Agiorgitiko

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Agiorgitiko
Grape (Vitis)
Color of berry skinNoir
SpeciesVitis vinifera
Also calledAghiorghitiko, Mavro Nemeas, St. George, and other synonyms
OriginNemea
Notable regionsGreece
VIVC number102

Agiorgitiko (

Attikí (Attica) and Makedonía (Macedonia).[1]

One of the more commercially important

body.[3]

The red wine produced from the grape is characteristically spicy with notes of

coloring.[4]

Agiorgitiko is generally planted in dry, infertile soil to encourage the production of fewer but more concentrated grapes, ripening after mid-September.[2]

History

In Nemea, the Agiorgitiko wine of the region is nicknamed the "Blood of Hercules" based on the legend of the Greek hero slaying the Nemean lion.

cultivated in Ancient Greece, there is no historical or genetic evidence to support those tales.[1] In Nemea, the wine made from Agiorgitiko is nicknamed the "Blood of Hercules"[5][6] because of the legend that after the Greek hero slayed the Nemean lion, it was the local Nemean wine made from Agiorgitiko that he consumed.[7] (Some versions of the story has Hercules consuming the wine before slaying the lion.)[8] Another legend states that the wine was a palace favorite of king Agamemnon who led the Greek forces during the Trojan War.[9]

The name Agiorgitiko means literally "St. George's grape" which could be a reference to the chapel of

feast day. Another theory is that the grape is named after one of the many Greek towns named after the Christian saint.[1]

The main land owners in Nemea was the church and the monks from St George monastery of Feneos would tend to the vineyards and harvest the grapes to make wine at the monastery for communion. This is another theory of the naming of the St George wine is after the St George monastery of Feneos.

Viticulture

Agiorgitiko tends to produce small clusters of small, thick-skinned berries. The vine is

yields which can affect the resulting quality of the wine.[1]

Agiorgitiko vines are very susceptible to suffering from potassium deficiency (effects pictured on a grape leaf)

The grape is a late

vineyard soils but growers need to be mindful of the variety's sensitivity to potassium deficiency.[1]

Wine expert

spicy note" comes out in the flavor of the resulting wines.[10]

New clones

For most of the 21st century, growers have been working with Greek wine authorities to produce new virus-free clones of Agiorgitiko that have the potential to resist most grape disease, including botrytis bunch rot, and produce small berries with thicker skins that could ripen to higher sugar levels with most consistent yields. In 2012, several of these new clones were released to Greek wine growers who have slowly begun replanting their Agiorgitiko vineyards.[1]

Wine regions

Agiorgitiko is widely planted in the Peloponnese (vineyard and planted fields pictured) region of Greece.

In 2012, Agiorgitiko was the most widely planted red grape variety in Greece with 5,202 hectares (12,850 acres) in Attica, 3,204 hectares (7,920 acres) in Peloponnese and additional plantings in Macedonia and

dry and sweet red wines of Nemea in northeastern Peloponnese. Here the grape is only variety permitted in the Oeni Onomasias Proelefseos Anoteras Poiotitas (OPAP) (a designated wine region similar to the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system).[11] In Nemea, the grape is only used for red wine production with its use in making rosé styles of wine prohibited. Around the town of Metsovo in Epirus, the grape is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.[1]

According to Master of Wine Jancis Robinson, some of the "most serious examples" of Agiorgitiko come from the higher altitude vineyards (up to 900 metres (3,000 ft)) of the Asprokampos plateau around Nemea and in the hills (between 500 metres (1,600 ft) to 600 metres (2,000 ft)) around Koutsi in Corinthia.[1]

Styles

A Nemea wine made from 100% Agiorgitiko

Agiorgitiko is a very versatile grape variety that can be made in a wide range of styles from light rosés to soft, fruity reds made by

phenolics with both issues requiring the winemaker to make decisions on how to handle these components in order to make a balanced wine.[1]

The small berries and thick skins of the grape contribute to high phenolic levels of Agiorgitiko which leads the wine needing very little

oak aging in the barrel.[1]

According to wine expert

oxidation and lazy winemaking will age properly".[7] Tom Stevenson notes that some examples can "be spoiled by dried-out or dead fruit" that is harvested too late, with too little acidity, at excessively ripe levels.[10]

According to the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the best examples of Agiorgitiko tend to have moderate to low acidity, with a deep, ruby color, red fruit aromas and a sweet spicy note. These examples tend to come from vineyards planted in the middle range of the hillside slopes around Nemea with grapes harvested near the top of the 900 metres (3,000 ft) hills being excessively acidic while those harvested from the very warm valley floor often being too "jammy". The variance in quality of Agiorgitiko from the different vineyards around Nemea have led some Greek wine producers to investigate developing a cru classification system.[11]

Unlike the Xinomavro-based wines of fellow OPAP region Naousa, the wine experts at WSET note that the Agiorgitiko-based wines of Nemea tend to have a more "international style" which may enhance the potential of Greek wines on the international market.[11]

Synonyms

Over the years, Agiorgitiko has been known under various synonyms including: Aghiorghitico, Aigeorgitiko, Mavro (Black or Dark), Mavro Nemeas (in Nemea), Mavronemeas, Mavrostaphylo Mavraki, Mavroudi Nemeas, Nemeas Mavro, Nemeas Mavroudi and Saint George.[12]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-84000-897-0
    .
  3. ISBN 0-19-860990-6
    .
  4. ISBN 0-15-100714-4
    .
  5. ^ David Rosengarten "WINE AT THE TABLE New Greek Pitch: No Resin" Newsday, October 16th, 1991
  6. ^ Derek Gatopoulos "Popular Greek Wine Is Rained Out for the Year" Los Angeles Times, November 24th, 2002
  7. ^
    ISBN 0-316-72654-0
  8. ^ Nestor Imports "Greek Grape Varietals Archived 2014-06-04 at the Wayback Machine" Accessed: June 15th, 2013
  9. ^
    ISBN 1-56305-434-5
  10. ^
    ISBN 9780756686840
  11. ^
    ISBN 9781905819157
  12. ^ Agiorgitiko Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine, Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed on June 21, 2010

External links

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