New Wines Of Greece

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The PDO Mantinia zone (est.1971) stretches in the central eastern part of the Peloponnesian district of Arkadia (Arcadia), between the mountains of Parnon (2,404m) to the east and Mainalo (1,980m) to the west. The average elevation on the Mantinia Plateau is 660m. The zone includes parts of Tripoli (Tripoli, Agios Vasilios, Agios Konstantinos, Merkovouni, Pelagos, Skopi), Valtetsi (Daphne), Korythi (Agiorgitika, Zevgolatio, Neochori, Partheni, Steno), Levidi (Kandila, Levidi, Orhomenos, Paleopyrgos), Mantinia (Artemisio, Kapsia, Loukas, Nestani, Pikerni, Saga, Simiades) and Tegea (Lithovounia).

“Mantinia” is pronounced with the inflection on its first “i”, i.e., “Mantínia,” rather than on the second "i", as it is often pronounced or written. The modern word derives from name of the ancient city of Mantínia whose ruins are located on the plateau’s northern part. Travelers to the area find themselves before the Mantinia Plateau upon exiting the Artemisio tunnel. The plateau is a long stretch of land of approximately 36 km north to south. At the northern end, in the area of Levidi, its width is small but further south it opens up, reaching approximately 18 km. Due to the location and terrain some parts accumulate stagnant waters in winter and are specifically excluded from the zone. Apart from the vineyards in the plain, the Moschofilero variety is also cultivated on the foothills of the mountains surrounding the plateau. Growth of the grapes is slow and harvesting comes late, in October, occasionally posing the risk of the crop going bad due to autumnal rainfall. 
PDO Mantinia wines have two distinct aromatic and flavor profiles. The plateau’s grapes are more aromatic, redolent with rose aromas, while the grapes from the foothills bring forth the aromas of citrus fruit and are rather higher in acidity. In either case, Moschofilero and Mantinia are inseparably linked, producing characteristically Greek dry wines. There are 11 wineries within the zone and 20 outside it producing the popular PDO Mantinia wines.
 
Varieties

 Moschofilero (85% minimum), Asproudes.

Wine type  

• Dry white