Φλώρινα (Florina)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The soils of the region are poor, sandy to sandy-loam in texture, and overlie calcareous formations of alluvial type or older lacustrine deposits.
• The soils are relatively neutral in pH, with very good drainage of rainwater and a light to medium mechanical composition — characteristics that favour the most typical expression of the Xinomavro variety.
• Winters in the region are cold with considerable rainfall and snowfall, providing the vines with the moisture reserves needed to withstand the relatively dry and arid summer.
• During the summer period, day-to-night temperature variations are observed alongside northwesterly winds of variable intensity, which safeguard the health and longevity of the vineyard.

• In 1959, the first organised winery in the region was established by the cooperative E.A.S. 'AMYNTEO' for the production of quality wines from the Xinomavro variety, the dominant grape of the area.
• Travellers such as Evliya Çelebi and Pouqueville extol the vineyards of the region; in the 3rd century AD, Athenaeus praises the light wine of Kellino; and during the Balkan Wars, Spyros Melas makes reference to the wines of Amynteo.

• The semi-sparkling wine of the region retains much of the richness and structure that characterises the Xinomavro variety from which it is made.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Greece

Sources

• National product specification (PDF) — ypaat
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-GR-A1080
• Official trade body site — Wines of Greece (EDOAO)