Limnio
Limnio ( Greek Λημνιό , also Kalambaki, Limniotico, Ntouro-kara) is an autochthonous red wine variety that probably comes from the island of Limnos , but is now mainly grown in northern Greece ( Chalkidiki , Kavala , Drama ). It is a very old variety that was already mentioned by Hesiod (approx. 700 BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC) as "Lemnia" or "Limnia".
At the beginning of the 1990s the area under vines was 371 hectares, but subsequently fell to 122 hectares in 1999. While the variety on Limnos was largely replaced by the Muscat d'Alexandrie variety , it continues to play a role in the Rapsani wine-growing region in the Thessaly region major role. The grape variety delivers a rustic, full-bodied wine with pronounced strong acidity and spicy aromas, which are reminiscent of sage and bay leaf , and medium tannins . The alcohol-rich red wine needs a long storage time when it is made from a single variety. In Greece, modern wineries use the grape variety in a blend with the internationally known Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc varieties .
Ampelographic varietal characteristics
In ampelography , the habitus is described as follows:
- The shoot tip is open. It is hairy and reddish in color. The red, blistered young leaves are only hairy and slightly shiny.
- The medium-sized leaves are five-lobed and moderately deeply indented. The stem bay is lyre - shaped open. The sheet is serrated to a point. The teeth are set medium-wide compared to other grape varieties.
- The cylindrical grape is medium-sized and has dense berries. The round berries are medium-sized and blue-black in color.
Synonyms
The Limnio grape variety is also known under the names Kalabaki, Kalambaki, Kalampaki, Lembiotiko, Lemnia, Lemnio, Lemniotico, Limniona, Limniotico, Mavro Limnio, Ntourou-kara and Ntoyrou-kara.
See also
literature
- Pierre Galet : Dictionnaire encyclopédique des cépages . 1st edition. Hachette Livre, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-01-236331-8 .
- Jancis Robinson : The Oxford Wine Lexicon . 3rd revised edition. Gräfe and Unzer Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-8338-0691-9 .
Web links
- Wine lexicon on ernestopauli.ch
- Limnio in the database Vitis International Variety Catalog of the Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof (English)