Moschophilero/Moschofilero

Let's go to Greece today. Why not? We haven't been there for a while and even if we had, Greece is such a distinctive country geographically that having been to one area doesn't mean we are anywhere near the other parts.

In particular today, we are headed to the Peloponnese, a strange looking peninsula in the south of the country connected to the main part of Greece by a land bridge known as the Isthmus of Corinth. We are hear today to drink Moschophilero.

The history of the Peloponnesian Peninsula is quite old. It was well established in Greece when the first Olympic Games were held in Olympus on its western side in 776 BC. And, in the latter part of the 5th Century BC, the Pelopennesian War was fought between the city-states of Sparta on the peninsula and Athens on the mainland. And Pheidippides was said to have run from Athens to Sparta to report the Greek victory over the invading Persians announcing, "Nike, Nike, Nenekekiam," or "Victory, victory, rejoice, we conquer."

In modern day, the wars are gone which allows us to be here to explore the land and enjoy the wine, most of which is grown in the central part of the Pelopennese. While the coasts of the peninsula are lowlands, the interior is quite mountainous and therefore a bit cool. Part of that interior lies in what is known as the Protected Denomination of Origin (POD) Mantinia (sometimes spelled Mantineia). It is perhaps the oldest wine region in the world (Persians and Georgians would dispute this) and was named Polyampelo (many vines) by Homer.

The average elevation in Mantinia is about 660 meters/ 2200 feet. Winters are cold with lots of precipitation, both rain and snow. And, summers are cool and quite wet as well (I don't think I would like to live there). This results in a delayed harvest and to survive that growing season, grapes need to be loosely bunched.

Ideal for that is the white grape, Moschophilero. The wines produced from it are highly aromatic, quite dry, and have a distinctive bouquet that reminisces a rose garden. Iy exhibits excellent orange, lemon, and pear on the palate and pairs wonderfully with fresh fruits, strudels, and fruit pies.




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