Mandilaria

Mandilaria, also written Mandilari, is the colour and structure grape of the Greek islands, and the dark, tannic partner to Kotsifali on Crete. It carries one of the great paradoxes in wine: its thick skins make one of the most deeply pigmented reds in Greece, yet the wine is often light-bodied and low in alcohol, rarely above thirteen percent unless yields are kept low. What it reliably brings is colour, firm tannin and savour.

A grape of many names

Mandilaria travels under a long list of synonyms, most notably Amorgiano, after the island of Amorgos, along with Koundoura Mavri and others scattered across the Aegean. The name itself is unresolved; it seems to relate to mandili, the Greek word for a handkerchief or scarf, but the reason is genuinely unknown, and the popular idea that its juice stains like dye is folk speculation. No parentage has been formally published. On Crete it is a blending grape, adding backbone to Kotsifali in PDO Peza and Archanes and making up to a fifth of PDO Sitia. Elsewhere it stands more on its own: it is effectively the whole of the deep red PDO Rhodes, and on Paros it is co-vinified with the white grape Monemvasia, an unusual red-plus-white appellation.

In the glass and at the table

Expect a deep colour, light to medium body, high, grippy tannin and notable acidity, with dark fruit, leather and savoury, fleshy notes rather than overt perfume. That tannin and acid give it real ageing capacity, and the most age-worthy examples come from Archanes and Rhodes. It wants fatty red meat, grilled lamb or goat, game and hard aged cheese to tame the grip. On Crete, look to the Peza and Archanes blends from Boutari, Lyrarakis and Douloufakis.