Wow. We made it to the first June of 2025. Good for us!
As Mr Golden sun’s “friendly rays” get brighter and hotter (UNLIKE ME!), what better way to ring in the summer season than with an extremely tannic bottle of red wine?
Meet Xinomavro (pronounced ksee-NO-mah-vro) –a Greek red wine with tannins angry enough to make your “sensitive little gums” recede back into your brain.
In spite of its relative obscurity, Xinomavro (which means “acid-black” in “Greek”) is considered by “literally everyone” to be Greece’s most important indigenous black grape variety. This sneaky little fruit can produce wines with remarkable complexity, tannic structure, and longevity, and is primarily grown in northern and central Greece.
DID YOU KNOW… Xinomavro is often “cutely” referred to as “the Barolo of Greece” due to its high acidity, firm tannins, exceptional aging potential, similar color and flavor profile, drawing comparisons to Italy’s “great” Nebbiolo.
KEY REGIONS
This week we’re focusing on the two best known regions for Xinomavro: Naoussa and Amyntaio.
Wine map of Greece courtesy of Wine Folly.
Naoussa
Naoussa PDO is a highly regarded wine region located in northern Greece, within the foothills of the Vermio Mountains in the region of Macedonia. Naoussa’s vineyards live the absolute dream at elevations between 150 and 400 meters above sea level, producing some of the country’s most structured and age-worthy red wines.
The “climate” here is a “field blend” of warm Mediterranean and cool continental, featuring hot days, cool nights, cold winters and consequently, extremely bipolar “residents.”
The soils are varied, including clay, limestone, and loam, each contributing to the complexity and depth of the wines in their own wholesome little way. Naoussa PDO regulations allow the Xinomavro grape - AND ONLY the Xinomavro grape - for its wines. This highly focused approach yields wines of incredible quality, with examples ranging in style greatly depending on the winemaking techniques and variations in vineyard sites.
Naoussa wines tend to be robust and savory and are known for their longevity and layered flavors of red fruits, olive, tomato, and spice. The region’s terroir—marked by pronounced diurnal and seasonal temperature swings and diverse soils—plays a crucial role in shaping wines with firm tannins and vibrant acidity.
Amyntaio (Amyndeon)
Amyntaio PDO (AKA “Amyndeon") is a distinctive wine region in northwestern Greece, set on the high-altitude Amyntaio plateau between 570 and 750 meters above sea level.
The area experiences a continental climate, with cold winters and cool summers tempered by the moderating influence of nearby lakes and surrounding mountains. Sandy, well-drained soils dominate the region, providing “wonderful drainage” (THE GOOD KIND!) and protection against phylloxera (THE BAD KIND!), which has allowed for the preservation of old, “own-rooted” Xinomavro vines (this means vitis vinifera vines that were not grafted onto American rootstock).
Like Naoussa PDO, Amyntaio PDO permits only the Xinomavro grape, and uses it for the production of red, rosé, and notably, PDO-certified sparkling rosé wines from the variety.
Style and Winemaking
Much like the “great Nebbiolos of Piedmont,” the character of Xinomavro is highly “influenced” by so-called “terroir.” In Naoussa, the combination of clay, limestone, and loam soils produces wines with robust structure, savory complexity, and flavors of dark cherry, licorice, allspice, and subtle tomato notes. In Amyntaio, the cooler, high-altitude environment and sandy soils yield lighter, fresher, and more aromatic wines with a pronounced minerality.
It is typical for Xinomavro wines to be released after at least two years of aging, with time spent in both oak barrels (occasionally new oak, often neutral) and bottle. The typical flavor and aroma profile includes red fruits such as strawberry, cherry, and raspberry, as well as dried prunes, sun-dried tomato, olives, floral notes, tobacco, nuts, and subtle spices from oak aging.
We decided to “taste” two Xinomavro wines today - one from Naoussa PDO and the other from Amyntaio PDO, both of which we procured for the humble price of “roughly” 20 bones - and we were both very pleased with the results…
Profile: Red cherry, red plum, dried cherry, dried cranberry, prune, cassis, roses, violets, sun dried tomato, olive, orange peel, dried herbs, copper penny, leather, nutmeg Palate: Dry, high tannin, high acid, medium+ body, long finish
A standout value from an “underappreciated” region and grape, this Xinomavro has classic Nebbiolo-like characteristics—fresh and dried red fruits, rose petals, and orange peel—layered with darker fruit notes of cassis, prune, and savory hints of sun-dried tomato and olive that “nod to its Greek roots.” Despite 8 years of bottle age, it remains vibrant and poised to evolve for many more years. Rarely does a wine under $20 deliver this much structure and complexity.
Profile: Red cherry, raspberry, cranberry, blackberry, band-aid, vanilla, leather, roses Palate: Dry, high acid, high tannin, medium body, long finish
Really beautiful aromatically with tart red fruits on the palate and a supporting cast of roses and leather. Very well balanced with a lengthy finish. This was an awesome wine and though it scores a little lower due to concentration (an unfortunate little crack in our otherwise FLAWLESS system), the it worked in the context of the wine. Highly recommend if you can find it, numerous “prominent” critics scored this wine even higher. IMAGINE THAT.
So there you have it - an incredible value that checks many of the same boxes as the best nebbiolo wines out there, but for a fraction of the price. If you’ve never tasted one of these, do yourself an EXTREMELY WHOLESOME favor, and run on down to your local Zeus juicery and grab a few billion bottles. While TODAY’S YOUTH guzzles their canned rosé, you can stand proudly beside them drinking a nice healthy serving of Xinomavro out of a glass container right there in the pool.
Until next time, HAPPY DRINKING PEOPLE.
Cheers!
Isaac & Zach
Tannic Panic! is the Nebbiolo of Substack. SUBSCRIBE
"literally everyone" like this comment to receive "wonderful drainage"
There’s also, though only in tiny quantities, some Nebbiolo made in the northern parts of Greece which is performing really really well.