Editing Agiorgitiko

{{Short description|Variety of grape}}
{{Infobox grape variety
| name          = Agiorgitiko
| color         = Noir
| image         = AGIORGITIKO.jpg
| caption       = <!-- Caption of image         -->
| species       =''[[Vitis vinifera]]''
| also_called   = Aghiorghitiko, Mavro Nemeas, St. George, [[#Synonyms|and other synonyms]]
| origin        = [[Nemea]]
| hazards       = <!-- Viticultural hazards     -->
| regions       = [[Greece]]
| wines         = 
}}

'''Agiorgitiko''' ({{langx|el|Αγιωργίτικο}}; also known as Aghiorghitiko) is a red [[Greek wine]] [[grape variety]] that, as of 2012, was the most widely planted red grape variety in Greece, ahead of [[Xynomavro]]. The grape has traditionally been grown in the [[Nemea]] region of the [[Peloponnese]] but can be found throughout the country including [[Attikí]] (Attica) and [[Macedonia (Greece)|Makedonía]] (Macedonia).<ref name="Wine Grapes">J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 10-11 Allen Lane 2012 {{ISBN|978-1-846-14446-2}}</ref>

One of the more commercially important [[Indigenous (ecology)|indigenous]] Greek varieties, it can exhibit a wide range of characteristics, from soft to very [[grape tannins|tannic]], depending on factors in the growing and [[winemaking]] processes.<ref name="Greece">{{cite book | author = Konstantinos Lazarakis | title = The Wines of Greece | year = 2005 | publisher = Sterling Publishing Company | isbn = 1-84000-897-0 | pages = 69–70}}</ref> The grape is typically made as a [[varietal]], though it is notably blended with [[Cabernet Sauvignon]] in the area around [[Metsovo]] to make the [[table wine]] traditionally called ''katoi''.  In the region of Nemea it is often made into [[rosé]]s of [[oak (wine)|oak]]-aged red wines. The wines are known for their high level of fruitiness but tend to lack some acidity and [[body (wine)|body]].<ref name="Oxford pg 7">{{cite book | editor = J. Robinson | title = The Oxford Companion to Wine | edition = 3rd | page = [https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/7 7] | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2006 | isbn = 0-19-860990-6 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/7 }}</ref>

The red wine produced from the grape is characteristically spicy with notes of [[plum]]. It has low [[acidity (wine)|acidity]] but good [[fruit (wine)|fruit]]iness and [[color (wine)|coloring]].<ref name="Clarke pg 34">{{cite book | author = Oz Clarke | author-link = Oz Clarke | title = Encyclopedia of Grapes | page = 34 | publisher = Harcourt Books | year = 2001 | isbn = 0-15-100714-4}}</ref>

Agiorgitiko is generally planted in dry, infertile soil to encourage the production of fewer but more concentrated grapes, ripening after mid-September.<ref name="Greece"/>

==History==
[[File:Herakles und Loewe.jpg|left|thumb|In Nemea, the Agiorgitiko wine of the region is nicknamed the "Blood of Hercules" based on the legend of the Greek hero slaying the Nemean lion.]]
[[Ampelographers]] believe that Agiorgitiko is indigenous to Greece, likely the [[Argolis]] and [[Corinthia]] regions of Peloponnese, but while [[apocryphal]] tales exist of the grape being [[Ancient Greece (wine)|cultivated in Ancient Greece]], there is no historical or genetic evidence to support those tales.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/> In Nemea, the wine made from Agiorgitiko is [[nickname]]d the "Blood of [[Hercules]]"<ref>David Rosengarten ''"[https://archive.today/20130620020846/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/102870913.html?dids=102870913:102870913&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+16,+1991&author=By+David+Rosengarten&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=WINE+AT+THE+TABLE+New+Greek+Pitch:+No+Resin&pqatl=google WINE AT THE TABLE New Greek Pitch: No Resin]"'' Newsday, October 16th, 1991</ref><ref>Derek Gatopoulos ''"[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-24-adfg-hercules24-story.html Popular Greek Wine Is Rained Out for the Year]"'' Los Angeles Times, November 24th, 2002</ref> because of the legend that after the Greek hero slayed the [[Nemean lion]], it was the local Nemean wine made from Agiorgitiko that he consumed.<ref name="Clarke encyclopedia">O. Clarke ''Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Wine'' pg 261 Time Warner Books, London 2003 {{ISBN|0-316-72654-0}}</ref> (Some versions of the story has Hercules consuming the wine before slaying the lion.)<ref>Nestor Imports ''"[http://www.nestorimports.com/greek-grape-varietals/ Greek Grape Varietals] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140604091635/http://www.nestorimports.com/greek-grape-varietals/ |date=2014-06-04 }}"'' Accessed: June 15th, 2013</ref> Another legend states that the wine was a palace favorite of king [[Agamemnon]] who led the Greek forces during the [[Trojan War]].<ref name="MacNeil">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 611 Workman Publishing 2001 {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}</ref>

