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 Viticulture area: approx. 60,000 hectares Wine production: approx. 1,525,500 hectolitres The Peloponessos has a history of vine cultivation dating as far back, some believe, as 7,000 years. In the Middle Ages the Peloponessos became the starting point of the Malvasia trade, but soon thereafter competition from the Aegean Islands, occupation by the Ottomans and Slavs and a huge export market for red currants had a negative impact on wine production in some areas that continues to this day. As the population became concentrated along the coast, so too did viticulture. Vineyards climbed the slopes above emerging port towns and were increasingly planted with cultivars from islands with which local seafarers conducted trade. Hence the cultivar profile in Patras reflects an influence from the Ionian Islands and Southern and Eastern locations are inhabited by some familiar Cretan and Aegean varieties. In the interior, two key varieties, Agiorgitiko and Moschofilero, dominated unabated. Winemaking on the Peloponnesos began a slow recovery after World War II that accelerated after the careful analysis of vineyard zones and local varieties prior to the establishment of appellation laws relating to the region in 1971, especially in the north. The south is only now showing signs of a revitalization. During the last decade, industry growth in the central and north Peloponessos has become fast and furious, especially among premium wine producers. By way of example, Lambert-Gocs, in his classic 1990 survey, The Wines of Greece, found little commercial diversity in Nemea, now considered by some to be Greece's most important appellation zone. He must surely have felt that the significance of the region was not yet reflected in its products. "Nemean wine production is almost entirely in the hands of the Cooperative of Wine Producers of Nemea", he wrote, unaware that ten or so independant wineries would be scattered about the zone within a decade, and that several of these would be considered among the top names in the country. Neméa
The Neméa region has a gentle beauty to which the abundance of vineyards only contributes, especially along the valley and slopes of Ancient Neméa. An important archaeological site there adds drama–and a historical context–to the already dramatic contrast between the red soil, green vine leaves and straw yellow blankets of wheat that cover resting vineyards. Two of the region's most notable producers are fortunate to produce wine in Ancient Neméa: Thanassis Papaioánnou is an icon in Greece, a divine presence who is universally adored by all of the normally fractious elements of the industry. Why Papaioánnou should have earned this level of respect is obvious to any who have met him. A self-taught winemaker, a consumate worshipper of earth, sun and vine, given to poetry and classical reflection, Papaioánnou is the humble manifestation of the timeless reverance for the abundant gifts Greece–the place–offers to those sufficiently wise to receive them. Papaioannou's son, George, no less reverent of his domain, is a trained enologist, balancing his father's romantic wines with a technical foundation that insures marketibility. The duo is as comfortable with foreign cultivars as they are with native and are producers of one of the most ambitious portfolios of quality wines in Greece. Not far from the Papaioannou estate, George Palyvós, a fourth-generation Neméan winemaker, grew up playing in the family vineyards, clear, from early in his youth, what life had in store for him. Palyvós may be the most energetic man in the industry, driven to achieve acceptance on an international level. Palyvós is an idea man, hatching schemes for improving wines, vineyard management, enotourism, governement–all of them practicable–at such a rate that it boggles the mind. Despite his outgoing nature, Palyvós has clearly been absorbing the lessons of his peers. Although some in the industry are turned off by his brusque assuredness, Palyvos' genius has humble foundations in his absolute faith in the land to provide the ingredients necessary to carry out his plans. The first step, producing truly world-class wines from his well-managed vineyards, has already been achieved. Nemea's importance is reflected in its desirability to winemakers from outside keen to have the opportunity to work in the region. George Skouras, a Dijon graduate and key wine-revolution figure, established his first winery near Argos, east of Neméa, about ten years ago. Having established himself as both an important producer and negociant, he recently opened a second operation in Neméa, in a sense closing the chapter of cooperative-dominated production in the region. He is a virtuoso performer with Agiorgitiko and one of the region's most deft hot-climate manipulators of Western white cultivars such as Chardonnay and Viognier. Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, Greece's most ubiquitous enologist, chose a high-elevation site near Neméa for his own winery, Gaia. Paraskevopoulos is one of Greece's most sought-after consulting enologists, a professor of enology and teacher to a new generation of Greek-educated enologists. The Gaia label encompasses not only one-of-a-kind elegant Agiorgitiko wines from high-elevation Nemean fruit, but also old vine Assyrtiko blends vinified in cooperation with Yiannis Argiros on Santorini. Argolida Argolida, the northeastern promontory of the Peloponessos, has no appellation within its territory, but the area around Argos, just north of the incredibly quaint port of Nafplio, is home not only to the original Skouras winery, but to a small operation that produces one of Greece's best Agiorgitiko wines. Kallie and Antonis Papantonis, a smart and well-spoken brother and sister team have been producing wine in a humble—but first-rate—facility there since 1979. They are notable not only for their integrity as winemakers and as people, but also because they focus 100% of their attention on one product. Meden Agan, as it is called, means 'nothing in excess' in ancient Greek. The choice of name was no coincidence. In an area in which Agiorgitiko is subject to wide variations in style and quality based often, it seems, on presuppositions regarding ephemeral market trends, Myden Agan is true to a more timeless standard of winemaking. Part of this may be attributable to vineyard location and terroir. Their vineyards, several miles away in Malandreni, are on limestone and at a moderate elevation (320 meters) providing a strong foundation of ripe fruit that the Papantonis' employ wisely. Their barrels are turned over at a rate of 20% per year, a thoughtful formula that combines the restrained benefits of new oak with the neutral aging platform of old. In order to counter a certain slighness that is naturally characteristic of Agioritiko, the Papantonis' have begun increasing fermentation time to maximize the extraction of color and flavor from the must. As a result, their wine neither attacks the palate, nor suffers from lack of concentration, personality or good tannins. In light of their success in producing an essential Agiorgitiko, the fact that that the wine is produced outside of the Neméa zone, and therefore not entitled to use of the appellation, is a matter of no consequence. Mantinía South of Neméa, but at higher elevation, Mantinía proper occupies a deep-soiled plateau just north of Tripoli in Arkadía. Average elevation is high (over 600 meters) resulting in a long growing season in which vineyardists must struggle to edge sugar level upwards before the late-September harvest. The Mantinía appellation calls for at least 85% Moschofilero, which can be blended with the local Asproúdes. In 1990, Lambert-Gocs found only Cambas, now a Boutari Group label, producing appellation Mantinía wine. The situation since then has changed dramatically. The Mantinía name is sufficiently important in the domestic market that the area has become a hotbed of negociant activity. A tremendous number of labels, many headquartered outside the region, offer Mantinía OPAP wines, vinfying them at local facilities in order to earn the right to use the appellation name. Of the local producers, Domaine Spyropoulos has taken the lead in defining a varietal style for Moschofilero. Wines from Moschofilero are generally aromatic, elegant in their acidity, though often lacking body and substance. Apostolos Spyropoulos, a Doctor of Enology, and his father Dr. Nondas Spyropoulos, the company's founder, employ state-of-the-art technology in order to extract the utmost varietal components from the grape. Rather than pursuing body against all hope, the Spyropoulos philosophy pursues substance in the form of concentrated upper-level aromas and what appear to be very high levels of dry extracts. The distinctive silvery-hue characteristic, to some extent, of all their Moschofilero wines suggests temperature-controlled skin contact is used to maximum effect, one of the few instances we found in which this somewhat out-of-style approach is truly advantageous in vinifying Greek cultivars. A half-hour south of the Spyropoulos winery are the winery and vineyards of Yiannis Tselepos, a man who—if there were any justice in the cosmos—would need no introduction. Tselepos is one of several Greek winemakers whose abilities are incomparable in Greece and whose work transcends ethnic categorization. The Tselepos vineyards are among the very highest in