red grape · near-extinct
Vlahiko
Epirus, Greece
Say it
vlah·ee·koh
The Greek χ is a velar fricative /x/; English speakers approximate it as the 'h' in 'Vlah.' Stress falls on the first syllable.
On the palate
strawberryred cherryblack currantblueberrywhite peppergraphite
How you spot it blind: Bright tart red fruit and white pepper on a light, high-acid, mineral frame
The story
Named for the Vlach (Aromanian) shepherds of the Pindus mountains, it was historically blended into Zitsa-area sparkling wines alongside Debina before Domaine Glinavos began bottling it as a varietal still red in the 2010s.
Where it lives
Epirus (Ioannina, Zitsa, Metsovo), Greece · Thessaly (Trikala, Karditsa), Greece
Shows up as
still redrosésparklingPGI Ioannina