Troupis Fteri Agiorgitiko
Pairs with: Traditional Greek lamb paidakia or pork souvlaki straight off the grill, a comforting tray of classic eggplant moussaka, savory wild mushroom pasta, or a thin-crust pizza topped with smoky prosciutto and fresh arugula.
Good for: Throwing a slight chill on a bottle for a sweltering mid-summer backyard gathering, serving as the ultimate "always, everywhere, with everything" daily house red, or introducing a Pinot Noir or Gamay devotee to the high-altitude vibrancy of indigenous Greek varieties.
Grape: 100% Agiorgitiko (famously known as "St. George's grape" or the "Blood of Hercules").
I am from: PGI Peloponnese, Greece (Sourced from high-altitude vineyards sitting at 640 meters elevation in the cool Corinthian hills overlooking the plain of Nemea).
The Story: While Greece has taken the modern wine world by storm, Troupis Winery sits squarely in the vanguard of the movement. The Troupis family has a long, deep-rooted history in agronomy stretching back to the 1970s, when they operated a traditional vine nursery and flower farm on the high Mantinia plateau in the Peloponnese. For decades, they grew vines for others and crafted a simple table wine for their own family meals. However, in 2010—right in the teeth of the devastating Greek economic crisis—they defiantly launched their own estate winemaking facility in the sub-region of Fteri (which translates to "fern").
While the family quickly earned a global cult following for their skin-contact and wild-ferment expressions of the white Moschofilero grape, they turned their sights to the nearby mountainous hills above Nemea to unlock the playful side of Agiorgitiko. Up at 640 meters, the cool mountain nights and intense alpine breezes shield the red grapes from blistering heat, preserving a luminous, high-toned freshness. To craft this effortlessly joyful bottle, the hand-harvested fruit undergoes a short, low-temperature cold soak for six days to extract pure, unadulterated aromatics. Fermented entirely in stainless steel with zero oak contact, this is a masterclass in low-intervention purity that values crisp, smashable vineyard energy over heavy wood manipulation.
Why You'll Love Me: It is bright, astonishingly fresh, and delightfully feather-light on its feet—the ultimate warm-weather red that delivers a vibrant explosion of juicy fruit before washing the palate clean with a snap of mountain acidity. In the glass, it pours a vivid, translucent dark cherry-purple color. The nose is an absolute playground, instantly greeting you with an aromatic basket of wild strawberries, stone cherries, sour red plums, and fresh pomegranates, beautifully layered with top notes of crushed violets, dried marjoram, and a subtle hint of sweet clove spice. On the palate, it strikes with a juicy, light-to-medium body that goes down with dangerous ease. Its succulent red-berry core feels completely supple, held effortlessly aloft by an energetic beam of freshness and velvety, whisper-light tannins, before pulling into a beautifully dry, clean finish touched by a lingering whisper of cinnamon and a pleasant, herbal mineral grip.
