Malagouzia is one of the most popular modern white grape varieties in Greece. It is often called the "Cinderella" of Greek vineyards, as their fates are similar. Until recently, Malagouzia was completely unknown and on the verge of extinction. But miracles do happen even in real life, and by chance, the scullery maid turned into a beautiful princess. Now, Greece’s crown prince "Assyrtiko" has a worthy match! In recent years, this variety has become the undisputed favorite of winemakers and wine lovers. Malagouzia continues to amaze with the possibilities of its potential, and, as bold as it may sound, many believe that the future of Greek winemaking lies with it.
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This variety can hardly be called unpretentious or easy to work with. However, with careful handling, Malagouzia fully rewards the winemaker’s efforts by producing multifaceted, vibrant wines. They are distinguished by a pale lemon-green hue, fairly high acidity, intense and complex aromatics, and a long finish. Most often, these are fruit-driven wines, elegantly complemented by herbal, floral, and subtle mineral overtones. Typical notes for this variety include: unripe peach and apricot, pear, green apple, citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit), mango, passion fruit, jasmine, green pepper, and basil
These are mostly young wines fermented in stainless steel (as oak suppresses their bright, fresh aromas). Nevertheless, some winemakers age a small part of the blend in oak, thus creating wines with a fuller body and greater depth.
This variety is used to produce both monovarietal wines (wines from a single grape variety) and blends, the most popular of which is Malagouzia-Assyrtiko. In addition to dry white wines, Malagouzia is also used to make incredibly aromatic sweet wines (from dried grapes).
The homeland of Malagouzia is considered to be the western part of central Greece, specifically the area around the city of Nafpaktos. It was first officially mentioned at the end of the 19th century. The ampelographer O. Rousopoulos refers to this variety as rare. This is because, due to the phylloxera epidemic that destroyed vineyards across Europe, there was a very high demand for the “Corinthian” variety at the end of the 19th century. Wine made from dried grapes was very popular in France, and it was this variety that began to actively displace others.
In 1967, samples of this disappearing variety were sent for study to the Wine Institute (which today is a faculty at the Institute of Agricultural Products Technology, ITAP). Meanwhile, a successful shipowner, Yiannis Carras, decided to realize his long-held dream—to build a luxurious, ultra-modern hotel in one of Greece’s paradise corners. According to his plan, the restaurants were to serve dishes made from top-quality products and high-quality wines, all produced in-house. For this, he purchased a huge plot of land on the Halkidiki peninsula, previously owned by one of the Athos monasteries. This is how the large Porto Carras hotel complex appeared—with a golf course, marina, helipad, beautiful beaches, and vineyards. The vineyards covered 450 hectares, and at that time it was one of the largest wine estates in the country. The management of this large-scale production was entrusted to Vassilis Logothetis, a professor at the Faculty of Viticulture (Aristotle University)
In addition to well-known French varieties, local Greek varieties were also planted in the Porto Carras vineyards, and for a long period, intensive work was carried out to study their potential. Thus, on Logothetis's initiative, Malagouzia from the Wine Institute ended up on the Halkidiki peninsula, which became its second home.
However, the main role in transforming the “Cinderella of the vineyards” was played by the winemaker and agronomist Vangelis Gerovassiliou. He was a pioneer and began experimenting with Malagouzia, initially creating a sweet wine from it. His faith in this variety was so strong that when he decided to plant his own vineyards in Epanomi, near Thessaloniki, he chose Malagouzia as his focus. Thanks to his winemaking talent and perseverance, Vangelis Gerovassiliou managed to turn Malagouzia into a true princess of Greek vineyards. As early as the beginning of the 2000s, the international wine community began to take notice of this variety, and today its popularity continues to grow year by year.
Today, this variety is planted throughout Greece—on the mainland and the islands—and the area of Malagouzia vineyards increases every year. Many producers are eager to experiment with it, as the potential of this variety has not yet been fully realized
Malagouzia is perfect for vegetable dishes and summer salads, young white cheeses, seafood and fish, as well as white meat dishes. In other words, it pairs ideally with the flavors of traditional Greek cuisine. If you enjoy pasta, pesto sauce will bring out the aromas of this variety especially well
Sweet Malagouzia is best served with fruit desserts; pairing it with peaches is especially successful.