Greece Mini Series: Peloponnese with Winemaker Dimitris Skouras
Have you heard of the Peloponnese region in Greece? This is a small stretch of the Greek mainland, just west of Athens in the far southern tip of Greece. It’s very mountainous and surrounded by water on nearly all sides, besides a small isthmus that connects it to the rest of the mainland. This allows the Peloponnese region to have many microclimates and unique flavors from the terroir. Typically, due to the high elevation in this region, cooler temperatures, and proximity to the water, the wines from the Peloponnese are going to be higher in acid and display a lot of typical Mediterranean flavors of ripe fruit and herbs. Additionally, about 80% of the Peloponnese is covered in mountains, which add to the cooler temperatures and unique terroir. The wines here are medium-bodied and typically lower in alcohol.
There are three main regions within the Peloponnese that I want to highlight: Nemea, Mantinea, and Patras. Most of the Peloponnese is making dry, white wine or red and white sweet wines, including some fortified wines. Much of the region is growing white and pink-skinned grapes. Many will argue that the most important region of the Peloponnese is Nemea, which is known for the red grape Agiorgitiko. This is the main grape that you should know about from this region.
Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro, which I talk about in Episode 113 of the Wine CEO Podcast, are two of the most well-known Greek red grapes and probably the ones you will see most often in wine lists and stores around the globe. Agiorgitiko is a medium bodied grape that can be made into rosè, lighter reds, and medium to full body reds. The tannins are much lighter than xinomavro and its high acid makes it a perfect food pairing wine. With notes of raspberry, black pepper, and cinnamon, this wine is a delicious pairing with Mediterranean flavors like tomato sauce pasta and roasted chicken. However, another important wine in the Peloponnese region is Moschofilero. This is a unique category of grapes that are pink-skinned, which are not found in many places around the world. They often make this mineral-y, crisp, aromatic white wines or soft rosés. Moschofilero is often used for blends, but it can also be used in single-varietal examples, most notably in the Mantinea PDO (Protected Designation of Origin). However, outside of the Peloponnese region, Moschofilero can also be found in the Ionian islands. Because of the maritime climate and mountains, this terroir has some of the same characteristics as the Peloponnese region.
Even though Agiogitiko and Moschofilero are the two main wines made in the Peloponnese, there are so many other wines being made in this region too. If you want to learn more about this wine region, I definitely recommend reading Konstantinos Lazarakis’ book, The Wines of Greece, which goes in-depth into all of the regions and wine varieties of Greece.
Another great way to learn about the Peloponnese region is to listen to Episode 114 of the Wine CEO Podcast where I interviewed Dimitris Skouras, the junior winemaker of Domaine Skouras to talk more about the Nemea region and Domaine Skouras. He shares about his journey to become a winemaker, the winemaking process at Domaine Skouras, and the main grapes and wines in the Peloponnese region. It was so interesting to hear about his position as a younger winemaker in Greece and a new generation of winemakers who are really excited to make top-quality wines to build more structure in the Peloponnese region so that there is more world recognition for their wines. You’ll definitely want to check out this episode to learn more! Make sure to subscribe to the Wine CEO Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts so that you don’t miss any of the upcoming episodes in this mini-series on Greece. Yamas!
All photos credit: Domaine Skouras