2019 Monemvasia Winery Tsimibidi Monemvasia: A Value Greek Wine From A Rare Grape

One of the reasons I love Greek wines is all of the unique grapes which can be found there, some with histories extending back to the ancient Greeks. Over the weekend, I enjoyed an inexpensive Greek wine made from a rare grape I'd never tasted before, Monemvasia. 

The history of the grape may reach back to around the 12th century, when it was thought to be one of the grapes in a famed, blended sweet wine known as Malvasia. On the Peloponnese peninsula, in the region of Laconia, is a port town known as Monemvasia, once a busy trading port. The name of the port, which became the name of the grape, means "single entrance,' from the Greek term moni emvassis.  The Franks called this port Malvasia, and that's the origin of the name of the famed sweet wine, loved during the Middle Ages, especially by the Venetians.

However, when the Ottomans took control of this region, they destroyed most of the vineyards, so the famed Malvasia was no longer produced. The Monemvasia grape wouldn't make its return again until the 20th century. In addition, DNA analysis of this rare grape has shown that it has no actual connection to any type of Malvasia grape. The Monemvasia grape is said to possess low acidity and be prone to oxidation.

Currently, Monemvasia is mostly found on the Cycladic island of Paros, in the central Aegean Sea. However, there are wine makers in Laconia who have been growing Monemvasia, bringing it back to its original homeland. Some are even trying to recreate the historical Monemvasia-Malvasia sweet wine. 

One such winery is the Monemvasia Winery, which was founded in Laconia in 1997 by Yorgos and Elli Tsimbidi. Starting from scratch, they planted Monemvasia, and other Greek grapes, with a passion for resurrecting the Monemvasia grape, including trying to recreate the historical Malvasia sweet wine. Some of their other grapes are also more rare, including Kydonitsa, Asproudi and Mavroudi. The winery currently has 30 hectares of organic vineyards. 

The 2019 Monemvasia Winery Tsimbidi Monemvasia ($15), with a 13% ABV, was fermented in stainless steel, and aged for six months on the lees. On the nose, it had pleasant fruity and mild floral notes. And on the palate, it possessed a rich mouthfeel, with tasty flavors of citrus and pear, nice acidity, a mineral backbone, and a pleasing finish. It's an easy drinking wine, but with some complexity, and a very good value at this price. This would be delicious on its own this summer, or paired with seafood, salads, and cheese.