Northern Greece's Naoussa Wine Road is HOT

It was indeed night when we arrived at Boutari Winery in Stenimahos Naoussa. Reflecting back on that evening I now realize this was my first introduction to the Naoussa wine region. I cannot think of a better introduction to Naoussa wines than an evening with local producers. That evening we tasted wines from Boutari Naoussa, a well-established, large producer and two younger, small producers Elinos and Kitrvs. Next morning, our first stop was Kir-Yianni. What a fabulous first-hand introduction to Naoussa's Wine Road it was. After all I had come to see why Xinomavro is on Fire.

Kir-Yianni Vineyard, Naoussa © Spaswinefood

The Naoussa Appellation was the first Greek wine region to be made an official appellation in 1971. Wines produced in this appellation are required by appellation law to be made from 100% Xinomavro. Yes, that noble indigenous red grape variety, Xinomavro has been generating lots of excitement recently. This attention is due to an ongoing experimentation with wine styles. Tara G. Thomas's Wine & Spirits article notes "Between the new players that have entered the field and the established producers refining their approach, Naoussa is at a crossroads, redefining itself." Moreover, some producers have begun making wines from the international grape varieties, such Merlot and Syrah. These wines because of appellation law, are now marketed under the Macedonia PGI label. Clearly, there are many exciting developments in Naoussa these days.

Boutari Naoussa Winery

When we arrived Boutari's Naoussa Winery we were greeted by the winemaker, Vassilis Georgiou. Boutari has had a long tradition in Greece's wine industry. It one of Greece's top wine producers. The Boutari Company was established in 1879 in Naoussa. Today the company owns six wineries in Greece (Naoussa Boutari is one of the six) and one in Lanquedoc, France.

Arriving at Boutari's Naoussa Winery © Spaswinefood

Despite our late arrival at the Boutari Naoussa Winery we did a wine tasting that included three wineries before dinner. 

Boutari's Naoussa Winery Tasting Room © Spaswinefood

Wine Tasting
The wine tasting included wines from Kitrvs, Elinos and Boutari wineries.

Wine Tasting, Boutari's Naoussa Winery © Spaswinefood

1. Kitrvs Winery 
Kitrvs Winery is a young winery from the Mt. Olympus area that is actively engaged in experimentation. We were introduced to three of their wines.

Introduction to Kitrvs Winery © Spaswinefood

It is always exciting to hear about the productions from a new winery. The three Kitrvs wines we tasted included:

1) Malagousia, PGI Macedonia 2014
2) Syrah, PGI Macedonia 2012 
3) The Lost Lost Hellanico, PGI Macedonia 

Kitrvs Winery, Malagousia, PGI Macedonia, 2014  © Spaswinefood

Kitrvs Winery, Malagousia, PGI Macedonia 2014   © Spaswinefood

Kitrvs Winery, Syrah, PGI Macedonia, 2012 © Spaswinefood

Kitrvs Winery, The Lost Lost Hellanico, PGI Macedonia   © Spaswinefood

2. Elinos Winery 
Next, we were introduced to Elinos organic wines by Nicoleta Taralas, the daughter of Dimitrios Taralas. The winery was founded in 2006 by the Dimitrios Taralas family.

Introduction to Elinos Winery © Spaswinefood

She shared two of their organic wines, a red and a white.

1) Elinos Winery, Xinomavro Naoussa 2010 
2) Elinos Winery, Blanc De Noir NV

Elinos Winery, Xinomavro Naoussa 2010 © Spaswinefood

Elinos Wines, Blanc De Noir (on the left) © Spaswinefood

3. Naoussa Boutari
The last wines presented were from Boutari. We tasted the following Boutari wines:

1) Rosé Boutari Sec, PGI Macedonia 2014

 Rosé Boutari Sec, PGI Macedonia 2014 © Spaswinefood

2) Naoussa Boutari, PDO Naoussa 2013

Naoussa Boutari, PDO Naoussa 2013 © Spaswinefood

3) Naoussa Boutari Grande Reserve, PDO Naoussa 2010

Naoussa Boutari Grande Reserve, PDO Naoussa 2010 © Spaswinefood

Tasting Boutari Naoussa Wines © Spaswinefood

Boutari Naoussa Wine Tasting © Spaswinefood

The very last wine that evening was a 1879 Legacy Xinomavro Single Vineyard, PDO Naoussa 2007.

4) Boutari, 1879 Legacy Xinomavro, Single Vineyard, PDO Naoussa 2007

Boutari, 1879 Legacy Xinomavro, Single Vineyard, PDO Naoussa 2007 © Spaswinefood

Yes, Greek food is always an inviting end to an eventful day.

Dinner, Boutari Naoussa © Spaswinefood

While it was quite a busy day. However, it was indeed exciting to be introduced to wines from these three different producers.

Kir-Yianni Winery

After a restful night in Naoussa next day we travelled onto Kir-Yianni Winery, Giannakohori. Kir-Yianni was founded in 1977 by Yiannis Boutaris. Today the winery is under the direction of Yiannis's son, Stellios Boutaris. 

Kir-Yianni Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood

Kir-Yianni Winery is beautifully situated, surrounded by vineyards. During our visit I tasted an impressive lineup of wine (to be discussed in a future post).

Kir-Yianni Wines © Spaswinefood

While at Kir-Yianni we also joined by a group of sommeliers from Austria and Greece for the wine tasting. 

Ready to Taste Kir-Yianni Wines © Spaswinefood

Ready to Taste Kir-Yianni Wines © Spaswinefood

Let's Explore Kir-Yianni Wines © Spaswinefood

The tasting was followed by lunch on the patio overlooking the vineyards. 

Lunch, Kir-Yianni © Spaswinefood

Soon it was time to continue on our Northern Greece wine safari. I wish I could have stayed longer.

Kir-Yianni, Naoussa © Spaswinefood

Is Xinomavro on Fire?

A few days later at #dwcc15 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, as part of a master class entitled Xinomavro on Fire, I would get to re-taste two familiar Xinomavros. These two Xinomavros were included in the group of six chosen to represent Naoussa. They were 1) Kir Yianni, Ramnista XinoMavro, PDO Naoussa 2008 and 2) Boutari, 1879 Legacy Xinomavro Single Vineyard, PDO Naoussa 2007.

Xinomavro On Fire, #DWCC15 © Spaswinefood

The overall lineup of Xinomavros at #dwcc15 was amazing to say the least. Special thanks should be given to Yiannis Karakasis and Gregory Michael's for hosting such a great session. Now the question, "Is Xinomavro on Fire?" The answer is "YES". And "YES, it is especially hot in Naoussa."

It was indeed quite fitting to have been first introduced to Naoussa at Boutari Naoussa, given Boutari's rich history in this area. Spaswinefood is so looking forward to future Naoussa explorations along the Wine Roads of Northern Greece. Our Northern Greece press trip was indeed an action-packed, seaside to mountaintop tour. I invite you to join me in my travels in Greece and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon
October 2015
Naoussa, Greece

© Spaswinefood

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Note: This expense paid Press Trip was sponsored by #dwcc15 and #NorthGRTrip