Dessert Wine Lambrusco Red Blend Greece Peloponnese

Some grape species are distinct and unique varietals, clearly separate from each of their cousins. Others, like Lambrusco and Muscat, are more like umbrella terms, featuring several subspecies which show slight differences from each other from region to region. Indeed, there are astonishingly more than 60 identified varieties of Lambrusco vines, and they are almost all used in the production of characterful Italian sparkling wines. They are distinguishable by their deep ruby blush, caused by strong pigments present in their skins, and their intensely perfumed character.


Lambrusco vines are grown in several Italian regions, although we most closely associate this varietal with Piedmont and Basilicata. It has also been grown successfully in Argentina and Australia. The varietal suffered from a fairly lowly reputation in the late 20th century, due to bulk, low cost production of Lambrusco sparkling wines, aimed at markets across northern Europe and America. However, things are rapidly changing, and the older, more traditional methods of bottle fermentation are returning, along with a higher level of quality and expression, as consumers become more discerning and demanding. Many of the Lambrusco sub-varieties have their own established DOC, such as Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Modena, where new regulations are keeping standards high and methods traditional.

As one of the oldest wine producing countries in the world, Greece has millenia of experience and expertise when it comes to viticulture, and has developed a set of flavors and characteristics which are found nowhere else on earth. The ancient Greeks revered and deified wine, and were the first true innovators in the history of wine, adding everything from seawater to honey and spices in order to find exciting new taste combinations and aromas. Today, Greek wines are just as varied, although far more refined and sophisticated than their ancient counterparts. The practice of enhancing Greek wines with aromatic substances never left the country, though, as can be seen in the popular Retsina wines, which use pine resin to provide their unique taste and aroma combinations. There is far more to Greek wine than merely Retsina, however, and the vast variety on offer is a testament to the expertise of Greek wineries making the most of the wonderful climate, terrain and grape varietals they work with.

The Peloponnese wine region of Greece is one with some serious history behind it. Mentioned by Homer in one of his epic poems, it was named Ampelonessa in Ancient Greek - literally translating to ‘land full of vines’. It has survived massive political upheaval, several devastating wars and the full force of the phylloxera epidemic, and remains one of Greece’s key wine producing regions to this day. Indeed, the twenty-first century has seen something of a renaissance for Peloponnese wines, and they’ve found themselves more in demand than they’ve ever been thanks to a renewed interest in Greek produce, and the traditional methods the vintners who work there use in their winemaking.

Peloponnese is a large wine region, and it is characterized by its range and variety. This is due to the massive differences in terroir found from one appellation to the next, and sun-baked plains, misty hillsides and breezy plateaus are all accounted for as you move from one part to another. Despite this, there is one grape varietal which sits head and shoulders among the others in this part of Greece, and that is the gorgeous Agiorghitiko grape. This vine is native to the region, and it produces the deep red, velvety and complex wines the area is famed for.