m
Naoussa wines have to be made using 100% of which grape variety?
Xinomavro
Name 2 significant Naoussa producers.
Thymiopoulos Vineyards
Kir-Yianni
How does Amynteo differs from Naoussa in terms of growing conditions?
It is found on the opposite northwestern side of Mount Vermio at a higher altitude than Naoussa (570-750m) with a northerly aspect exposed to cold northerly winds, leading to cool summer and cold winters. More lakes which moderate temperature extremes but increase the risk of rot and close to which soils are more fertile (care taken to control yields).
100% made from Xinomavro, can Naoussa and Amynteo produce rosés within the boundaries of their respective PDO?
In Naoussa: NO
In Amynteo: YES
Name one significant producer in Amynteo.
Alpha Estate
Which area of Greece’s territory is referred to as the Peloponnese?
The peninsula, which forms the sourthern part of the Greek mainland.
Which are the 2 most significant PDOs of the Peloponnese?
Nemea and Mantinia
Nemea PDO is situated close to which famous canal, separating the peninsula from the rest of mainland Greece?
The Corinth Canal
Nemea PDO is only for red wines made from 100% of which grape variety?
Agiorgitiko
Does Nemea PDO allow for the production of sweet versions of Agiorgitiko?
Yes, but they are rare.
Name 2 significant Nemea producers.
Gaia Wines
Tselepos
What is the climate in Nemea?
Mediterranean
Is rainfall mainly stable or significantly variable in Nemea from year to year?
There can be significant differences in the amount of rainfall year on year (from as low as 400mm to 900mm).
How is Nemea divided internally?
Nemea is usually divided into 3 distinct zones by reference to altitude.
What are the main distinctions between all 3 Nemea zones?
- Valley floor (230-400m), hottest with most fertile soil, easy ripening, usually inexpensive wines but also high-quality sweet wines
- Cooler middle zone (450-650m) considered best for quality, poor free-draining soils limiting yields, cooler temperatures slowing sugar accumulation while flavours + tannins ripen, talk of introducing a cru system (range of microclimates)
- Highest zone (650-1000m) Agiorgitiko can struggle to ripen fully in cooler temperatures and cool clay soils, fresh red fruits, high acid, potentially harsh tannins, mainly used for rosé (outside PDO), potential for fresher reds with higher acidity
Where is Mantinia PDO in reference to Nemea PDO?
Mantinia PDO is located to the south and west of Nemea PDO.
Why is Mantinia one of the coolest grape-growing areas in Greece despite its southerly latitude?
Its altitude, as Mantinia occupies a plateau with elevations starting at 600m.
The wines of Mantinia PDO must be made with at least which % of which grape variety?
Moschofilero must make up at least 85% of the blend of the Mantinia PDO, although many of the highest quality wines are made from 100% Moschofilero.
Name 2 significant producers in Mantinia PDO.
Boutari
Seméli Estate
Most of the best-known Greek islands for producing wine lie in which sea?
Aegean Sea
What is one of the main threats to the development and survival of viticulture on the Greek islands?
The temptation of producers to profit from the lucrative opportunity to sell their land for tourist developments.
What is the name used to refer to a central crater such as the one submerged in Santorini that is responsible for the island’s shape?
Caldera
What is the traditional training method used for vines on Santorini?
They are trained low to the ground in a basket shape, usually in a hollow. Each year the vines are woven around the previous year’s growth.
After how many years does the basket usually gets too bulky, therefore requiring it to be cut off and started anew from a shoot?
20 years or so
Where does most of the essential moisture come from in Santorini?
From the fog which rises from the caldera every morning and the traditional training system also helps trap the moisture.
What are the planting densities like in Santorini given the very limited amounts of water available?
Very low: less than 2,500 vines per hectare
Has phylloxera been a problem on Santorini?
No. Some vines are estimated to have roots and trunks that are over 400 years old.
What are the maximum permitted yields in Santorini and how low can they get in practice?
Max is 60 hl/ha but in practice they are considerably lower than that, as low as 15 hl/ha from the oldest vines.
Santorini PDOs are for which styles of wine only?
