Winemaker Notes
Bright, yellow-green color. Elegant floral aromas with lemon, citrus and rose petals, typical of the Moschofilero variety. Rich and fruity on the palate, with a long aromatic aftertaste.
Serve with seafood, shellfish and fish in lemon sauces, as well as with Asian specialties.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Mantinia is a Moschofilero, unoaked and dry (2.8 grams of residual sugar and 6.2 grams of total acidity). Sourced from vines at 650 meters, it comes in at 12.4% alcohol. Want to know why you should trade up from the charming Feast white? Well, this is a very different style and level, in the grand scheme of things, and it is an even bigger bargain. This projects more concentration in the mid-palate—it is not much riper, but in mouthfeel, it seems richer. It has good acidity, but the mid-palate soaks it up better, so its overall balance is different. It is still lip-smacking good on the somewhat tense finish, ending with a hint of pear. It is appealingly pure and transparent. Also aromatic, it is a pleasure to smell too. This looks like a fine vintage for this brand. It may well hold nicely for several years, perhaps more than indicated, but typically exuberant Moschofilero will mostly be drunk in its first few years. It was better the next day, though.
A pink-skinned variety from the Peloponnese, Greek Moschofilero produces a delicatly perfumed, fresh white wine. There on the Mantineia plateau, the cool growing conditions allow ample time for the grapes to develop balanced sugars and aromatics. Moschofilero is actually the most popular of many mutations of the ancient Fileri grape. These range in color from white to red and produce an array of styles including fruity pink and sparkling versions. Somm Secret—If you already love Muscat, definitely try Moschofilero. Though the grapes are unrelated, they produce remarkably similar wines.
A large southern region of Greece, the Peloponnese contains the famous appellations of Nemea and Mantineia. While connected to the mainland by a tiny strip of land, essentially the region is a large Mediterranean island and excels in the production of red wine from Agiorghitiko, white from Moscofilero and sweet wine from the Mavrodaphne grape.