2003 marked the first planting of Syrah (pronounced see-rah – French red grape variety that produces wines with a bold colour, medium-acidity and strong red fruit aromas that become more complex when kept in a barrel) and Grenache Rouge (pronounced gren-ash ˈruːʒ – red variety of Spanish origin producing wines that have high alcoholic strength, are fruity, have medium acidity and body and are slightly pale in colour). The blending of Grenache and Syrah produces a superb rosé. The planting continued with Assyrtiko, the most versatile white variety of the Greek varieties, which produces wines with high acidity and a pleasant citrus aroma. At the same time Malagouzia was planted, an old Greek variety that has been revived in the last fifteen years starting from Chalkidiki and produces wines with a strong fruity and floral aroma and medium acidity. Xinomavro, the “queen of Macedonia”, was chosen from the Greek red varieties. Being a versatile variety, it can produce different types of wine and form the base of many blends. The last plantings involved the following cosmopolitan French varieties: Chardonnay (pronounced shar-doe-nay), which can produce complex white oily wines with full body, especially when kept in a barrel; Viognier (pronounced vee-ohn-yay), which produces strongly aromatic and rich-bodied white wines; Merlot (pronounced merr-lo), which produces red wines that are soft and have the ability to age; and Cabernet Sauvignon (pronounced cab-er-nay so-vin-yon), the dominant red variety from the Bordeaux region that produces assertive and tannic wines that develop in the barrel.
