Dalamára · Naoussa, Macedonia
Xinomavro · cherry · tea · tomato leaf · herbs · powdery tannin
Dalamára Naoussa earns a place because Xinomavro is one of the world’s most distinctive red grapes, yet still unfamiliar to many UK drinkers. This bottle gives a clear, affordable introduction.
Country
Greece
Region
Naoussa, Macedonia
Appellation
PDO Naoussa
Grapes
Xinomavro
Style
Red
Realistic spend
£20–£30
Budget band: £20–£35
Best moments
Ideal for adventurous drinkers, tasting nights and birthdays where discovery matters as much as familiarity.
Why this wine matters
The 2023 is 100% Xinomavro from Naoussa. Its pale colour, high acidity and firm tannin often invite comparisons with Nebbiolo, but the tomato-leaf, olive and herbal character make the grape very much its own thing.
How it is made
The wine is produced from organically farmed Xinomavro and aged in wood, keeping the emphasis on the grape’s natural freshness, savoury aromatics and structure.
What does it taste like?
Raspberry and cherry sit beside black tea, dried flowers, tomato leaf, olive and herbs, with medium body and powdery tannins.
Serve it well
Serve around 14–16°C. A short decant helps younger bottles open.
If this wine were human…
If Naoussa were human, it would be grounded, observant and inclined to prefer substance over polish for its own sake.
Does any of this sound suspiciously familiar?
Grounded, observant and inclined to prefer substance over polish for its own sake. You are sociable without being indiscriminate; the guest list matters.
At dinner, you are the person who quietly improves the seating plan without ever admitting there was a seating plan. Secretly, you like old-fashioned things when they are done with enough confidence to feel modern again.
In short: grounded, observant and inclined to prefer substance over polish for its own sake. xinomavro energy, translated into a person.
Purely for fun — this is the wine’s fictional personality, not a psychological reading of yours.
What to eat with it
And the cheese?
Start with this wine and move straight into cheese, or build a whole tasting around it.
Keep exploring
There are 365 more wines where this came from.
This profile is researched against producer or similarly authoritative material. Vintage-specific details are kept separate from the permanent wine identity.
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