Appellation · Greece

Naoussa

Northern Greece’s benchmark region for Xinomavro, producing high-tannin, high-acid, savoury reds.

Naoussa PDOcontinentalmoderate

About Naoussa

Xinomavro — the name means "acid black" — produces pale, tannic, tomato-and-olive-scented reds that develop dried-fruit and savoury complexity with age.

The comparison to Nebbiolo is frequently made and holds for structure and colour rather than flavour.

What the name means

Legal name: Naoussa PDO
Type: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
Set by: Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food
Recognised: 1971
Regulates: Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields.

The EU-level category under which national appellation systems sit. Used directly here for countries whose national term is simply the PDO — and for the UK’s own post-2020 scheme, which mirrors it.

Grapes

Wines from here

red

Naoussa Xinomavro

Pale, austere, ferociously tannic northern Greek red scented of dried tomato and olive — the closest thing to Barolo outside Piedmont.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Naoussa Xinomavro

Serve at 16–18°C (cool room temperature).

Try with moussaka, lamb kofta or fillet steak.

Sources

Sources consulted

Wines of Greece — Greek Wine Federation