Artemis Karamolegos 2018 Mavrotragano ~ Santorini’s Other Grape

This almost extinct grape variety, native to Santorini, translates from mavro meaning ‘black’ and tragano meaning ‘crisp’ after its clusters filled with small, black crisp, thick-skinned berries. The thick skin forms on the berries as a result of the intense winds on the island, which is a common occurrence when grapes are grown under such weather conditions. Unlike the ‘kouloura’ or basket-trained Assyrtiko grapes grown on the island, Mavrotragano grapes are trained in the double guyot style with two cordons.

Mavrotragano was originally blended with other varieties on the island to create sweet wines. Today, winemakers on Santorini are redefining Mavrotragano’s role as an elegant, single varietal wine. Apparently, it was close to extinction on the island due to land development. As a result, grape growers had to search vine by vine throughou Santorini for Mavrotragano vines in order to propagate them. This is definitely not an easy task!

Mavrotragano is often compared to Nebbiolo. As someone who loves Nebbiolo wines and has visited the Piedmont region a few times, I was eager to decide for myself how this bottle of Artemis Karamolegos 2018 Mavrotragano measured up. Nebbiolo benefits from a good decanting and I decided to do the same with the Mavrotragano. After an hour or so, an impressive bouquet of black cherries, roses, subtle white pepper and smokey notes lured me in. Further fruit flavours of pomegranate and red plum followed by liquorice and a sweet earthiness enhanced the whole experience, along with well-structured, smooth tannins and a lingering finish. Matured in oak barrels with varying degrees of usage for a total of 24 months, I found this wine to be expressive, yet not overpowering. Each sip led to further discoveries of hidden aromas and flavours.

Compared to Nebbiolo, Mavrotragano is a bit more subdued and probably not as age-worthy, with lower acidity and alcohol levels as well as less powerful tannins. However, I believe that Mavrotragano is definitely an elegant wine, filled with complexities as well as an impressive history.