Not one or two, but around ten labels of sparkling Moschofilero from Mantineia can now be found on restaurant wine lists and shop shelves. Yet Mantineia’s relationship with sparkling wines is nothing new. As early as 1880, the Arcadian plateau became a site of bold experimentation by those who believed that something of international stature could emerge here from the widely planted Filéri grape. They even envisioned the region becoming the “Champagne of the East.”

In his book The Pioneers of Moschofilero (Iolkos Publications), Kostas Spyropoulos notes: “The strongest external proof of the quality of Arcadian (Mantineia and Tegea) sparkling wine is that it won Grand and Gold awards at all international exhibitions from 1882 to 1937.” Production was interrupted in the postwar years but, in 1996, the first modern sparkling wine of the region was released – Ode Panos by Domaine Spyropoulos – and, in the same year, Amalia by Tselepos Estate was also bottled. It took another fifteen years for white sparkling wines – produced both by the tank method and the traditional method – to be officially recognized as PDO Mantineia, within a zone that had already been established in 1971 for its still white wines.

Today, Mantineia vineyards are estimated to cover around 14,000 stremmas (1,400 hectares) – a dynamic figure, as new plantings continue. Over the past decade, however, what has truly changed is not the scale but the perception of the variety itself.

The year 2024 marked an important milestone for the region with the creation of an organization known as the Mantinians, born out of the need for local producers to come together and act collectively. “These are people from 13 wineries, driven, passionate, and eager to work, who believe in collaboration as a tool for progress. They seek to revive the Mantineia brand. At the heart of our effort remains the protection of the PDO zone and the promotion of Moschofilero as a multidimensional grape, capable of claiming its place in the modern vineyard,” says board president Andriani Tselepou.

Change is, indeed, in the air. For decades, Moschofilero was associated with a simple, pale wine. Today, it is being reintroduced as a pink-skinned grape with an impressive range of expression – from whites and traditional-method sparkling wines to vibrant rosés, pale reds, age-worthy wines and sweet styles – gradually restoring its reputation.

The Era of Mass Success

In the early 1990s, a turning point came with Boutari’s acquisition of Kambas, a company that had been active in the region since 1927. This coincided with the global rise of the New World wine movement, led by Australia and by varietal wines such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, which offered a more immediate and approachable style compared to the more complex, austere Old World tradition.

For Boutari’s Moschofilero, trials lasted around two years. “The grape produced wines with low alcohol content, aromatic intensity, high acidity and remarkable freshness – qualities that led to the creation of an everyday wine, closely tied to Greek cuisine,” says Yiannis Voyatzis, then head oenologist at the company. The first bottling took place in 1994, and its success was both immediate and widespread. Consumers began asking for Moschofilero by name – something unprecedented at the time.

However, when a wine achieves such broad popularity, lower-quality versions inevitably follow. “In the early 1990s, there were more than 150 labels called ‘Moschofilero,’” says Yiannis Tselepos. It was an indication of both the grape’s popularity and the confusion surrounding it. Gradually, Moschofilero became associated with something simplistic, a wine that “smelled like rose petals.” As consumers began to fall for Assyrtiko and show interest in the newly rediscovered aromatic Malagousia, Moschofilero remained trapped in its reputation as an easy, uncomplicated wine.

The Variety’s New Wave

While larger producers remained committed to a classic expression, smaller winemakers chose a different path, seeking depth and complexity. Yiannis Tselepos, who produced his first Mantineia wine in 1989, began experimenting in the 2000s with age-worthy wines. He explored the grape’s structure in the barrel, and in 2008 introduced Blanc de Gris. Today, together with his children, Aris and Andriani, he is continuing to develop a wide range of expressions – from Gris de Nuit and two sparkling wines to the experimental XFM, aged in amphorae with minimal intervention.

Other innovators include the Bosinakis family. From a grandfather who traded in grape must to parents who opened Tripoli’s first wine shop in 1983 and then their own winery in 1992, wine has always been part of their story. Their commitment to quality was evident early on, with their acquisition of the region’s first closed-type pneumatic press. A milestone came in 2009, when siblings Sotiris and Katerina returned from their studies and released a rosé-hued Mantineia. For a grape long considered white, the choice was certainly a bold one.

Sotiris and Katerina Bosinakis were supported by figures from the restaurant and wine world, including Yiannis Kaymenakis and Konstantinos Lazarakis MW. “It was the sommeliers who revealed the color of Moschofilero and helped educate the public,” says Katerina. A defining moment was their first tasting of a five-year-old Moschofilero – since then, ageing has become central to their work. In 2020, their younger brother Konstantinos joined the winery. Today, these siblings are working closely with the children of the growers who once supported their parents: a relationship of trust that remains fundamental to their journey.

In the Fteri area, the Troupis family champions skin-contact techniques. The three siblings – Panagiota, Perry and Yiannis – all coming from different professional backgrounds, joined forces with Panagiota’s husband, Kostas Koutsoubos and gave oenologist Dimitris Akrivos the freedom to experiment. Their shared goal is to explore Moschofilero beyond its conventional boundaries. In 2014, they produced their first rosé under the label Tomi. They began experimenting with long macerations, leading to the production of Hoof and Lur, a wine initially met with hesitation in the Greek market, but one that gained significant recognition in the United States when New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov named it in 2017 among the best Greek wines available in New York. As for the label Ekato, its name refers to that wine’s one hundred days of maceration. The family has also made substantial investments in the vineyard, working closely with agronomist Kostas Bakasietas and carrying out new plantings aimed at selecting the most suitable rootstock.

The contribution of the Moropoulos siblings to the new era of Moschofilero is best captured through a story of changing direction. Konstantinos and Georgia, with working backgrounds in IT and marketing, grew up in a family with agricultural roots, but they hesitated to follow in those footsteps. The economic crisis and uncertainty held them back – until, in 2015, they decided to begin with just two tanks and their family vineyards. From 2018 onward, and with the help of oenologist Lefteris Anagnostou, a new philosophy began to take shape: less haste, more patience. By setting aside small quantities of wine, they allowed time to become part of the process.

In 2020, while walking through the vineyards after harvest, they tasted some remaining grapes. The flavor impressed their oenologist and sparked the idea of a late harvest, along the lines of Alsatian practices. Thus, the label Noemvris was born: grapes harvested at the end of November – an extreme choice for the region, given the risks of its unstable microclimate. The results, however, justified the risk. Inspired by the general success of sparkling wines made with Moschofilero, the Moropoulos winery also released Remuage this year, five years after harvest – another chapter in the ongoing exploration of the variety.

Moschofilero is now proving to be a grape with remarkable versatility, one that possesses far more lives than it was ever given credit for, and which now, thanks to those who persist and dare, is finally beginning to live them all.