red grape · regional specialty
Romeiko
western Crete, Greece
Say it
ro·may·ee·koh
Four syllables; αί diphthong gives the 'ay' sound; simplified to 'ro-MAY-koh' in international use
On the palate
red cherryblueberrydried herbsearthblack pepperleather
How you spot it blind: pale, low-tannin red prone to oxidation; backbone of traditional Marouvas wine
The story
2021 DNA analysis confirmed Romeiko as a natural cross of Ladikino and Lagorthi; it was the dominant variety of Chania, western Crete, for centuries and the base of traditional Marouvas oxidized wine.
Family tree: LADIKINO × LAGORTHI
Where it lives
Chania, Crete, Greece · Cycladic Islands, Greece
Shows up as
still redblanc de noirorangerosésparklingsweet (liasto)Marouvas (oxidized)