Agiorgitiko – From Home to Far Away

Agiorgitiko won't let go of us. Just recently we discussed wines from various corners of Greece. (You'll find that post here.) A post on the increasingly important cuvées made with this variety is coming soon too. For now, though, we want to go back briefly to the varietal wines once more. Why? We simply wanted to compare, in real focus, a properly classic Nemea – from the eponymous PDO Nemea – against a well-travelled offshoot, and recently took our time doing just that, with two representative bottles. (And to close, there's a small side glance at an innovative rosé cuvée too...)

The basics of the variety – how it tastes, what styles exist, what it pairs with – can be found in our big Agiorgitiko guide.

And what could be more classic than a Nemea from an estate actually called "Nemea Winery"? The estate employs 35 people year-round, but to my knowledge isn't yet carried by a single retailer in Germany. When it comes to Nemea, the choice is simply huge... but it's a good one too! You're increasingly unlikely to pick a dud here. Here too – with the Nemea from the 2019 vintage, from the estate's "signature collection" – you get a wine in the glass that's instantly deeply likeable. A wonderfully lively, vibrant fruit aromatics that makes you forget every international variety on the spot. Raspberry dominates above all on the palate, but combined with the very good interplay (2.5g/l total acidity, 5.75g/l residual sugar) you also have to think of redcurrant and, above all, cranberry. The tannin is still a touch demanding, but not disruptively so. Once again it becomes clear: with Nemea, you can drink at a genuinely high level. Sangiovese, too, spoils you with cherry. But after a few sips, you'd want to pull the next cork, on an entirely different bottle. That's not the case here. Of course – Agiorgitiko doesn't usually come with endless layers of complexity and interlocking aromas. But it's lively and pleasing enough to accompany an entire meal, right down to the last dry drop. So: ten times over, Agiorgitiko over Sangiovese! And back to this wine: for under €10, the thoroughly deserved outstanding 16.5 points signal quite magnificent value for money. (For more information on our rating system, see here.)

Drive 750km north and you reach Domaine Costa Lazaridi. There, Costas Lazaridis produces the Château Julia range, dedicated to his wife, of which we've already tasted the Assyrtiko and the Merlot. Now, then, the Agiorgitiko, 2020 vintage. Here too you're immediately hit by a whole cartload of aromatics. This time, though, we're in darker territory, in the realm of blueberries and black cherries. The tannins are velvety soft, the acidity well balanced, the oak discreet, present above all as spice on the finish. An outstanding wine, to which we give 17 points, and which shows that Agiorgitiko thrives quite wonderfully in PGI Drama too.

Since we'd only recently written about Moschofilero as the basis for rosés (to be read here), it was only fitting that this time we also opened the rosé from Nemea Winery's "signature collection". In the 2021 vintage, Moschofilero (the variety of PDO Mantineia, which the estate also offers as a varietal wine) and Agiorgitiko are united. We're still a little undecided about this marriage. The blending partner's floral aromas alongside Agiorgitiko's fruity notes on the palate are certainly interesting. The various sensory impressions, though, don't yet come together quite harmoniously for us. Which isn't to say you can't enjoy drinking this wine, though. On the contrary: because no clear profile crystallises out, it stays fairly flat in the mouth at first, and invites you to the next sip. You don't notice the 13% alcohol at all in the process. You could quite happily empty the bottle like juice. Only the chalky tannin holds you back a little and invites a little lingering over the last sip. We give a somewhat cautious very good 16 points, though we may perhaps still need to acquire the taste for it ourselves. Adventurous drinkers and friends of PGI Peloponnese should definitely snap this up – Mantineia and Nemea hand in hand, that's something you really ought to like in principle.

P.S.: While re-tasting the reds while writing up this post – three days after opening the bottles – something struck me this time that I feel I've observed rather often before: Agiorgitiko does lose its charm fairly quickly, and tends, after a few days, for the concentrated fruit to turn a touch pointed and condense into an almost perfume-like base note. Normally this isn't a problem, because the wines are delicious enough to be finished sooner. But it's a phenomenon we'll definitely be keeping a closer eye on in future...