The Xinomavro of Naoussa: the place, the people, the future of the variety

18/05/2025

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With roots deep in time, one of the most important Greek red varieties flourishes and is revealed in the glass in the cradle of the Macedonian kings, it seems that Xinomavro was born. The writings of Herodotus, and in particular the myth of King Midas who trapped the wise dancer Silinos by giving him wine that gushed from a spring, testify to the presence of vineyards at the foot of Mount Vermio, but also to the production of wine in the area since prehistoric times. ‘Acidic and astringent wine’ is mentioned in writings of 1700, an expression very close to the description of Xinomavro as we know it today, while written evidence of the production of fine wines from Naoussa can also be found during the Turkish occupation (1430-1912). According to the book by Stavroula Kourakos Xinomavro, the Oinabelos of Central-Western Macedonia, a large percentage of the wine produced in the Ottoman Empire came from Naoussa. The French consul in Thessaloniki and Smyrna, Esprit Marie Cousinéry, travelled to Central Macedonia in 1814. In his book, Voyage dans le Macedoine, he writes: “We arrived at Niausta, which was a small town rather than a village. It must have been inhabited from very ancient times, owing to its beautiful waters and good vineyards, oriented towards the meridian. The wine of Niausta is to Macedonia what the wine of Burgundy is to France. It is always sold at twice the price of other wines, even those from nearby regions. […] I can assure you that, with the exception of the wine of Tenedos, the wine of Naoussa, judged as an everyday wine, is the best in the whole of Turkey.

The main characteristic of the variety, high acidity, gave the wine a comparative advantage and durability over time, and therefore the ability to be transferred without spoilage. Although it is taken for granted today that a bottle from Macedonia could reach the Far East, for the 18th century this was far from the case. The wines that did travel, i.e. were exported, had some kind of addition in order to protect them, they were mainly fortified wines – quinato, coumadaria, port, vermouth. The Sephardic Jews who lived in Thessaloniki, the great commercial port of the country, played a very important role in the popularity and export of the wine that came from Central Macedonia to Alexandria in Egypt and elsewhere.

The early 1900s found Naoussa full of vineyards – over 20,000 acres – but also of silkworms. In 1906, the first privately owned winery and retail cellar was built there, by Ioannis Boutaris, on Zafeirakis Street, with three tanks. The traditional Naoussaikos house consisted of two floors: the winery was located on the ground floor and silkworms were processed upstairs. The first Greek red bottled wine, “Naoussa Boutari”, was produced there, a great gesture of extroversion by the creator and certification of the quality of the region’s wines, marking the first designation of origin label, seventy years before the PDO was introduced. The “Naoussa Boutari” label is a wine of immense importance for the Greek wine industry as a whole.

Seventy years before the introduction of the PDO, the “Naoussa Boutari” label was a wine of immense importance for the Greek wine industry as a whole.

In 1909, the legendary Lanaras Textile Factory was founded on the banks of the Arapitsa River for the production of yarn, which was operated with hydroelectric power. For the next twenty years the area flourished productively and economically, until the phylloxera of 1928 destroyed most of the vineyard. The 1930s and 1940s were marked by wars, a turbulent climate and political and economic instability. “My grandmother remembers her father trading with a Jew from Thessaloniki until just before 1940. It was in 1939 that he came to buy the family’s wine for the last time, giving a few pounds,” recounts third-generation winemaker Kostis Dalamaras.

In 1950, the industrialist Lanaras brought to Naoussa two Italian agronomists and arborists, the Vigato brothers, who found an outlet for agricultural production with apple growing. In the 1960s, only 500 hectares of vineyards remained. Then, the two grandsons of Ioannis Boutaris, Giannis and Konstantinos, took over the baton of the winery from their father Stelios and decided to invest in the vineyard, buying estates in Giannakochori, Imathia. Yannis envisioned to re-establish the legendary vineyard of the region, a decision that marked a new beginning. At the same time, under the guidance of Stavroula Kourakos-Dragon, who served as president of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), Xinomavro prevailed in vineyards that had been field blends until then – that is, there were clones of Cabernet, Mavroudi, Mavrodaphne, Wafra and other varieties. In the same period, the first Greek Designations of Origin of Superior Quality were recognised.

In order for this to happen, there were three conditions: the zone had to have a wine tradition documented by written sources, there had to be families connected to the viticultural tradition and, finally, the wines had to be produced from grapes adapted for years to the environment, but also to be vinified within the zone in modern technology units. Thus, in Central Macedonia, Naoussa, Amyndeo, Goumenissa and Rapsani have been recognised. “In 1976 most of the Xinomavro vines were planted again in Naoussa”, recounts winemaker Petros Karydas. In 1978, with the aim of exploiting the renewed vineyard of the zone, the new, ultra-modern Boutaris winery in Stenimacho, which remains the heart of the winery, was inaugurated. The 120-ton wine tanks are a testament to the size of the company. In the central bottling plant of all its wineries – five in total – many new labels were even created, which evolved Greek wine as a whole. Dozens of oenologists we know today from their long careers began their careers at the Boutari Winery in Naoussa, with Yannis Vogiatzis being its chief oenologist for forty years. In the 1990s, Boutari produced and marketed over one million bottles of Naoussa Xinomavro. Today, in its second basement, it has a remarkable wine library, a living archive of thousands of bottles from the 1960s to the present day, the oldest of which concern Naoussa wines. In these labels the great ageing potential of Xinomavro has been studied..

“In 1976 most of the Xinomavro vines were planted again in Naoussa”, recounts winemaker Petros Karydas. In 1978, with the aim of exploiting the renewed vineyard of the zone, the new, ultra-modern Boutaris winery in Stenimacho, which remains the heart of the winery, was inaugurated. The 120-ton wine tanks are a testament to the size of the company. In the central bottling plant of all its wineries – five in total – many new labels were even created, which evolved Greek wine as a whole. Dozens of oenologists we know today from their long careers began their careers at the Boutari Winery in Naoussa, with Yannis Vogiatzis being its chief oenologist for forty years. In the 1990s, Boutari produced and marketed over one million bottles of Naoussa Xinomavro. Today, in its second basement, it has a remarkable wine library, a living archive of thousands of bottles from the 1960s to the present day, the oldest of which concern Naoussa wines. In these labels the great ageing potential of Xinomavro has been studied.

Today, the 4,000-hectare zone has more than 20 winemakers, many of whom are younger than 45 years old.

The international recognition of Xinomavro is partly due to specific producers who have focused on the variety. These include Stellios Boutaris, Kostis Dalamaras and Apostolos Thimiopoulos. In fact, the latter is the first Greek winemaker to win the title of Rising Star by Decanter magazine in 2022, as he dedicated himself to expressing the unique characteristics of this grape. His labels can be found in most hip gastronomic haunts in Paris and fifteen other countries. Along with Assyrtiko of Santorini, Xinomavro is a testament to Greece’s rich winemaking heritage. The results of the tasting we organized tasting Xinomavro from 1974 to 2017 confirm this. This proves not only the enormous potential of Xinomavro, but also the country’s potential for producing excellent wines based on terroir and unique indigenous grape varieties. *The article was published in the print edition of Oenochos, Vol. 65, December 2023.