Taste: Floral aroma of rose petals, violets, jasmine, lemon blossom and a hint of spice with flavors of citrus fruits, apple, pear, peach and nectarine. Good acidity gives a fresh finish.
Body: Light to medium
Dry / Sweet: Dry
Acidity: Medium to high
Age: Drink while young and fresh.
Other: Alcohol levels are generally low, around 11%.
Description
Moschofilero (mos-ko-FEE-leh-ro) is a very interesting high quality grape variety from Greece. It has a long history in the Peloponnese region and has often been compared to Gewürztraminer and Muscat from Alsace in France, as they share many falvor similarities. At one time Moschofilero was thought to be related to Gewürztraminer, but this has proved not to be the case.
It ripens late in the season and is quite productive delivering high yields. The grapes themselves are rather delicate and susceptible to bad weather, especially heavy rainfall. They are also pink-skinned and the wines they make are very pale in color (they are sometimes used to make Rosé).
As most of the terroir where Moschofilero is grown is at high altitude the wines tend to have high acidity and low sugar levels, due to the long and cool growing season. Consequently, the wines as well as being fresh are also low in alcohol at around 11%. In a world where alcohol levels in wines are ever increasing, due to climate change, this is a very welcome outcome.
The wines that Moschofilero makes are very aromatic with aromas of rose petals, violets, jasmine, lemon blossom and a hint of spice. On the palate expect citrus fruits together with apple, pear, peach and nectarine. While very aromatic these wines are also clean and fresh as they have more acidity than Gewürztraminer or Muscat.
At their best these delicate bone-dry wines are elegant, complex and display great character.
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