Greece · Other producers

Magoutes Vineyard

High altitude Siatista producer working with Xinomavro and Moschomavro, including a white made from Xinomavro.

The producer

Magoutes Vineyard works in Siatista with the indigenous Xinomavro and the rare Moschomavro. Its centennial vines were originally hand grafted by Dimitrios Diamantis's grandfather, and the vineyard work is organic and low intervention. The named wines are Magoutes Moschomavro and Magoutes Vineyard Vieilles Vignes Blanc. The red is made from Moschomavro, while the white is made entirely from Xinomavro, a red grape. The wines carry PGI Siatista, and the estate seeks PDO recognition for the region.

Known for

Siatista Xinomavro and Moschomavro

Notable facts

The story

The First Official Blend

Dimitrios Diamantis and George Papageorgiou founded Magoutes Vineyard to preserve and restore Siatista's ancient viticultural heritage. The estate's centennial vines include indigenous Xinomavro and rare Moschomavro, and were originally hand grafted by Dimitrios's grandfather. Vineyard work at Magoutes is organic and low intervention. In 2002, Magoutes released its first official bottling. A blend combines more than one grape variety in a finished wine. Magoutes now produces PGI Siatista wines. The first official release was the Xinomavro and Moschomavro blend.

The First Official Blend

Dimitrios Diamantis and George Papageorgiou founded Magoutes Vineyard to preserve and restore Siatista's ancient viticultural heritage. The estate's centennial vines include indigenous Xinomavro and rare Moschomavro, and were originally hand grafted by Dimitrios's grandfather. Vineyard work at Magoutes is organic and low intervention. In 2002, Magoutes released its first official bottling. A blend combines more than one grape variety in a finished wine. Magoutes now produces PGI Siatista wines. The first official release was the Xinomavro and Moschomavro blend.

From the atlas

Magoutes Vineyard

Magoutes Vineyard in high altitude Siatista works with Xinomavro and Moschomavro.

At A Glance

FieldDetail
PlaceSiatista 50300, Greece
Main grapesXinomavro and Moschomavro
Named winesMagoutes Moschomavro; Magoutes Vineyard Vieilles Vignes Blanc
Vineyard workOrganic and low intervention
DesignationPGI Siatista

The Producer

Magoutes Vineyard works in Siatista with the indigenous Xinomavro and the rare Moschomavro. The estate's named bottles are Magoutes Moschomavro and Magoutes Vineyard Vieilles Vignes Blanc, a red and a white built from those two grape varieties.

Place

Siatista 50300, Greece, is home to Magoutes Vineyard. The estate lies in the high altitude Siatista region, at around 750 metres and above. At this elevation, cooler conditions can slow ripening, preserve acidity, and keep fruit aromas bright.

Soil And Site

In the early 1990s, the partners replanted 18 hectares on rocky limestone and clay slopes. Rocky ground drains quickly, while clay holds more water, so the mixture creates different moisture conditions for vines. Those conditions can change the pace of ripening during dry periods.

Story

Dimitrios Diamantis and George Papageorgiou founded Magoutes Vineyard to preserve and restore Siatista's ancient viticultural heritage. Magoutes now produces PGI Siatista wines and seeks PDO recognition for the region. PGI and PDO are geographic designations that connect wine to a named place and its production rules. PGI is the current designation on the wines, while PDO is the designation sought for Siatista.

Vineyards And Cellar

Vineyard work is organic and low intervention. The 2023 Moschomavro matured in concrete for up to six months before bottling. Concrete is a neutral vessel that does not add oak flavour during maturation, so fruit and acidity develop without barrel wood.

Wines

The two named bottles are one red and one white. Magoutes Moschomavro is a red wine made from 100% Moschomavro. Magoutes Vineyard Vieilles Vignes Blanc is a dry white.

In The Glass

The 2024 Moschomavro opens with rose, cherry, cranberry, sour cherry, lavender, raspberry liqueur, strawberry, and herbal tea. It is light bodied, high in acidity, and supported by silky tannins, with fresh and ripe cherries, sour cherries, strawberries, marjoram, and lavender on the palate.

Vieilles Vignes Blanc 2024 is very fresh, with green apple, pear, mineral, white flowers, honeydew melon, fresh herbs, lime, and wild strawberry. Its palate is medium bodied, with medium high acidity and slight astringency, ending in a somewhat short, tart finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose Magoutes Vineyard Vieilles Vignes Blanc. It is a white made entirely from Xinomavro. Whole clusters are pressed, so intact bunches go into the press before the must ferments spontaneously in concrete. Spontaneous fermentation relies on the yeasts already present in the must. The wine then spends one month in large Austrian oak casks, where wood and oxygen can soften texture. Open it before the separate Moschomavro red, then compare the two grape names and colours.

Anecdote

The modern estate grew from centennial vines originally hand grafted by Dimitrios Diamantis's grandfather. Magoutes released its first official bottling in 2002, a blend of Xinomavro and Moschomavro.

Final Word

Magoutes Vineyard is a Siatista producer working with Xinomavro and Moschomavro. Its named bottles include a Moschomavro red and an Xinomavro white, while the wines carry PGI Siatista and the estate seeks PDO recognition for the region.

Sources

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