Maras Winery, Naoussa, Western Macedonia

Maras Winery is the work of two brothers, Thanasis and Socrates Maras, who grew up among vineyards in the hills outside Naoussa. Their father, Thomas, spent more than two decades as an oenologist at the Vaeni co-op, and it was under his guidance that the brothers planted their first vines in Strantza while still at school. After studying viticulture and oenology respectively, in 2021 they established their own small winery, garagiste-style in a small commercial unit next to a car mechanic’s.

Their focus is Xinomavro, produced exclusively from their own, organically cultivated vineyards in Gastra and Strantza, totalling 4 ha at around 200 metres, where the slopes are cooled by the wind off Mount Vermio. The soils are underlain by tufa – a porous limestone that drains freely and lends a fine mineral edge to the wines – and vines are up to 40 years old. From these parcels come three expressions of Xinomavro: a Blanc de Noir, pressed directly and fermented cool in stainless steel with four to five months’ bâtonnage; a Rosé, produced from a slow basket press after brief skin contact and matured partly in old 500 L barrels; and a PDO Naoussa red, aged for eleven months in seasoned 500 L French oak.

The approach is measured and unhurried with great attention to detail. Each wine captures a facet of Naoussa’s character: bright and finely etched in the Blanc de Noir, fragrant and textural in the Rosé, and deep, taut, and quietly confident in the red.