Monemvasia Winery Monemvasia [Dry] 2024 750ml

The Monemvasia Winery 2024 Monemvasia is made from a grape variety whose history is deeply intertwined with the Byzantine and medieval wine trade of the eastern Mediterranean. Although the variety has largely disappeared from its ancestral homeland, important genetic material was preserved on islands such as Paros, allowing growers in Lakonia to recover and replant the grape in recent decades. The revival of Monemvasia stands among the most compelling examples of Greece’s ongoing effort to reconnect with its viticultural heritage. This wine opens to delicate aromas of olive blossom, stone fruit and crushed mineral, with just a faint floral note emerging in the background. The palate is surprisingly generous, offering more volume than the understated bouquet initially suggests. Despite its textural side, the wine remains light on its feet with fresh acidity and a graceful, airy personality. Elegant rather than powerful, it highlights the subtle charm of a variety that once helped make the name “Malvasia” famous throughout Europe. (Monemvasia gave its name to Malvasia, but the modern Monemvasia grape is not the same thing as the various Malvasia grapes now found across Italy, Spain and elsewhere in the Mediterranean.)