Assyrtiko
Assyrtiko or Asyrtiko is a white Greek wine grape indigenous to the island of Santorini. Assyrtiko is widely planted in the arid volcanic-ash-rich soil of Santorini and other Aegean islands, such as Paros. It is also found on other scattered regions of Greece such as Chalkidiki.Throughout Greece, the average age of the vines is 70 years with many vines dating back 150 years or more. Assyrtiko has so far shown resistance to Phylloxera which has consequently meant that the vines haven't needed to be replaced by phylloxera-resistant rootstock.
Wine style
The mineral profile of the grapes bodes well for blending and in recent times its has been blended often with Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon and Malagousia.Assyrtiko grapes clusters are large, with transparent yellow-gold skin and juicy flesh. In the volcanic soil of Santorini, there appear to be some unique characteristics that develop in the grape variety, and therefore in the wine. One of these characteristics is that Assyrtiko does not lose its acidity even if it is very ripe. Throughout Greece, the grape is vinified to make a variety of dry and sweet wines, including Vinsanto-like musky and syrup-sweet dessert wines. In Retsina, it is often blended with the less-acidic Savatiano grape
Agiorgitiko
Agiorgitiko (Greek: Αγιωργίτικο; also known as Aghiorghitiko, Mavro Nemeas and St. George) is one of the two widely-grown heat-resistant Greek wine-making grape varieties, the other being Xynomavro. It is a red variety that has traditionally been grown in the Nemea region of the Peloponnese. It is one of the more commercially important indigenous Greek varieties, and it can take on a large range of characteristics, from soft to very tannic, depending on factors in the growing and winemaking processes.The grape is generally planted in dry, infertile soil, in order to encourage the production of fewer but more concentrated grapes, and ripens after mid-September. It is frequently host to a number of viruses, which may actually be in part responsible for its typical characteristics.The grape is typically made in a varietal style though it is notably blended with Cabernet Sauvignon in the area around Metsovo to make the table wine Katoi. In Nemea it is often made into rosés of oak-aged red wines. The wines are known for their high level of fruitiness but tend to lack some acidity and body. After Xynomavro, it is Greece's second most widely planted grape variety.
The red wine produced from the grape is characteristically spicy with notes of plum. It has low acidity but good fruitiness and coloring
Malagousia
Malagousia is a white Greek wine grape that was virtually extinct until Domaine Carras in the late 20th century began to cultivate this ancient variety for varietal wine production. The grape is highly aromatic and has the potential to produce soft, elegant wines.
Xinomavro
Xynomavro or Xinomavro (Greek: Ξυνόμαυρο, English translation: "sour black") is the principal red wine grape of the uplands of the Naoussa and Amyntaion areas, in the prefecture of Imathia in Northern Greece. Various writers have compared Xynomavro to Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Chianti, pinot noir, etc.. This grape is primarily cultivated in Naoussa, Goumenissa, Amyntaio, Rapsani, Trikomo, Siatista, Velvendo, and, on a lesser scale, on Mount Athos, at Ossa, Ioannina, Magnisia, Kastoria and Trikala. The total cultivated area is about 18 km².
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