Report on Naoussa 2018: Away from the shadows 

“In July I was completely disappointed with the weather conditions. I kept thinking to myself that I would not harvest at all” confesses producer Niko Foundis (pictured above), during my last visit to the region. The 2018 vintage seems to be another hard call for the producers of Naoussa and Xinomavro. It very much resembled the 2017 vintage; the vines suffered a prolonged wet period in July and a dry period in August, which, in turn, resulted in stressed vines and uneven ripening. Like Nemea, Naoussa was hit by heavy rainfall which caused mildew problems. Producer Kostis Dalamaras tells me that this was one of the longest harvests for Xinomavro; it began early September and was completed early October, for his Paliokalias vineyard. More on Dalamaras explaining the 2018 harvest in my short video here. 

Viticulturist, consultant at large, and co-owner of the Argatia winery Dr.Haroula Spinthiropoulou describes the main vintage characteristics thus: “this was a very odd year, with a warm spring that encouraged early ripening. So the harvest started a week earlier than usual. The main feature of the year, however, is the uneven ripening, which is indicative of the climate change and the rising temperatures during the months of March/April. The secret to this year is to harvest selectively,” she adds. The general characteristics of the vintage include fresh acid, high pH and relatively low markers of phenols. Thus softer wines may be expected.