The Peloponnese is a highly mountainous peninsula that forms the Southern-most part of the Greek mainland.
Attached to the rest of Greece by only a thin isthmus of land, the peninsula is home to several of the country’s best historical wine regions as well as several up and coming ones.

Once home to the military city state of Sparta, whose war for supremacy with Athens inspired countless works of literature, the region is also the mythological home of several Greek gods & heroes.
With imposing snow-capped peaks that pierce the clouds falling away suddenly to the crystalline waters of the Aegean Sea below, it’s no wonder this landscape inspired both the legends of old & some of Greece’s finest winemakers.
Almost every part of the peninsula has at least some area under vine, with the most focused regions being Corinthia, Achaia, Arcadia & Laconia, each of these four regions have their own unique winegrowing areas with distinct styles, grape varieties & histories, with something for every palate.

Corinthia - Nemea

Corinthia.
A storied region located in the extreme East of the Peloponnese, where the peninsula connects to Attica, has thousands of years of winemaking history, and was once home to the famous city state of Corinth , a city which myth says was either founded by a descendant of the god Zeus or of the titan Oceanus.

The ancient city which lies upon the isthmus of Corinth was rebuilt time and time again following countless wars, occupations, tyrannical leaders and even earthquakes.

Vineyards in the province of Corinthia are centred around the modern town of Nemea (& it’s ancient ruins nearby), located in the south of Corinthia.
The vineyards start around the town at 260-350m/850-1150ft, and then ascend, first up into the foothills at 350-600m/1150-1970ft before reaching the highest elevations for wine growing at around 600-800m/1970-2625ft in the valleys below Mount Kyllini, the second tallest mountain on the Peloponnese peninsula (2376m/7795ft).

Nemea as a region is recognised by PDO Nemea, a protected appellation, celebrating the local indigenous grape, Agiorgitiko (the name meaning St.George’s grape, due to the presence of St.George’s church in the town) and the high quality red wines it produces today.
Wine growing in Nemea dates back to the 5th Century BC when a wine called Fliasion was famously produced. Thanks to the legends of the demi-god Heracles (also known as Hercules) travelling to the region to slay the fierce Nemean Lion, the red wines of Nemea became known as “the blood of Heracles”.

The best wines of Nemea often come from the highest vineyards, where the steeper slopes, and thin, calcareous soils help coax the best from Agiorgitiko, which is late-ripening and does not have a deep colour, so an extended hang-time is beneficial for complexity, concentration and structure.
Lower elevations have deeper, more fertile soils and the area becomes flat around the town itself, leading to lighter, less complex wines in general.

Agiorgitiko is known for making anything from light rosé & everyday wines for the dinner table, to balanced, complex wines that are well suited to cellaring.
In recent years there has even been blends with Cabernet Sauvignon & sweet, sun-dried styles of dessert wine produced.
Agiorgitiko has now spread to other wine growing regions elsewhere in the country as it increases in popularity.

Appellation: As an appellation PDO Nemea (est. 1971) currently ranks along with Naoussa in Macedonia & Santorini in the Aegean Islands as one of most famous wine regions in Greece.
Wines here must be 100% Agiorgitiko and must be red (not rosé) to use the PDO label, but can be made in a range of styles including sweet and fortified examples.

Achaia - Patras

The region of Achaia occupies the North of the Peloponnese peninsula, and is today one of the largest producing areas for wine in Greece by volume.

Production is focused on the overall Patras wine region, which stretches from the foothills of the mountains in the South & East to the coastal plains around Patras itself, Greece’s third largest city (metro pop.300,000).

There are several styles of wine to be found across Patras, each made from different grape varieties and currently awarded with their own appellations. Quality production is focused on these appellations with much of other production being in bulk or reserved for international varieties.