Greece, but at a southerly latitude where the sun is at high strength. Tselepos works with the big grapes, the way certain conductors perform only the work of big composers. His Neméa (100% Agiorgitiko) and Mantinía (Moschofilero) are among the most well-structured that exist, with full body, surprising alcohol levels and great balance. He is no less skillful with Western varieties, his Chardonnays displaying tasteful use of oak that reveal a clear Burgundian mentality. Tselepos was the first in Greece to cultivate Gewurztraminer in any substantial way and produces elegant, even-tempered Merlots, Cabernets, meritages and a Methode Champenoise that could not unknowingly be identified as Greek. Eleia On the west coast of the Peloponessos, at Korakohori, just across from Zakynthos, is one of Greece's most eclectic wineries, Ktima Merkouri. The original builder of the estate, Theodoros Merkouris, planted Refosco from Trieste in the late 1800s [the grape is still referred to locally as Rifosco Merkouris, or sometimes just Merkouris]. Subsequent generations increased the role of grapegrowing and winemaking, until 1988, when a major rehabilitation resulted in a full-scale boutique operation. Merkouri is currently run by two brothers, Vassillis and Christos Kanelokopoulos, the great-grandsons of its founder. Their original efforts focused on Refosco, ameliorating with Mavrodáfni. During the 1990s Merkouri, distinctive both in style and in packaging, came to represent the new face of the Greek wine industry. The Kanelokopoulos brothers have continued on an adventuresome path, exploring the unique possibilities of as diverse white cultivars as Ribolla Gialla, Roditis and Viognier, and the red cultivars Mourvedre and the Zakynthiote Avgoustiatis. Achaïa Achaïa is the one zone on the Peloponessos that entered the twentieth century with real commercial momentum. The success of sweet Mavrodáfni wines from the Achaïa Clauss winery beginning in the mid-1800s had a lasting effect on the region. Although the winery has changed hands several times in the interim, it remains one of Greece's largest wine manufacturers and the country's most prolific wine exporter. The Patras area, home to Achaïa Clauss, received its appellations for sweet Mavrodafni and Moschato immediately upon the implementation of wine laws in 1971. There are several concerns operating in the immediate area of Patras, including the very traditional Karelas at Kato Achaïa, who, since 1935, have bottled wines that are nicely conservative in their lack of deviation from regional tastes, despite the recent modernization of their facilities. The suitabilty of Achaïa for viticulture is undeniable. Most of the region consists of coastal plains rising along mountains that face north towards the Gulf of Corinth, whose breezes mitigate the extreme heat, creating one of Greece's most favorable microclimates. For this reason, the area has attracted some of the country's most serious winemaking talent. Thanassis Parparousis opened his winery in 1973 on an estate his grandfather had purchased in 1932. Dijon-trained, Parparousis was one of the very first artisanal producers in Greece, among a handful that had to convince a public in the firm grip of bulk wine producers that quality wines should have a role in the market. The steady upscaling of the market in Greece parelleled Parparousis' growth as a winemaker. Parparousis wisely stayed at the crest of the wave, pushing it forward, but never creating products beyond the comprehension of the market. In the meantime, he had the opportunity to establish a clear identity as a winemaker, one that now stands him in good stead in an industry that has grown up around him. Parparousis works with a number of Greece's best white varieties, including Asyrtiko, Athiri and Roditis. An important claim to fame is his Gifts of Dionysos, which may be the best expression yet of the local Sideritis variety. His Neméa Reserve and Enari (100% Agiorgitiko) and new Enófilos (80% Cabernet , 20% Agiorgitiko) display his mature handling of red varieties and, in the case of the Neméa Reserve, a mastery of oak that many in Greece would do well to emulate. Another important pioneer, widely considered the best winemaker of his generation, Konstantinos Antonopoulos opened his winery in Patras in 1985 after spending 20 years at Achaía Clauss, a company his family had purchased after the end of the First World War. His approach, at the time, was visionary, based on reviving rare local varieties such as Lagorthi and Volitza and vinifying with Western cultivars such as Chardonnay, Cabernet, Cabernet franc, Merlot and Sangiovese. The operation was a model for the generation of growers and vintners that followed. Mr. Antonopoulos