The Best Wine & Deli in Athens

Lagorthi

Lagorthi is a grape variety that boldly defies preconceptions about Greek whites. For some wine drinkers, Greek white wines are likely to be flat, flabby and lacking in freshness.

Is leaning close to the other extreme – a dry white wine with great definition, stunning elegance and a crispness that brings to mind north European wines.

Lagorthi is found mainly in Achaia, in the northern Pelopennese. It is producing wines with extremely pale, yellow silver colour, while the nose has moderate intensity but is extremely elegant, focusing on minerality and florality. The palate is lean, coming across with great purity, with high acidity and low alcohol, since it is a variety that can achieve full flavour ripeness at 12% alcohol or below.

That transparency of character is respected by the best producers, so Lagorthi is almost never aged in oak and most premium bottlings are single varietal. Nevertheless, very interesting results are obtained in blends with other grapes, like Roditis, that can add richness on the palate.

Is a variety to compete with many dry white wine styles, produced in far northern latitudes. It would appeal to people that enjoy light bodied, crisp, low alcohol wines full of minerality. Shell fish and pastas with light and acidic sauces are a natural match. Lagorthi is usually consumed within three years from vintage, but the style of wine can be age worthy, reaching eight years of age or more.

The variety is grown in only a few vineyards, mainly in northern Peloponnesus and on some Ionian islands. As it is sensitive to water stress, some plantings have been made further north, in Macedonia, to assess its suitability for cooler but wetter climates. It is however relatively vigorous and resistant to disease. The grapes, which mature late (around late September), have thick skins and a fairly low juice content, and have an unusual ability to mature fully even at low sugar levels.

Of course, we’d be elated to guide you through our curated selection of Greek indigenous grape varieties in person. After all, Cinque Wine & Deli is all about creating connections over a glass of good Greek wine, discussing the sensory extravaganza over rows of glasses ready for wine flights and answering your questions with our expertise and experience!

Visit us today and let us whisk you away on a gastronomic adventure through the treasures of Greece. Cheers to good food, good company, and unforgettable memories! Yamas!