Amoriano of Rhodes 2022

Winemaker’s Notes
This wine is made from several differentsmall vineyards from regions of 600-700m altitute.
Amoriano is a dense grape that looks like a huge blackberry, very dark with strong gripy tannins.
This ‘summer edition’ protocol is producing a wine with smooth tannins that you can enjoy in lower temperatures during summer (12-15c).

Vineyard

The vineyards of Amoriano are situated in a stunning semi-mountainous area surrounding the charming village of Embona.
There are a total of five vineyards in the region, most of which are self-rooted and produce around 800 kg per acre. The Amoriano grape variety, which is also known as Mandilaria in the rest of Greece, is a unique berry-like grape with big berries and gripy tannins that possess a high percentage of anthocyanins.
By using this grape variety, winemakers can create a PDO Rodos as red and dry wine, as well as rose wine that can be blended with 30% Maurathiriko if desired. For this year’s label, we chose to go with 100% Amoriano to capture the unique taste and characteristics of this exceptional grape.

To achieve the smooth tannins that are characteristic of Amoriano, winemakers need to take extra care in the winemaking process. It is important to note that only vineyards located in semi-mountainous areas can produce high-quality red dry wine using this variety. It is not suitable for cultivation near the sea or in cooler spots; it requires direct sunlight and
nutrient-poor soil for grapes of the highest.

Production protocol of Amoriano

After harvesting the Amoriano grapes, it is important to store them in the fridge for at least a day to lower the temperature. However, if the temperature is not low enough, it is advisable to keep the grapes in the fridge for an extra day. This helps to preserve the grapes’ quality and ensure optimal flavors and aromas are retained.
Once the grapes are adequately cooled, we destem them and place them in oak barrels to ferment. We ferment the skins and juice together to extract maximum flavor and character. For the first three days, we perform a cold soak to ensure that the temperature remains low enough for yeast activity. After the temperature rises to around 12°C, we start fermentation using wild yeast for a low rate before switching to the main yeast on the fifth day.
This year, we used a yeast that was specially selected for its ability to bring out all the characteristic aroma of the Amoriano grape variety. We ferment the grapes in oak barrels for two weeks, making manual punch downs every eight hours to extract more anthocyanins while avoiding the pumping of the juice. This process helps to take only the smooth tannins from the grapes.
To ensure the smoothness of the tannins, we maintain the low fermentation temperature range of 12-18°C. After two weeks of fermentation, we take the barrels besides the open press and manually transfer the grape skins and juice to the press. We press until 0.9 atm and lead the juice into a tank for further fermentation and lees aging for ten months. After aging, we stabilize the clear wine for proteins and acidity, filter it lightly, and bottle it.
The result is a unique, high-quality wine that highlights the distinctive flavors and aromas of the Amoriano grape.

Organoleptic profile of Amoriano

Its deep color of dark red with blue highlights is just an introduction to what is to come. Upon nosing, the wine reveals a strong aroma of ripe red fruits, the likes of blackberry, black currant, cherry, and strawberry. These notes are brilliantly balanced with the background aroma of the terroir, giving it a distinct character.
On the palate, the wine’s fine bouquet is partnered with roundness. And just when you thought it can’t get any better tannins that quickly balance the full body with its smooth ending with a long aftertaste leaves a beautiful lingering finish, making it a perfect addition to any wine collection.