WINE REVIEWS

The Xinomavro grape has a dark red, almost black, colour and grows in bunches of high density. It offers red dry wines, dry rosé as well as some whites (blanc de noir) or semi-dry variations. Their main features: medium to full body, clear bright ruby colour, high acidity, long aftertaste, strong tannins and aromas. Red ripe cherry fruits (wild strawberries, gooseberries but also figs), predominate along with tomatoes (fresh, sweet or sun-dried) and a touch of spice on the finish, sometime mixed with ginger, tobacco or even chocolate flavours. Nevertheless, Xinomavro is distinguished for its long ageing potential, which can be exploited to further improve its quality, mitigate the aggressive tannins and develop a great body structure. So, it is not by hazard that Xinomavro is considered the noblest indigenous variety of Northern Greece, described as the Royal Red of the North or even more frequently as the Greek Pinot Noir. Well, Greeks love to exaggerate, but in this case there is a good reason. Xinomavro is a truly unique red wine and experts often say that its depth compares with the wines of Burgundy and Piedmont, with Pinot Noir, which has the most complex aromas in the world, and with Barolo - a surprising combination at first sight, as those two famous wines are very different from one another. As a matter of fact, Xinomavro in its youth has the strong tannic character of Barolo, but in its maturity, when the tannins are reduced, it becomes more like the great red wines, developing a character of earth, forest, deep flavours and a great body