died in a car accident in 1994, but not before his vision as a winemaker was achieved. His assistant, enologist Tassos Drossiadis carried on the tradition Antonopoulos had begun, insuring the continuation of this vision following the purchase of the vineyard by cousins Yiannis and Nikos Halikias. Although Drossiadis left to work at Oenoforos in 2001, the Halikias' were left with ample assets with which to continue, if not further, the aims of the vineyard's founder. Egio Just east of Patras, above the seaside town of Egio, resides one of Greece's most modern and well-regarded wineries. Oenoforos was begun by Bordeaux-trained enologist Angelos Rouvalis and vineyardist Angelos Rogalas with the aim of exploiting a property that occupies one the very best microclimates in the country. North-facing vineyards at an average 450 meters receive the full benefit of cooling breezes blowing from the mountains directly across the Gulf of Corinth. A third partner, Yiannis Karabatsos, joined them in the mid 1990s. Their multi-story, gravity-fed mountainside winery is state-of-the-art. They are considered the undisputed kings of Roditis, credited with having unraveled the mysteries surrounding the qualitative differences between its various clones. Their Asprolithi, vinified from Alepou (or red) Roditis, displays in equal parts careful vineyard selection and technical winemaking know-how. Oenoforos products clearly display the two distinct skill sets of its winemakers: Greek varieties fully exploited using state-of-the-art technologies that maximize their varietal potential; Western varieties, especially their Burgundian Chardonnay and a new Riesling, receiving a more classic treatment. Adding to the strength of Oenoforos is the addition of the talented former Antonopoulos enologist Tassos Drossiadis, already an enthusiastic and articulate spokesman for his new employers. Lakonia On the easternmost peninsula in the south of the Peloponessos, in what was once the heart of Malvasia production, Yannis Vatistas planted vines in 1986 with the goal of reviving the viticultural heritage of the region. Completing a small winery in 1990, Vatistas set out to create a ambitious portfolio of wines from native and foreign varieties. Along with a Chardonnay, a Cabernet and a Sauvignon Blanc, Vatistas vinifies mono-varietal Malagouziá (Malagousia) and Petroulianos, a rare, southern variety from the island of Kythira. Perhaps Vatistas' most interesting effort is a dry white wine from varieties all thought to have been Malvasia grapes: Asproudi, Asyrtiko, Athiri, Monemvasiá and Aïdani Aspro. Just outside of Githio, near the top of the middle peninsula that juts southward from Lakonia is the Koutsougiannis Organic Vineyard. They produce a stunningly soft 100% Agiorgitiko, Melanas, which may benefit from carbonic maceration. It has been marginally popular in the U.S. but suffers from extremely poor packaging (it comes glued to the inside of a clay cylinder) and distribution. A good example of the potential of Agiorgitiko to produce drinkable, young wines. Messinia Messinia, in the southwest Peloponessos, has shown increased activity during the last few years. Inomessiniaki was opened by a group of compatriots in 1998. We owe them a visit because we never made it to a scheduled appointment in 2001. In our communications they were very earnest. They specialize in the curious new trend of southern Peloponessos Cabernet and Chardonnay which seem to be all the rage in Greece right now. They have a red wine, Messinian Red, featuring the most daring combination of varieties ever to cohabitate a bottle of Greek wine: Cabernet, Cabernet franc, Mandilariá and Agiorgitiko. We look forward to trying this wine and will withhold judgement until we do. They have one clear advantage over every other winery in Greece, namely they have produced the industry's only navigable website [click here]. The biggest name in wine in Messinia at the moment is Tsolis-Litsas in the village of Mouzaki. The venture began with the planting by Panagiotis Litsas of a large vineyard (90 sq kilometers) in 1988, consisting entirely of Cabernet. In 1993 Litsas and Kostas Tsolis built a small winery, which they expanded in 1997. Their flagship product is an estate Cabernet, an archetypal hot climate wine that is one of the few from this part of the Peloponessos that survives its aromas with dignity intact. It is an elegant wine, but the intense dry fruit and eucalyptus nose—the trademarks of Cabernet from the region—may be an acquired taste for many Americans. Plantings by now have expanded considerably to 250 square kilometers, with another 150 in progress. This is a company poised for a major move. |
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