The aromatic white grape Roditis, produces one of the finest white wines in Greece and is grown on the heady slopes of PDO Patras, which are found throughout the eastern area of Egialia, sandwiched between towering mountains and the sea. A portion of vineyards can also be found closer to the city of Patras itself.
Vineyards in PDO Patras start at 250m/820ft and rise dramatically to nearly 900m/2950ft above sea level.
These sites offer some of the most spectacular vineyard views in all of Greece and produce high quality wines , with examples from the highest elevated areas in the East being the most aromatic and fresh, and the mid-lower altitude zones in the western slopes producing Roditis that is more supple & fuller in body, especially the coastal zone by the city, being the richest in style.

Surrounding the city and following the coast to the South-West of Patras are four PDO areas (including PDO Patras), which overlap considerably.
One for the grape variety Mavrodaphne, two dedicated to Muscat Blanc, and the western part of the aforementioned PDO Patras for Roditis.

PDO Mavrodaphne of Patras is easily the most famous red sweet wine in all of Greece.
It is made in two different styles per appellation rules, one sweet & fortified, and the other a sweet, naturally concentrated style made from sun-dried grapes.
The style dates to the mid-19th century where a well-known producer in the area brought back knowledge of fortification techniques from a tenure making wine in the Douro valley of Portugal. By law, the wine can be up to half blended with cheap Corinthian grapes (used mostly for currants), but as quality increases, more and more wine is 100% Mavrodaphne grapes.
The best wines are aged up to 7 years before release (3 in barrel + 4 in bottle) and are given a ‘Grand Reserve’ label.

Muscat Blanc (called Moschoudi locally) is used in Patras to create luscious sweet whites, either fortified or naturally concentrated by sun-drying the grapes.
The wider PDO Muscat of Patras, covers all muscat produced in this method in and around Patras, while the PDO Muscat of Rio Patras, covers a much smaller area (only getting smaller as the city encroaches), and the best vineyards are found between Panachaiko mountain and the town of Rio, and have a spectacular view of the famous Rio-Antirrio bridge that connects the Peloponnese to Central Greece on the mainland.
These wines are very rare due to their limited quantities and small growing area, and as such, are prized by connoisseurs throughout Greece as one of the best examples of sweet Muscat Blanc.

Appellations: Specifics covered above.
PDO Patras (est 1972) : 100% Roditis
PDO Mavrodaphne of Patras (est 1971) : 51% Mavrodaphne (up to 49% Corinthian currants)
PDO Muscat of Patras (est 1971) : 100% Muscat Blanc/Moschoudi
PDO Muscat of Rio Patras (est 1971) : 100% Muscat Blanc/Moschoudi

Arcadia - Mantineia

The region of Arcadia, is the heart of the Peloponnese peninsula, where almost all vineyards are grown on a high plateau around the ruins of the ancient city of Mantineia (where the appellation today gets its name). Mantineia was famously host to the largest land battle of the ancient Peloponnesian War between Athens & Sparta in 418BC.

Mantineia (also spelled Mantinia) is located in the north of Arcadia, just outside the capital of the Peloponnese, the pleasant city of Tripoli (pop. 47,000) and is surrounded by imposing mountains on all sides, which also seperate it from the growing regions of Nemea just 40km/25mi to the North-East.

Mantineia has some ancient heritage as a wine region, with Homer (of Iliad fame) calling the region “polyampelo”, meaning ‘many vines’ and what is believed to be the oldest grapevine in the world ‘The vine of Pausanius’ which was believed to have already been hundreds of years old when Pausanius the Traveler visited the region in 172AD. This would place the vine at over 2000 years old, and so the myth has recently been investigated, and testing found that vine is indeed ancient, with the vine sample dated at over 300 years old, and indeed a unique example of the winemaking grape species vitis vinifera, but as this could be a descendant of the original vine, the jury is still out on the exact age of the entire vine structure while grows over 100 metres with 9 seperate trunks. The vine’s flowers are all male, and as such no fruit is produced.

Despite Arcadia’s relatively southerly location within Europe, and it’s close proximity to the sea (only 30km/18.5mi away), the mountain ranges and high vineyard elevations (650m/2130ft and higher) means the growing region of this plateau & it’s surrounding hillsides are amongst the coldest in the country.
Cold, heavy rainfall is not uncommon in the Summer and early-mid Autumn, right around traditional harvest time, this is followed by significant snowfall in the Winter.
Soils here are mostly a sandy loam, thinner on the hillsides and richer on the valley floor.

