2025 Magoutes Rosé, Siatista

The 2025 Magoutes Rosé from Siatista is a chance to taste something genuinely obscure: a blend built around Xinomavro with nearly twenty percent Moschomavro, an indigenous grape so rare that by the 1970s it was nearly extinct. Moschomavro translates to "black Muscat," though it doesn't necessarily taste of the Muscat family—its name likely refers to its deeply colored berries. Dimitri Diamantis, who runs Magoutes Vineyard, has been quietly working to revive it, sourcing cuttings from abandoned parcels and replanting on his estate in the mountains of Macedonia. It's the kind of grape-rescue effort that usually gets overshadowed by shinier, better-funded projects in more famous wine regions, but Diamantis's dedication has kept Moschomavro in circulation, and this rosé is one of the only places you'll encounter it. Magoutes sits at 800 meters above sea level in Siatista, a region that was well regarded in the nineteenth century but has since fallen off the wine map. The vineyard is steep, south-facing, and planted on rocky limestone soils. Diamantis farms these old parcels with minimal intervention: spontaneous fermentation, gentle racking off skins, and aging in neutral oak that adds nothing but time. The 2025 vintage shows this approach clearly—there's nothing showy in the technique, just fruit and structure doing their work. In the glass, you'll see a delicate partridge-eye pink. The nose is subtle, leaning into redcurrant and wild strawberry, that fraises de bois character that feels more woodland than candy. On the palate, it's fruity but built around a bright, zingy spine of acidity, staying light and dry with only around 11.5% alcohol. There's real energy here, and it doesn't fade into fruity anonymity—this is a rosé with grip. It works well with grilled seafood, mezze spreads, roasted vegetables, feta-based salads, and lamb kebabs. If you're looking for something beyond the Provençal playbook, this is it.