Macedonia: Northern Greece's PDO Heartland for Xinomavro

This article covers Macedonia the Greek wine region in northern Greece. It is not the country of North Macedonia. The geographical zone of northern Greece stretches from the Pindos mountain range in the west to the borders with Thrace in the east, and the vineyards of Macedonia are those of Drama, Kavala, Halkidiki, Goumenissa, Naoussa and Amynteo. These vineyards host cultivars of foreign origin as well as native ones. Wines of Greece, the National Inter-Professional Organization of Vine and Wine of Greece, rates the region's Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Syrah among the best produced in Greece and calls Xinomavro the noblest red produced by the vineyards of northern Greece. The winemakers' association Winemakers of North Greece covers Macedonia, Thrace and Epirus, features 1993 among the figures on its own site, and lists eight wine routes across the north of the country, including a Wine Route of Naoussa and a Wine Route of Pella-Goumenissa.

• The zone runs from the Pindos mountain range in the west to the border with Thrace in the east
• Named vineyard areas: Drama, Kavala, Halkidiki, Goumenissa, Naoussa and Amynteo
• Native Xinomavro shares the vineyards with foreign varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Syrah
• Eight wine routes run across northern Greece, including the Wine Route of Naoussa and the Wine Route of Pella-Goumenissa

The vineyards of Macedonia are usually scattered amidst other cultivations, orchards and crops alike. They are normally found on smooth terrain, though they may also be perched on mountain slopes or semi-mountainous terroirs, and they frequently stretch along the coastline or lakesides, benefiting from the favorable temperate climate created by the Mediterranean waters. The soil is generally fertile with fair moisture capacity and favors brisk vine growth, which calls for advanced training systems and elaborate cultivation practices. Because the terrain is typically flatter than in southern Greece, and cultivable soil and water are more readily available, the vineyards of Macedonia are almost all linear and irrigated, with medium to low planting densities of fewer than 4,000 vine stocks per hectare. Kavala's valley has an exceptionally temperate and humid climate, with hilly terrain undulating between the coastline and Mount Pangeon and deep, fertile soil that suits early-harvest foreign white varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon. Northwest of Kavala, Drama's area is warmer and drier, and there the international red varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah have fared better, alongside the native Assyrtiko. The vineyards of Drama and Kavala are mostly linear and irrigated, and Wines of Greece places them among the state-of-the-art and comprehensively organized vineyards in Greece.

• Vineyards are normally on smooth terrain but may sit on mountain slopes or semi-mountainous terroirs
• Vineyards frequently run along the coastline or lakesides, in a temperate climate created by the Mediterranean waters
• Planting is almost all linear and irrigated, at fewer than 4,000 vine stocks per hectare
• Kavala's valley: exceptionally temperate and humid climate, hilly terrain between the coast and Mount Pangeon, deep fertile soil
• Drama's area, northwest of Kavala, is warmer and drier

The region's protected wines are grouped under the heading Macedonia in the Greek appellations and classifications list. Four PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) wines appear there: PDO Goumenissa, PDO Naoussa, PDO Amyndeon and PDO Slopes of Meliton. Under the same heading sit PGI Macedonia (Protected Geographical Indication) and a further set of Macedonia-grouped PGIs: PGI Kavala, PGI Thasos, PGI Pangeon, PGI Drama, PGI Agora, PGI Serres, PGI Slopes of Paiko, PGI Slopes of Vertiskos, PGI Thessaloniki, PGI Epanomi, PGI Halkidiki, PGI Sithonia, PGI Mount Athos, PGI Pella, PGI Florina, PGI Kastoria, PGI Imathia, PGI Pieria, PGI Kozani, PGI Grevena, PGI Siatista and PGI Velvento. As a collective body, Winemakers of North Greece is involved in actions concerning the development, promotion and protection of the PDO and PGI designations. Drama and Kavala have no PDO area established, although Wines of Greece considers them two of the most significant viticultural regions of Greece.

• Four PDO wines under Macedonia: Goumenissa, Naoussa, Amyndeon and Slopes of Meliton
• PGI Macedonia plus region-grouped PGIs including PGI Drama, PGI Kavala, PGI Halkidiki and PGI Pella
• PDO stands for Protected Designation of Origin and PGI for Protected Geographical Indication
• No PDO area has been established in Drama and Kavala

Five articles sit directly under this hub, matching PDO and PGI wines grouped under Macedonia. Amyntaio PDO and Naoussa PDO are both made from Xinomavro grapes: PDO Amyntaio covers dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet red and rosé wine, plus a naturally sparkling, dry and semi-sweet rosé wine, and PDO Naoussa covers dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet red wine. Goumenissa PDO blends Xinomavro with the Negoska variety into a dry red wine. PDO Slopes of Meliton draws on the Assyrtiko, Athiri and Roditis varieties. PGI Drama sits in an area with no PDO of its own, northwest of Kavala, where international red varieties and Assyrtiko have fared better.

• Amyntaio PDO: dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet red and rosé Xinomavro wine, plus a naturally sparkling dry and semi-sweet rosé
• Naoussa PDO: dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet red wine from Xinomavro
• Goumenissa PDO: dry red wine blending Xinomavro with Negoska
• PDO Slopes of Meliton: draws on the Assyrtiko, Athiri and Roditis varieties
• PGI Drama: an area with no PDO of its own, northwest of Kavala

Winemakers of North Greece ranks Xinomavro as the noblest of red varieties in northern Greece. It is grown mainly in Naoussa, Goumenissa, Amyntaio, Rapsani, Trikomo, Siatista, Pella and Velvendos and, to a smaller extent, on Mount Athos, in Ossa, Ioannina, Magnesia, Kastoria and Trikala. At average altitudes and on appropriate soil, Xinomavro produces dry reds with good color, a typical bouquet, good acidity and high alcoholic strength, rich in tannins and able to benefit from ageing. At high altitudes it can yield rosés and sparkling wines with an aroma of red berries, especially strawberry, and it can also produce white blanc de noirs wines. Assyrtiko originates on Santorini and has spread to Halkidiki, Epanomi, Drama, Pangeo, Attica and the Peloponnese; it is cultivated on over 1,150 hectares across Greece. In mainland Greece, and northern Greece in particular, it tends to be fruity and floral, against a more mineral and earthy character on Santorini. It goes into the PDO Slopes of Meliton wine as well as the PGIs Epanomi, Drama, Mount Athos and Macedonia, among others. Roditis is an old, indigenous gris variety grown across many Greek regions, including Macedonia and Thrace, and is blended with Athiri and Assyrtiko to produce the dry white PDO Slopes of Meliton.

• Xinomavro is grown mainly in Naoussa, Goumenissa, Amyntaio, Rapsani, Trikomo, Siatista, Pella and Velvendos
• Xinomavro at average altitude gives dry reds rich in tannins that can benefit from ageing
• Assyrtiko is cultivated on over 1,150 hectares across Greece and is used in PDO Slopes of Meliton
• Roditis is blended with Athiri and Assyrtiko for the dry white PDO Slopes of Meliton
• In Kavala's valley, early-harvest foreign white varieties Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon have found favorable conditions
• In Drama's area, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and the native Assyrtiko have fared better

Primary sources used: https://winesofgreece.org/regions/macedonia, https://winesofgreece.org/regions/drama-%CE%BAavala, https://winesofgreece.org/regions-wineries/appellations-and-classifications/, https://winemakersofnorthgreece.gr/en/, https://winemakersofnorthgreece.gr/en/vineyards/. Last verified 2026-10-05