Red wine

Rapsani

Robe — Medium ruby, quick to garnet

  • red cherry
  • tomato
  • olive
  • dried herbs
  • spice
Palate
Firm and savoury, bright acidity, gentle structure
Ageing
5–15 years
Serving
16–17 °C

On the wooded lower slopes of Mount Olympus, the tiny Rapsani appellation makes a distinctive red from Xinomavro blended with two local grapes, Krassato and Stavroto. The altitude and schist soils give a wine of firm tannin, bright acidity and the savoury, tomato-and-herb complexity that marks Xinomavro — often likened to Nebbiolo.

Once known mainly as monastery wine, Rapsani was revived by a large producer and a few small growers, and now ranks among northern Greece's most characterful reds — mountain wine made in the shadow of the home of the gods.

The blend

A typical modern composition

Where it is made

Producers

A few estates working in this style today — a sample, not a ranking

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 30The Monastic Middle Ages — 30Exploration & the Fortified Age — 30Classifications & the Golden Age — 30Phylloxera & the World Crises — 35The Modern & New World Era — 60Antiquity30500150017001875195060