Arts
The second part of our Greek wine odyssey- Naoussa! Greece’s most important red wine region. The land of Xinomavro . Green hills, sleepy villages, a patchwork of old vineyards growing this unique northern Greek grape. In this conversation, I hosted Stelios Boutaris, CEO of Kir-Yianni, one of the most important estates in Naoussa and neighbouring Amindeo and a beacon of Greek winemaking. We were joined by the rising star Kostis Dalamara, owner and winemaker of Dalamaras winery, Christos Taralas from Taralas winery and Christopher Georgiadis from the small Argatia winery. Conversation covered some of their personal choices in life, in winemaking, vineyard sites, terroir variations, clones and their main characteristics, vinification preferences, Tannin management, experimentation and whether the PDO can blend some other varieties (Merlot, Mavrodaphne) in order to round and soften the wine for slightly earlier drinking, or are they backing the 100% Xinomavro and showcasing it in its pure expression ?