The name ''Agiorgitiko'' means literally "St. George's grape" which could be a reference to the chapel of [[Saint George]] in Nemea or to [[Saint George's Day]] which is celebrated in November around [[harvest (wine)|harvest time]] in some [[Eastern Orthodox Churches]]. However, in many of the Greek areas where Agiorgitiko is grown, Saint George's Day is celebrated in April or May which cast doubt on the theory that the grape's name is affiliated with the [[feast day]]. Another theory is that the grape is named after one of [[Agios Georgios (disambiguation)|the many Greek towns]] named after the Christian saint.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

The main land owners in Nemea was the church and the monks from St George monastery of Feneos would tend to the vineyards and harvest the grapes to make wine at the monastery for communion. This is another theory of the naming of the St George wine is after the St George monastery of Feneos.

==Viticulture==
Agiorgitiko tends to produce small clusters of small, thick-skinned berries. The vine is [[List of grape diseases|highly disease prone]] with [[Master of Wine]] [[Jancis Robinson]] noting that "virtually all Agiorgitiko vines planted in Greece are virused." Depending on the virus, and age of the vine, this can lead to issues with [[ripeness (wine)|ripeness]] and [[yields (wine)|yields]] which can affect the resulting quality of the wine.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

[[File:PotasDed.jpg|right|thumb|Agiorgitiko vines are very susceptible to suffering from potassium deficiency ''(effects pictured on a grape leaf)'']]
The grape is a late [[budding (vine)|budding]] and ripening variety that is prone to produce high yields if not kept in check by winter [[pruning]] or [[green harvest]]ing. In addition to its susceptibility to numerous grapevine viruses, Agiorgitiko is also very sensitive to fungal infection from [[botrytis bunch rot]], [[downy (mildew)|downy]] and [[powdery mildew]]. The vine also responds adversely to [[moisture stress|water stress]] which may require some [[irrigation (wine)|irrigation]] in regions where the practice is permitted. In order to limit yields, Agiorgitiko is often densely planted in poor [[vineyard soils]] but growers need to be mindful of the variety's sensitivity to [[potassium deficiency (plants)|potassium deficiency]].<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

Wine expert [[Tom Stevenson]] notes that while Agiorgitiko vines can withstand heat well, the grape tends to produce better in higher altitude vineyards that are slightly cooler but still sufficiently warm to ensure that the grape fully ripens. The altitude of the vineyard, in particular, seems to have an effect on how much of a "[[spicy (wine)|spicy]] note" comes out in the flavor of the resulting wines.<ref name="Sotheby">T. Stevenson, ed. ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia (5th Edition)'' pgs 46-47, 502 Dorling Kindersley (2011) {{ISBN|9780756686840}}</ref>

===New clones===
For most of the 21st century, growers have been working with Greek wine authorities to produce new virus-free clones of Agiorgitiko that have the potential to resist most grape disease, including botrytis bunch rot, and produce small berries with thicker skins that could ripen to higher sugar levels with most consistent yields. In 2012, several of these new clones were released to Greek wine growers who have slowly begun replanting their Agiorgitiko vineyards.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

