Synonyms — Saint George, Mavro Nemeas, Mavroudi Nemeas
Parentage — The signature red of Nemea in the north-eastern Peloponnese
red plum
blackcurrant
dried herbs
sweet spice
sun-dried tomato
Budbreak
Early
Maturity
Mid-season; variable acidity with altitude
Leaf
Medium, orbicular, five lobes; downy underside
Bunch
Medium to large, conical, compact
Berry
Medium, spherical, deep blue-black; thin skin, deeply coloured juice
Greece's most-planted red and the most versatile, Agiorgitiko — "Saint George's grape" — takes almost any shape asked of it: fresh rosé, silky young red, and deep, oak-aged wines built to age. Its home is the high basin of Nemea, where ancient legend tied the vine to Heracles and the Nemean lion, and where altitude decides everything.
Grown on the warm valley floor it is soft, plummy and low in acid; on the cool slopes above 600 metres it keeps freshness and structure for serious, ageworthy reds. Deeply coloured, gently tannic and generous with fruit, it is the friendly, food-loving face of the Greek red revival.
In the blend
Share of this grape in a typical blend of each wine