Unsurprisingly then, the favoured grape here is a late-ripener, the native variety Moschofilero, which has risen recently to produce one of the most talked about white wines in Greece, and currently Aracadia’s only appellation PDO Mantineia is focused around Moschofilero, a pink-skinned aromatic variety with characteristic aromas of rose petal & citrus flowers, and good levels of acidity which bring structure & allow the wine to be a fine match to many Greek dishes. Some Moschofilero vines here are over 40 years of age.

The other grape grown here is called Asproudes, which is a generic name for several types of light-skinned white grapes and are primarily used as a minor blending partner to Moschofilero, though today most Mantineia wines are 100% Moschofilero.
International grapes may be grown across Arcadia, but must labelled under PGI Arcadia or other smaller geographical devisions.
Most of the focus in the 21st century is on PDO Mantineia and the Moschofilero grape given the praise they have received.

Appellation:
PDO Mantineia: (est 1971) : min 85% Mantineia, max 15% Asproudes

Laconia - Monemvasia

The most Southern region of the peninsula is Laconia, perhaps best known historically for being home to the military city-state of Sparta.
The current capital city of Laconia is still Sparta (or Sparti) built upon the ruins of the famous settlement & is surrounded by mountains to the North & the sea to the South.

In the Middle Ages, the sweet Malvasia wines of the port town of Monemvasia were celebrated all across Europe & placed the region at the forefront of Greek winemaking for centuries. The Venetian rule of the fortress & port town of Monemvasia (a name meaning ‘single entrance as the town is located on the side of a large rock that can only be reached by one tiny bridge), helped bring these wines to the rest of Europe via the strong Venetian trade routes.
In Italian the name Malvasia became synonymous with quality sweet wines, with the English calling them Malmsey & the French Malvoisie, the wine is even mentioned in some of Shakespeare’s plays!

While the area lost it’s winemaking prestige following Ottoman occupation, and also fell behind many other Greek wine regions in modern times, it has made a more recent resurgence in popularity with an official appellation for its sensational sweet wines declared in 2010 - PDO Monemvassia-Malvasia.
The appellation was declared on July 23rd, the day Monemvasia celebrates it’s independence from Ottoman rule, perhaps now with a fine glass of Monemvassia-Malvasia.

This new appellation has helped highlight & protect this classical style of wine, which involves sun-drying the grapes to concentrate the sugar before fermentation.
The wines produced are sweet & can be fortified or not depending on the style desired.
Monemvassia/Malvasia as a grape variety (spelled with a double S) can being blended with other traditional local grapes such as Assyrtiko, Kydonitsa & Asproudes as long as the Monemvassia is at least 51% of the blend.
The final wine is aged for several years in both barrel & bottle before release, with 4 year release intervals being the main rule.
As the town of Monemvasia has been seeing significant attention from the international tourist market, the wines produced in the region are quickly becoming known by all who visit. The Monemvasia winery located not far from the town itself can claim much of the praise for helping to reintroduce this classical style to the wine world.

Appellation:
PDO Monemvassia-Malvasia (est 2010) :
Based upon the designated historical varieties, sweet style or sweet fortified.
Min. 51% Monemvassia/Malvasia. Assyrtiko, Asproudes & Kydonitsa all approved.

The wine regions of the Peloponnese peninsula are increasing in quality & reputation at a rapid rate, with more plantings & investments taking place each year.
The diverse array of wine styles & indigenous varieties as well as it’s easy access from Athens, means that the wineries here well positioned for wine tourism.
Other parts of Peloponnese that are currently improving their focus on wine include Ilia (home to the ruins of Olympia, site of the ancient Olympic Games), Messenia & Argolida so expect to see more from these areas in years to come.

FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF THE SOUTH TO THE MOUNTAINS OF THE NORTH!
UP NEXT ON THE GREEK WINE JOURNEY:

MACEDONIA! (COMING SOON)