£20, Maltby & Greek
The back label of this week's wine reveals that it is 100% Moschofilero. If you know your Greek wines, you’ll know that any wine labelled Mantinia (or Mantineia) is made from at least 85% Moschofilero. But nobody will be surprised if you don’t.
The aromatic Moschofilero is highly valued in Greece – taste this and you’ll see why – but in the UK we’ve got hung up on Assyrtiko, a wonderful white grape variety but one which has overshadowed the country’s other high quality, distinctive white varieties.
Or, as in this case, pinkish varieties. There’s an array of quite distinct clones of Moschofilero and they come in almost every shade from white to black.
This wine is from siblings Katerina and Sotiris Bosinaki, who focus solely on Moschofilero and have made a big name for themselves with their small-production wines from low-yielding single vineyards around the village of Steno in PDO Mantinia in the Peloponnese.
The vines are high up – 650–700m – and in the clay-rich, rocky soils that bring out the best in Moschofilero, as does the let-the-grapes-speak-for-themselves approach to winemaking: 10 hours cold maceration followed by cool fermentation then ageing on lees with batonnage for three months.
The very pale straw 2022 is aromatic, lively, bone-dry and delicate but mouth-filling. A whiff of rose petal floats over its citrus and mineral intensity, the texture is rich but sinewy and the finish is long and refreshing.
It goes down well as an aperitif and pairs well with many fish – white fish, including firmer varieties (monkfish, skate, cod, swordfish et al), squid, slightly oily fish such as sea bass, and smoked fish. It’s also good with chargrilled and roast aubergine dishes and tomato salads. 13.5%. Empty bottle weight: 496g.
Bosinakis Mantinia 2022, Peloponnese, Greece
£20, Maltby & Greek
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