🍇 Xinomavro
“The soul of Northern Greece in a glass.”
Xinomavro (pronounced KSEE-no-ma-vro) is one of Greece’s most iconic and age worthy red grape varieties, indigenous to the mountainous regions of Northern Greece, with its spiritual and historical home in the PDO Naousa appellation.
🌿 The name Xinomavro translates to “acid-black” (xino = sour/acidity, mavro = black), a nod to its naturally high acidity and dark-skinned berries. This balance of tart freshness and depth of flavor is at the heart of its complexity and longevity.
🗺️ Regions
While its most prestigious expressions come from Naousa PDO, Xinomavro is also cultivated in Amyndeon PDO, Rapsani PDO blended with Stavroto (Ambelakiotiko) and Krassato, and parts of Goumenissa PDO blended with Negoska 20% minimum. Different altitudes and soils lend the grape a wide stylistic range—from earthy and structured to floral and more fruit-forward.
🍷 Style & Characteristics
Xinomavro is often compared to Nebbiolo from Barolo and Pinot Noir due to its ability to age, its fine tannins, and its aromatic complexity.
Typical Notes:
• Aromas: Dried cherry 🍒, tomato’s and tomato leaves 🍅, black olive ⚫, rose petal 🌹, tobacco leaf, herbs 🌿, and forest floor 🌲
• Structure: Medium to full-bodied, with vibrant acidity 🔺 and firm, noble tannins
• Aging: Exceptional aging potential—top wines can gracefully evolve over 15–25 years, gaining earthy, savory, and leathery depth with time 🕰️
🔬 Viticulture & Winemaking
• It’s a late-ripening variety, requiring a warm, dry autumn to reach full phenolic maturity.
• Sensitive to yield and site—lower-yielding old vines on poor soils give the best results.
• Often vinified with minimal intervention, allowing its terroir-expressive nature to shine.
• Can be crafted in both traditional oxidative styles or modern, fresher interpretations with a bit of new oak or amphora aging.
✨ Xinomavro is not just a grape—it is Greece’s answer to Burgundy and Barolo. It represents the intellectual, soulful side of Greek wine: nuanced, expressive, and deeply tied to place. For lovers of complex, age worthy reds, Xinomavro is a revelation waiting to be explored.
Paliokalias 2020 by Dalamaras Winery is a profound and evocative expression of 100% Xinomavro 🍇, cultivated organically 🌿 in the sun-drenched hillsides of Naousa, Greece 🇬🇷. Sourced from the historic single vineyard of Paliokalias, where the family’s winemaking tradition spans generations 🏡, this wine is a masterclass in elegance, structure, and authenticity.
In the glass 🍷, it reveals a pale ruby/garnet hue with translucent edges, hinting at both its varietal purity and aging potential ⏳. The bouquet is strikingly complex— cherries 🍒, tomatoes 🍅, black olive ⚫, and rose petals 🌹 intertwine with earthy undertones 🌾, wild herbs 🌿, and a subtle whisper of spice and tobacco 🌬️ from meticulous aging in oak.
On the palate 👄, Paliokalias is both vibrant and contemplative. Its taut acidity and fine-grained tannins 🪵 create a precise, almost architectural frame, allowing layers of red fruit 🍓, savory notes, and mineral nuance ⛰️ to unfold slowly and gracefully. This is a wine of both power and finesse, with a haunting finish that lingers, echoing the unique terroir of Naousa and the soulful hand of its winemaker.
Crafted with reverence for the land and a deep respect for tradition, Paliokalias is not merely a wine—it is a cultural artifact, a quiet testament to the timeless elegance of Xinomavro and the enduring spirit of Dalamaras 🍷✨.
🧀 Food Pairings
Thanks to its acidity and tannic grip, Xinomavro pairs beautifully with:
• Kleftiko (Slow-Roasted Lamb 🐑 with Potatoes & Herbs)
• Soutzoukakia Smyrneika (Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce)
• Kokkinisto (Greek beef stew)🥩
🍷 The Winery
🍇 Established in 1840, the Dalamara family has been crafting wine (and distilling distillates like tsipouro) in Naousa for over a century and a half—now carried forward into the fifth and sixth generations under the stewardship of Giannis and his son, Kostis Dalamaras, who studied viticulture and oenology in Burgundy and further experimented with biodynamic practices in France and Spain .
🌿 Situated on the eastern foothills of Mount Vermio, the estate comprises 6 hectares planted primarily to Xinomavro, along with small parcels of Merlot, Negoska, Assyrtiko, Malagouzia, and Roditis .
The famed Paliokalias vineyard lies at ~250–350 m altitude, across diverse soils of clay‑limestone, travertine, and shale—several old-vine parcels date to the early 1920s and even include a rare ungrafted block surviving phylloxera .
• Since 1996, the estate practices certified organic viticulture; from around 2008 onward, it has increasingly embraced biodynamic principles under the guidance of Kostis .
• Farming is low‑intervention, manual, and ecologically integrated—utilizing animals such as horses, ducks, and turkeys post-harvest to maintain vineyard balance and biodiversity .
🧪 Winemaking Style
• Spontaneous fermentations using indigenous yeasts have been standard since around 2009, and the wines are typically unfiltered, preserving texture and depth .
• The minimized sulfur use, native yeast fermentations, and aging in primarily old French oak yield wines that reflect the terroir with clarity, finesse, and authenticity .
Dalamara Winery is a rare combination of heritage, purity, and terroir. It is more than a winery – It is a leaving poem of Naoussa, where tradition breathes, vines speak and each vintage carries the quiet heartbeat of the land.