white grape · regional specialty
Debina
Zitsa, Epirus, Greece
Say it
deh·bee·nah
Three syllables; stress on the second. The Greek form (Ντεμπίνα) opens with a voiced dental fricative; the Latinized spelling renders it as a plain 'd'.
On the palate
green applepearlemonwhite peachelderflowerwet stone
How you spot it blind: stinging high acidity and green apple precision from Greece's coolest mountain zone
The story
PDO Zitsa was officially recognized in 1972 as one of the few Greek appellations historically built around sparkling wine, with Debina as its sole permitted variety.
Where it lives
Zitsa PDO, Epirus, Greece · Përmet, Albania
Shows up as
still whitesparklingZitsa PDO