TEN AGIORGITIKA FOR THE WINTER!
Winter and those first “serious” cold days of the year always find me craving flavors that remind me of warmth and homely comfort. Something between the aromas of a slow‑cooked stew with hints of cinnamon or nutmeg, and the scent of cooked fruit and hearty meats. And somehow, all roads lead again and again to Agiorgitiko. It has that velvety embrace, that earthy sweetness that relaxes you before you even take the first sip.
Winter needs company, so we picked ten Agiorgitiko wines that combine character, warmth, and different expressions of the variety ideal for cold nights and generous tables. Below, our favorites.
1. Gaia Estate 2021 – Gaia Wines
Some wines feel like they were made exclusively for cold days. Gaia Estate Red is exactly that an Agiorgitiko you taste and instantly feel a warm blanket wrapping around you. It bursts with aromas of cherry, sour cherry, plum, blackberry, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, pepper, chocolate, and coffee, with light floral notes completing the bouquet. Each sip transports you to a kitchen where something rich and slow‑cooked is simmering something that needs time, patience, and a wine to embrace it rather than overshadow it. A wine you drink not only for its flavor, but for the atmosphere it creates.
2. Nemea Reserve 2021 – Semeli
Semeli Nemea Reserve has a velvety texture, sweet red fruit, and a spicy character that wins you over from the very first sniff. Maybe it’s the altitude of the Koutsi vineyards, maybe the 12‑month aging in oak barrels — but every sip begs for oven‑baked beef, mushroom risotto, a well‑aged cheese with personality, or anything that makes Sunday feel a little more festive. A classic, spicy, winter comfort wine that has never disappointed anyone.
3. Nemea 2023 – Troupis Winery
Winter calls for wines with soul, and Troupis’ Nemea has exactly that. Warmth without heaviness, fruit without excess, and spice in just the right measure. It’s the quiet but confident strength of the variety. Coming from the high‑altitude vineyards of Mount Kyllini, it has rare freshness, with red fruit that tastes freshly cut and spices that add texture without overwhelming. Gentle vinification and subtle oak let the terroir speak, giving a juicy, clean, elegant wine with nerve. It’s the “warm” Nemea you want next to rich dishes, but also the “fresh” one that keeps your glass lively alongside a platter of aged cheeses.
4. Monopati 2023 – Aivalis Winery
Aivalis’ Monopati is one of those Agiorgitiko wines that winter elevates even further. Dense fruit, almost velvety concentration, and a generous body act like a heater especially when rich, juicy meats parade across the table. Old vines and careful aging give it a firmness that pairs perfectly with winter cooking: oven dishes, caramelized stews, sizzling steaks, and aromatic braises. It’s a wine that wants intensity meats with bold spices, mushrooms, peppercorns, and rustic flavors.
5. Nemea Grande Cuvée 2023 – Skouras Estate
Nemea Grande Cuvée 2023 from Skouras has substance, warmth, and character. The high‑altitude fruit gives a lively sour‑cherry acidity that balances beautifully with the rich body and polished tannins, while new French oak adds depth, spice, and the aura of a truly GREAT Nemea. It shines next to beef Bourguignon, rosemary lamb in the oven, ribeye with herb butter, or even a steaming pastitsio with melting béchamel. For something more comfort‑style, try it with sautéed mushrooms or a juicy burger with caramelized onions. Grande Cuvée 2023 simply makes the table look grander and the company happier.
6. Daemon 2017 – Ieropoulos Estate
Nemea Daemon 2017 from Ieropoulos has the warmth and structure you crave when temperatures drop. Its aging and richness give it depth, with black fruit, chocolate, spices, and oak spreading through the glass like an electric winter blanket. Velvety yet firm tannins make it ideal for slow‑cooked beef shank, wild boar stew, short ribs with rich sauce, or a perfectly seared ribeye with smoked butter. A signature Agiorgitiko that shows why Daemon is a reference point for lovers of robust, aged reds.
7. Cava Dryopi 2019 – Dryopi Estate
Cava Dryopi 2019 from Tselepos is a blend of Agiorgitiko and Cabernet Sauvignon, aged patiently until it reaches your glass as a deep, spicy, generous wine with aromas of cherry, plum, vanilla, chocolate, and smoke. It’s the kind of Nemea that needs time in the glass — and food with bones. Next to pastitsio, beef ragù, oven‑roasted lamb, or melting short ribs, it reveals its full power. Even a simple but well‑made burger with caramelized onions becomes something else entirely. It’s the bottle you open when you want a truly great wine for a Sunday gathering.
8. Nemea Old Vines 2020 – Papaioannou Estate
Nemea Old Vines 2020 from Papaioannou carries the entire history of Nemea within it. The 40‑year‑old vines give dense, ripe, deep fruit, while the mix of French and American oak adds spicy, chocolatey, and vanilla notes that pair perfectly with wild boar with prunes, tas kebab with buttery rice, beef stew, or a steaming pastitsio. Velvety tannins and a full body let it stand proudly next to all winter dishes, while its complexity and warmth confirm the rule: “classic is timeless.”
9. Techni Alipias Red 2021 – Techni Oinou Estate
Techni Alipias Red is an irresistible blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Agiorgitiko. Rich, velvety, and intense, with ripe red fruit, spices, and subtle oak, it’s the wine you want when it’s cold outside and the pots are bubbling inside. Its structure and warmth pair beautifully with beef ragù, pappardelle with mushrooms, lamb in the oven, or even comfort dishes like potato gratin next to a juicy steak. Every vintage makes its presence known and impresses.
10. Apocalypsis 2018 – Barafakas Estate
Nemea Apocalypsis from Barafakas took its final form after ten years of experimentation and searching for the best vineyards of Nemea. It has that rare balance between power and elegance, ripe fruit and spicy depth, vibrancy and structure. In winter, it shows its true character: full, warm, spicy, with velvety tannins and a long finish that makes you want to light charcoal in the fireplace. Beef steaks, lamb chops, meatballs in red sauce, sausages, or game dishes Apocalypsis turns them all into temptations. One of the most characteristic examples of why we fell in love with this variety and continue to adore it.
