Moschofilero
Moschofilero is a pink- to grey-skinned Greek Vitis vinifera grape usually made into aromatic white wine. Its main reference is the cool Mantinia plateau in the Peloponnese. Floral and citrus aromas can accompany a light body and pronounced acidity, giving it a different balance from a broadly textured aromatic white such as Viognier.
The coloured skins also allow rosé and more extended skin-contact styles. As with Pinot Gris, the berry's appearance does not dictate the finished wine's colour: pressing and time with the skins determine how much pigment reaches the juice.
A cool plateau and a late harvest
Moschofilero ripens late in its mountain setting. Mantinia's cool conditions help retain the acidity that gives many of its wines their brisk shape. The grape's perfume can be expressive even in wines of modest weight, so aromatic intensity and body need to be considered separately.
Still whites are an established regional expression, but sparkling wine is also important. For a sparkling base, picking earlier preserves a different balance of sugar and acidity from a harvest intended for a fuller still wine. Blending provides another outlet: Moschofilero can supply perfume to less aromatic partners.
Three ways to handle the fruit
Prompt pressing and fermentation away from the skins favour a pale white wine. The resulting emphasis is on fragrance and freshness. Keeping juice with the skins changes both colour and texture through maceration.
Troupis's Hoof & Lur makes this second approach concrete. The winery describes a varietal Moschofilero from Mantinia made with skin contact and spontaneous fermentation, bottled without fining or filtration. It classifies the wine as a dry rosé. This offers a local comparison with the region's pale whites, without requiring a different grape or a distant growing area.
Tselepos's Amalia Brut takes a third route. The producer harvests early, presses chilled whole grapes, and ferments the base wine in steel before a second fermentation in bottle. This traditional method creates the bubbles; subsequent contact with the yeast deposit adds another source of aroma and texture alongside Moschofilero's own perfume. The producer's published method specifies at least nine months for that second fermentation and maturation.
Sources
- Wines of Greece, “Moschofilero”, accessed 17 September 2026.
- Troupis Winery, “Hoof & Lur”, vineyard and production account, accessed 17 September 2026.
- Tselepos Wines, “Amalia Brut”, production account in Greek, accessed 17 September 2026.