Exotic Agiorgitiko

Megapanos - attractive but now superceded branding

The Greek wine industry could have done without the nation having a financial crisis, it was hardly having an easy ride as things were. This is a shame, because there is much high quality wine-making on both the mainland and the islands. For those that think Greek wine begins with Retsina and ends with Muscat of Samos, read on.

There are two areas of mainland Greece producing distinct and superior red wines - The northern reaches of Thessaloniki, and the Peloponnese (the lower chunk of Greece which is almost detached by the Corinth canal). In both cases, vines are often deliberately planted at high altitude to combat the brutal summer temperatures. Nemea is a high quality appellation (and the Greeks do use the French terminology) in the North-East of the Peloponnese, with only one permitted grape variety. Agiorgitiko is indigenous to the region, and produces  intensely fruity, if sometimes rather light red and rose wines.

The Megapanos …