Wine regions: Peloponnese

This dramatically formed, large southern peninsula has the greatest number of Greek wine appellations, as well as some interesting PGE wines. On the plateau of Mantinia in Arcadia, at elevations of about 600 m/2,000 ft, the pink-skinned Moschofilero grape produces a fresh, dry, aromatic, slightly spicy, sometimes lightly sparkling white, and, with extended skin contact, can also yield an interesting rosé. At Neméa, not far from the Corinth canal which separates the Peloponnese from mainland Greece, the Agiorgitiko grape is grown on marl and deep red soil. If yields are not too high, it can produce intense, fruity red wine from three different zones whose elevation varies between 250 and 900 m (800–3,000 ft). Grapes from the lowest vineyards frequently lack acidity and can be used to make a sweet wine. The finest, dry wine is said to come from vineyards between 450 and 700 m (1,500–2,350 ft) above sea level, but the potential of the highest, coolest parts of the appellation is now being explored. As in Náoussa, new French barriques were used extensively but gentler oaking is becoming the norm. semi-carbonic maceration has been used to make a sort of Neméa nouveau. Since the late 1990s, Neméa has seen, more than any other Greek region, a flurry of investment in high-tech wineries, resulting in some outstanding bottlings. Leading vineyards have been replanted with a higher vine density.