==Wine regions==
[[File:Stymfalia-farming.jpg|left|thumb|Agiorgitiko is widely planted in the Peloponnese ''(vineyard and planted fields pictured)'' region of Greece.]]
In 2012, Agiorgitiko was the most widely planted red grape variety in Greece with {{convert|5202|ha|acres}} in Attica, {{convert|3204|ha|acres}} in Peloponnese and additional plantings in Macedonia and [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]]. The grape is most widely associated with the [[dry (wine)|dry and sweet]] red wines of Nemea in northeastern Peloponnese. Here the grape is only variety permitted in the ''[[Oeni Onomasias Proelefseos Anoteras Poiotitas]]'' (OPAP) (a designated wine region similar to the French ''[[Appellation d'origine contrôlée]]'' (AOC) system).<ref name="WSET">Wine & Spirits Education Trust ''"Wine and Spirits: Understanding Wine Quality"'' pg 135, Second Revised Edition (2012), London, {{ISBN|9781905819157}}</ref> In Nemea, the grape is only used for red wine production with its use in making [[rosé]] styles of wine prohibited. Around the town of [[Metsovo]] in Epirus, the grape is often blended with [[Cabernet Sauvignon]].<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

According to Master of Wine Jancis Robinson, some of the "most serious examples" of Agiorgitiko come from the higher altitude vineyards (up to {{convert|900|m|ft}}) of the [[Asprokampos plateau]] around Nemea and in the hills (between {{convert|500|m|ft}} to {{convert|600|m|ft}}) around [[Koutsi]] in [[Corinthia]].<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

==Styles==
[[File:Agiorgitiko from nemea.jpg|right|thumb|A Nemea wine made from 100% Agiorgitiko]]
Agiorgitiko is a very versatile grape variety that can be made in a wide range of styles from light rosés to soft, fruity reds made by [[carbonic maceration]] in a style similar to the [[French wines]] of [[Beaujolais]], to very tannic wines with spicy, red fruit [[aromas (wine)|aromas]] and the [[potential to age]]. At its most extreme, Agiorgitiko wines have the potential to be very low in acidity, high [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] and high in [[phenolics (wine)|phenolics]] with both issues requiring the winemaker to make decisions on how to handle these components in order to make a balanced wine.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

The small berries and thick skins of the grape contribute to high phenolic levels of Agiorgitiko which leads the wine needing very little [[maceration (wine)|maceration]] time in order to extract the deep, dark color associated with the grape. It also contribute to the tannin levels and the grape's ability to handle the effects of [[oak aging]] in the barrel.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

According to wine expert [[Karen MacNeil]], some examples of Agiorgitiko can be lush and "almost [[Port (wine)|Port-like]]" with spicy, peppery flavors.<ref name="MacNeil"/> [[Oz Clarke]] notes that the quality of Nemean wine made from Agiorgitiko is highly dependent on the individual skill of the winemaker and that "Only an example whose burly, rugged power has not been diminished by [[oxidation]] and lazy winemaking will age properly".<ref name="Clarke encyclopedia"/> Tom Stevenson notes that some examples can "be spoiled by dried-out or dead fruit" that is harvested too late, with too little acidity, at excessively ripe levels.<ref name="Sotheby"/>

According to the [[Wine & Spirit Education Trust]] (WSET), the best examples of Agiorgitiko tend to have moderate to low acidity, with a deep, ruby color, red fruit aromas and a sweet spicy note. These examples tend to come from vineyards planted in the middle range of the hillside slopes around Nemea with grapes harvested near the top of the {{convert|900|m|ft}} hills being excessively acidic while those harvested from the very warm valley floor often being too "jammy". The variance in quality of Agiorgitiko from the different vineyards around Nemea have led some Greek wine producers to investigate developing a [[cru (wine)|cru]] [[Classification of wine|classification system]].<ref name="WSET"/>

Unlike the [[Xinomavro]]-based wines of fellow OPAP region [[Naousa, Imathia|Naousa]], the wine experts at WSET note that the Agiorgitiko-based wines of Nemea tend to have a more "international style" which may enhance the potential of Greek wines on the international market.<ref name="WSET"/>

==Synonyms==
Over the years, Agiorgitiko has been known under various synonyms including: Aghiorghitico, Aigeorgitiko, Mavro (Black or Dark), Mavro Nemeas (in Nemea), Mavronemeas, Mavrostaphylo Mavraki, Mavroudi Nemeas, Nemeas Mavro, Nemeas Mavroudi and Saint George.<ref name="VIVC">[http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=102 Agiorgitiko] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719113422/http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=102 |date=2011-07-19 }}, [[Vitis International Variety Catalogue]], accessed on June 21, 2010</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20041209200809/http://greekwinemakers.com/czone/varieties/redvar.shtml Chief Greek red grape varieties]}}
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[[Category:Red wine grape varieties]]
[[Category:Grape varieties of Greece]]