The Varieties
Acheon Winery is producing wines from five different indigenous Greek varieties. Roditis Alepou, Sideritis, Mavrodaphne and Muscat White are cultivated in the PDO and PGI zones of Patra and Aigialia respectively. Agiorgitiko is cultivated in the PDO zone of Nemea.
Roditis
Roditis is one of the most popular and oldest grape varieties in Greece. It is known by many different names, such as Alepou, rogditis, Tourkopoula and others. Among its many variations, Roditis Alepou (roditis Fox) from which our Icon R is produced stands out for its quality.
This variety exhibits vigorous growth and, although it endures spells of drought, roditis is susceptible to various diseases. When there is quantity control and the proper selection of clones, as in the case of roditis Alepou, the variety can make well-structured wines with intense fruity aromas –such as ripe melon and citrus fruit– often reminiscent of sauvignon Blanc, with a vivid but refined palate, structure, high alcohol content and medium, yet balanced, acidity.
Vineyards at high altitude give remarkable examples of roditis’s high-quality expressiveness.
Roditis makes still dry, medium-dry and medium sweet white PDO Patras wines in the Peloponnese, PDO Anchialos in Magnesia (along with savatiano) and dry PDO Plagies Melitona in Halkidiki (along with Athiri and Assyrtiko) wines.
It is also the basic ingredient for many PGI wines that source from Macedonia, Thessaly and Attica, whereas it pairs with savatiano to produce retsina and wines without Geographical indication.
Sideritis
The name Sideritis of the grape variety made from our Iron S dry white wine is derived from a Greek word Sidero which means iron, as Michael Bredahl (wine writer) suggests. This name was given to the grape based on its mineral qualities.
The exact origin of the Sideritis grape is not known. It has been growing mainly in Peloponnese for a long time. There is no evidence which can help us to trace back from where the grape originated and how it was decided to use it in the blending of many white wines.
The grape has no genitally similar quality and is one of its kinds.
Sideritis grapes have a pinkish skin. The varietal wine made from the grape gives out citrus and grapefruit flavours. It also shows very pleasant notes of minerals.
The berries of Sideritis grape variety ripen in late season. They take up their pinkish colour in the autumn-winter. The wines made have a low alcohol content, high acidic content and touch of spice in its taste.
It grows best in alluvial sandy soil. The berries of the grape are very small and bunches are compact and not very large. The colour of the wine is a kind of medium-dark amber.
The flavours are rich and give a smoky finish. The wine can be enjoyed with almost all food items. If kept properly, the wines age very well and can last up to 12 years with some distillation process.
Mavrodaphne
Αbout 150 years ago, German-born Gustav Clauss settled outside the city of Patras where he vinified the first sweet Mavrodaphne. Little could he have known at the time that the wine he had crafted would become one of the most identifiable products of the Greek vineyard. Nor could he have known that, today, apart from yielding some highly acclaimed sweet wines such as “Mavrodaphne of Patras” and “Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia,” the Mavrodaphne variety would also yield some equally touted and remarkable dry wines like our own fresh, dry red Laura Nera wine.
Most of the Mavrodaphne vineyards are found in the Peloponnese, particularly its northwestern part. Until recently, the variety was almost exclusively employed in the production of distinguished fortified dessert wines under the indication PDO Mavrodaphne of Patras. The same was also customary on the Ionian island of Cephalonia where limited quantities of the sweet, hard-to-find PDO Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia wines are produced. The varietal’s characteristic near-black color, dense aromas of dried prunes and currants, high alcohol content, and medium acidity indeed fit the classic profile of sweet wines like a glove. And then, enter that particularly piquant “bitterness” which ushers the finish of Mavrodaphne wines into another, complex dimension. In recent years, more and more of the dry wines of the variety seem to feature these titillating characteristics, and the absence of sugars appears to fortify even further the game of “here’s your sweet nose, there’s your sweet & sour taste,” a game strikingly reminiscent of Veneto’s grand Amarone wines.
Mavrodaphne is indubitably a grand variety of the Greek vineyard. Having earned its rightful place among the “Port” dessert wines and being as little-known as it is unexpected in its dry version, Mavrodaphne will surely win over wine lovers with a nose for the authentic, the different, and the diverse.
Muscat White
Our Moscato di Rio dry white wine comes from the love of Muscat White variety for sunlight which is common knowledge. Muscat White thrives when the sun warms up its small berries, bestowing on their thick skin a freckle-dotted yellow-gold color and uniquely concentrating the variety’s aromas and flavor. As a result, small-berried Muscat White yields dessert wines of international stature (“Muscat of Patras”; “Muscat of Rio Patras”; “Muscat of Rhodes”; “Samos”; and “Muscat of Cephalonia”).
The love of Muscat White for sloping, mountain vineyards can hardly be concealed although it also thrives at lower altitudes as well. The Aegean islands of Samos and Rhodes, the vineyards of Rio in Patras, Patras itself and Cephalonia are the predominant cultivation areas of Muscat White. All areas correspond each to their invididual PDO zones when it comes to production of their sweet Muscat wines (PDO Samos; PDO Muscat of Rhodes; PDO Muscat of Rio Patras; and PDO Muscat of Cephalonia, respectively). In all those areas, the wines are among the most highly acclaimed Greek wines, having won rave reviews, top ratings, and numerous prestigious awards in international competitions and wine tastings. All Muscat White wines produced share the same organoleptic features: explosive aromas where the variety’s primary aroma and that of lychee are intensely present; the concentrated taste; and the satisfying acidity, all elements that we also encounter in the variety’s dry wines as well but to a lesser degree. Oaking tends to benefit these… elixirs by concentrating them even more, all the while bestowing on them honeyed notes redolent of nuts and homemade preserves.
Small-berried Muscat White is certainly one of Greece’s most important grape varieties. Under the glorious Greek sun, it is transfigured into grand wines which express the unique terroir of their origin: Wines that are ready to leave even the most exacting wine lovers speechless yet happy that they have had the kind of unforgettable wine experience that leaves one hanging for more!
Agiorgitiko
Our ID Agiorgitiko wine is produced by 100% Agiorgitiko grapes coming from Koutsi village in Nemea. Agiorgitiko is a captivating grape variety that caresses the senses with elegance, freshness and intensity of aromas and flavours. It is a red grape variety and is frequently referred to as “multidynamic”, since it can produce a large range of styles, from refreshing rosés to concentrated sweet wines. However, the most common expressions are two: either as a young, unoaked red wine, or as a red matured in oak for at least a year.
A young Agiorgitiko, like ID, is a wine with a moderately deep purple red colour, intense aromas of fresh red fruits, medium acidity and soft tannins. The oak aged examples are deep in colour, while the nose showing concentrated and complex aromas of red fruits. The palate is rich and, with high quality, ripe tannins. Moreover, it is a variety that can produce, other styles, like excellent rosés or stunning dessert wines from sun dried grapes. Many commentators use references to Sangiovese. Agiorgitiko is the grape of the PDO Nemea, the largest red wine appellation in Greece –and a quality leader as well. Traditionally, Nemea-Agiorgitiko are inextricably connected, as Agiorgitiko was only cultivated in Nemea and in its greater area. Nevertheless, the top-quality potential convinced many producers to plant it in other areas, like Macedonia or other parts of Peloponnese.
Agiorgitiko is all about people looking for a wine proposal for moments of social contact and familiarity. It is a wine that offers gustatory satisfaction but also flexibility, since it can be very good to drink young and, at the same time, could age it for several years. It is also suitable to be matched with a large variety of dishes that are in line with modern nutritional schemes.
*References from Wines of Greece
