History

Xinomavro has been cultivated in Macedonia since antiquity; its name means 'sour black' in Greek, describing its high acid and deep colour when young. The Naoussa PDO established quality standards in the 1970s; the contemporary revival by producers including Thymiopoulos and Kir-Yianni has brought international attention to the variety.

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Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle young Xinomavro (Thymiopoulos Young Vines or Kir-Yianni Paranga)
  • 1 bottle aged Xinomavro, 8 to 10 years old (Boutari Grande Reserve Naoussa)
  • 200g aged Greek kefalotyri or kasseri cheese
  • 200g cured loukaniko sausage, sliced
  • 100g sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
  • 200g black Kalamata olives
  • 1 loaf country sourdough
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • 1 tbsp dried Greek oregano

Method

  1. Stand both bottles upright for 24 hours before serving so any sediment settles.
  2. Decant the aged Xinomavro through a coffee filter into a wide-bottomed decanter 90 minutes before drinking. Decant the young Xinomavro 30 minutes before.
  3. Both wines serve best at 16 to 18C, slightly cooler than a Bordeaux temperature. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge if the room is warm.
  4. Slice the cheese into 1cm batons. Arrange on a board with the sliced loukaniko, sun-dried tomatoes and olives.
  5. Tear the country sourdough into rough pieces, drizzle with olive oil and scatter with oregano.
  6. Pour 80ml of each wine into Burgundy-bowl glasses. Smell both first without sipping.
  7. Taste the young wine first. Note the bracing acidity, the tomato-and-olive aromatics, the dusty tannin.
  8. Move to the aged wine. The colour fades to brick; aromas of dried cherry, leather and orange peel emerge. Sip both with the kefalotyri to see how acid and salt change the wine.

Tip from the editors. Decanting is non-negotiable for Xinomavro. The tannin is aggressive on first pour and needs 30 to 60 minutes of air to soften into the dried-herb profile that defines the grape.

Where to eat xinomavro wine

Xinomavro Wine in Thessaloniki

Clochard ★ 4.6

€€€ Wine bar

Clochard's wine programme anchors its bistronomic identity: monthly menus are written around the cellar's strength rather than the reverse. At Mitropoleos 11.

WineGreek and French, bistronomic pairings, Xinomavro focus

Directions

Super Ioulios ★ 4.6

€€ Cafe

On a secondary street between the waterfront and the main pedestrian zone, Super Ioulios looks like a neighbourhood coffee bar until 6pm when it becomes one.

Why locals goObscure street, no signage, looks like a coffee shop

Directions

Charoupi ★ 4.7

€€ €€€Brunch

Charoupi runs a Sunday brunch in Ladadika that blurs the brunch-to-lunch boundary in the most satisfying way. At Doxis 4. Booking recommended.

Directions

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