Agiorgitiko

What Agiorgitiko is

Agiorgitiko (meaning “St. George’s grape”) is the most-planted red variety of Greece, with about 2,500 hectares concentrated in PDO Nemea in the northeast Peloponnese. The grape is famously versatile: depending on altitude, yield, and winemaking it produces fresh juicy rosés, light-bodied easy reds, structured aged reds, and even sweet versions. That versatility is both strength and curse, the category lacks the clear stylistic identity of Assyrtiko or Xinomavro.

The grape ripens evenly, produces deep colour, and has moderate acidity with soft to medium tannin. Aroma profile is fruit-forward: red cherry, plum, dried fig, sometimes pomegranate, with spice notes (cinnamon, clove) developing with age.

The three altitude zones of Nemea

What sets Nemea apart from Naoussa is the extreme altitude range. Vineyards run from 230 to 950 metres, divided informally into three zones. The low zone (230-450 m, plains around the town of Nemea) has warm summers and produces riper, fuller wines with soft tannin, historically the source of cheap bulk wine. The middle zone (450-700 m, rolling hills near Koutsi and Asprokambos) is classic Nemea, balancing ripeness with freshness. The high zone (700-950 m, around Psari and Gymno) has cool nights, longer growing seasons, and produces fresher, more structured wines with firmer tannin and longer aging potential.

Since 2018 the Nemea Consortium has been working toward formal PDO recognition of these zones, similar to the Burgundy hierarchy. As of 2024 that process is unfinished, for now zones appear on labels only via single-vineyard designations.

In the glass

Style varies by zone and producer. Low-zone wines: deep ruby, juicy, fruit-driven (black cherry, plum, dried fig), soft tannin, alcohol 13.5-14.5 percent. High-zone wines: lighter ruby, fresher, with more savoury notes (liquorice, thyme, leather) and firmer tannin, some age 10-15 years. Typical alcohol 13-14 percent.

Producers

Domaine Skouras (George Skouras, since 1986) is the international ambassador, especially with Megas Oenos (an Agiorgitiko-Cabernet blend) and the pure Saint George Nemea. Gaia Wines (Yiannis Paraskevopoulos and Leon Karatsalos, since 1994) produces both the accessible Notios and the single-vineyard Estate Nemea (650 m altitude). Driopi (Tselepos family) brings elegant high-zone wines. Papaioannou and Aivalis represent the older generation of quality producers. Mitravelas and Lafkiotis make characterful bottlings from €15.

The critical point

Nemea carries the legacy of cheap semi-sweet bulk wine from the 1980s, the so-called “Nemea Vol Zoet” that flooded the Dutch market. Modern quality Nemea is a different category, but the historical baggage remains. The proposed three-zone classification would help: a Nemea Grand Cru from 850 m is fundamentally different from a valley-floor Nemea, and the current single denomination obscures that. Until the PDO reform passes, drinkers need to learn producer and altitude themselves. The Burgundy comparison is honest, Nemea has terroir variation comparable to the Côte d’Or, but lacks the classification system to communicate it.

For the drinker

Start with Skouras Saint George Nemea (€14-18) for a classic introduction. For high-zone wines: Gaia Estate Nemea (€22-28) or Driopi Reserve (€20-25). For aging: Papaioannou Old Vines (€25-32), drinks beautifully to 15 years. Drink at 16-18°C, decant 30 minutes for young bottles. With food: lamb stews, moussaka, stuffed eggplant, grilled meatballs (keftedes), hard aged cheeses. Works well with Mediterranean roasted vegetables and grilled chicken.