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 Viticulture area: approx. Wine production: approx. 30,500 hectoliters Epirus is the most mountainous wine region in Greece. Despite its relative isolation and a history of emmigration, its winemaking traditions, though unprolific, have largely survived. It is host to a distinct group of cultivars and features stunning altitudes in its principal vineyard zones. The two chief areas of cultivation are Zitsa (600 meters) and Metsovo (1100 meters). Only vineyards in Kraniá (Thessaly) and Arkadía (Peloponessos) are in the same range. Zitsa is the only area within Epirus entitled to an appellation. Title-bearing wines must consist of 100% Debina, a traditional white variety that can used to produce still, sparkling and semi-sweet wine. Traditionally Debina was blended with the red varieties Bekari and Vlachiko to create mildly sparkling rosés, but questions concerning the pedigree of these red cultivars prevented them from inclusion in the appellation. The Ioannina Cooperative, one of the most advanced in Greece, has insinuated this tradition with a product they call Seirios, a medium-dry rosé (albeit spritzless) blend of Bekari and Vlachiko with Xynomavro (no Debina). Monastiri Zitsa is the only other producer of appellation Zitsa wine. Metsovo, to the east of Ioannina, is home to Katogi Averoff, producers of some of Greece's most distinct red wines. In the early 1960s, in an effort aimed at reviving vineyards decimated by Phylloxera, the winery's founder, Evangelos Averoff, planted Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines, produced from grapes grown at high elevation (700-900 meters) and aged in local oak became among Greece's most fashionable until the 1990s, despite a raw, tannic character that defied drinkability. Subsequent vinifications have been ameliorated with more fruitful varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet franc. Now Katogi—and Metsovo—are heading back towards the mainstream. |
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