Part of a series of videos to bring 100 different Greek grape varieties to you.
Fact File Moschofilero
Area grown: Planted throughout the Peloponnese and also on many Ionian islands. It is at its best in Mantinia where the vineyards lie high. The cooler climate leads to grapes that are low in sugar, low in alcohol, and high in acidity.
Grapes: Moschofilero is a pink grape variety. It is harvested fairly late from late September to late October.
Nose/bouquet: Citrus fruits, lemon flowers, rose petals with some similarities to Muscat and Traminer.
Another good bit of information. I remember the first time I tasted Moschofilero–it was the same producer–about ten years ago. At the time, my first thought was, “is this grape a traminer?”
Not only the wine (rose petals and citrus), but also the grape’s color are so much like muscat/traminer. Do you know if anyone has done a DNA trace on it?
Thomas, thanks for your kind words. I quote Konstantinos Lazarakis, MW: …modern DNA analysis has proved that the Moschofilero family is separate from these two varieties (Muscat and Gewurztraminer).
Thanks. Is there a link to the Lazarakis quote?
See his excellent book The Wines of Greece, page 63.
Oh, I read that book a long time ago. I’ll look it up.
Pingback: Peloponnese: Land of diversity | ELLOINOS