Only for white wines, both sweet and dry.
Dry wines from Santorini must contain at least what % of Assyrtiko? What about sweet wines?
75% for dry wines
51% for sweet wines
How does Santorini’s Vinsanto differs from Tuscany’s Vin Santo in terms of spelling?
Santorini: Vinsanto
Tuscany: Vin Santo
How does Santorini’s Vinsanto differs from Tuscany’s Vin Santo in terms of spelling?
Santorini: Vinsanto
Tuscany: Vin Santo
How long are late-harvested Vinsanto grapes usually dried out in the sun for?
2 weeks
How long must Vinsanto be aged for in oak before release?
At least 2 years, but many producers will age it for longer, often in larger casks that are not fully filled to encourage oxidation.
How sweet are Vinsanto generally?
Between 200 and 300 g/L RS
Name 2 significant producers of Santorini wines.
Estate Argyros
Domaine Sigalas
What is Verdea and where is it produced?
Verdea is a traditional multi-varietal white wine produced on Zakynthos, one of the Ionian Islands in western Greece which was under Venetian rule for centuries. Traditional verdea is a high alcohol content, dry oxidative wine, which gives a strong sense of aging in oak barrels reminiscent of sherry or vin jaune. All verdea wines bear the indication “Traditional Designation” (like Retsina).
Where does the name Verdea comes from?
It owes its name to the Italian “verde,” meaning “green,” which refers to the color of the unripe grapes used to increase the wine’s acidity.
Name the 6 wider regions of mainland Greece.
Thrace
Macedonia
Epirus
Thessalia
Central Greece
Peloponnese
Can Thrace, in northeastern Greece, claim any PDO appellations?
Thrace, in northeastern Greece, cannot claim any PDO appellations.
What kind of wines are made in PDO Goumenissa?
In Goumenissa PDO, lighter Xinomavro wines are produced, requiring the addition of at least 20% Negoska.
What is the name of the 4th PDO where Xinomavro is cultivated - the other three being PDO Amynteo, PDO Naoussa and PDO Goumenissa?
PDO Rapsani
PDO Slopes of Meliton is one of the two PDO wines whose red wines includes which ancient variety native to Greece?
Lemnio (or Limnio on Guildsomm)
Which producer is the only one making wine on the PDO Slopes of Meliton?
Domaine Porto Carras is the only winery in the Slopes of Meliton PDO.
Under the guidance of which great oenologist did Domaine Carras managed to receive international acclaim?
Émile Peynaud
Where is the Rapsani PDO located?
In Thessalia, south of Macedonia, and includes four villages on the lower slopes of Mount Olympus.
Xinomavro-based Rapsani PDO wines are softened by blending with which 2 varieties?
Krassato
Stavroto
Where is Retsina mainly produced?
In Central Greece, or Sterea Ellada, is a bastion of retsina; Attiki, the region surrounding Athens, is the center of production.
Vine cultivation in the Peloponnese is concentrated in the north, around the three PDO zones of Nemea PDO, Mantinia PDO, and…
Patras PDO
Patras is an appellation for dry to semisweet white wines produced from 100% Roditis, but there are also three dessert wine PDO zones connected to the region. What are they?
- Muscat of Patras (either vin doux naturel or naturally sweet in style)
- Muscat of Rio Patras (either vin doux naturel or naturally sweet in style)
- Mavrodaphne of Patras
What is Mavrodaphne?
Mavrodaphne (“black laurel”) of Patras is a sweet, fortified red wine produced from Mavrodaphne and Mavri Korinthiaki. It is aged for at least 1 year in wood prior to release, but the wine may sometimes rest in cask for a decade or more prior to bottling.
What are the 4 wine-producing Ionian Islands off the west coast of Greece?
- Cephalonia (only Ionian island that has any PDOs)
- Kerkyra (Corfu)
- Lefkada
- Zakynthos.
What is Robola of Cephalonia PDO?
Robola of Cephalonia PDO is a PDO on the Ionian island of Cephalonia for dry white wines produced from Robola, a variety unrelated to the Ribolla or Rebula found in Friuli or Slovenia.
