Xinomavro (
Greek: Ξινόμαυρο , ''lit.'' 'sour black') is the principal
red wine grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...
of the uplands of
Naousa in the regional unit of
Imathia, and around
Amyntaio
Amyntaio (, before 1928: Σόροβιτς – ''Sorovits''; Macedonian: Суровичево, Сорович), is a town and municipality in the Florina regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The population of Amyntaio proper is 4,348, while that o ...
, in
Macedonia,
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
.
[Xinomavro](_blank)
Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 2018-12-04. This grape is primarily cultivated in Naousa,
Goumenissa, Amyntaio,
Rapsani,
Trikomo,
Siatista,
Velventos, and, on a lesser scale, on
Mount Athos, at Ossa, Ioannina,
Magnesia, Kastoria and Trikala. In 2010, the total global cultivated area was and was entirely in Greece, but by 2013 this had grown to worldwide, with some initial plantings in
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
Wine regions
Red wine made from Xinomavro in the Naousa region has become one of Greece's most important and well regarded wines. The Naousa
Protected Designation of Origin
The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...
(PDO) was established in 1971 and mandates the use of 100% Xinomavro grapes. Good examples age well due to the wine's high acidity and tannin content, and can be similar enough to wines made from
Nebbiolo grapes that comparisons are often made to
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
's highly regarded
Barolo.
In Goumenissa the grape is often blended with
Negoska to produce very fruity wines with high
alcohol levels.
[J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 127 Oxford University Press 1996 ]
In recent years, artificial aging of red xinomavro wines has been a topic of research for several purposes.
References
Red wine grape varieties
Imathia
Grape varieties of Greece
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