6 editor-picked estates growing Merlot in Naoussa.
Where to taste Merlot in Naoussa: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Founded in 1879 by Ioannis Boutaris, the house's Naoussa winery sits in the Stenimachos area on Vermio's eastern edge, making Naoussa PDO Xinomavro since Merlot and Syrah joined the plantings in the 1980s.
Tasting: Not open to the public; the estate handles visit and trade inquiries by email only.
Tip: The winery itself does not receive visitors, so taste the wines at a Naoussa restaurant or retailer instead.
The growers' cooperative behind much of the appellation's output, VAENI Naoussa has worked from Episkopi since 1984, bottling Naoussa, Naoussa Reserve and Grande Reserve alongside PGI wines from Merlot and Syrah.
Tasting: Guided tours through the cooperative's cellar, with an on-site exhibition space and retail shop.
Tip: The on-site shop is a practical way to taste across the full Naoussa, Reserve and Grande Reserve range in one stop.
Founded in 1992 four kilometres outside Naoussa town in the Nea Strantza area, Domaine Foundi, registered as Fountis Nikolaos, farms mostly Xinomavro alongside small plantings of Merlot and Malvasia Aromatica.
Tasting: Open to visitors; the estate is a member of the Wine Roads of Northern Greece programme.
Tip: Being a Wine Roads of Northern Greece member means the cellar is set up for casual drop-in visitors, not just appointments.
Based in the Dalamari area of Naoussa, Kokkinos Winery bottles a Naoussa PDO Xinomavro alongside a wider PGI Imathia range that runs from a Xinomavro-Merlot red blend to Roditis and Malagousia whites.
Tip: The Petinos range is the entry point into the wider PGI Imathia bottlings if the PDO Xinomavro is sold out.
Forty-five minute guided route through the cooperative's vineyard, production hall, bottling line and ageing cellar in Episkopi, ending in a paid tasting of three Naoussa PDO wines with crackers and local cheese.
Tip: Groups of up to seventy are handled at once, so a solo visitor should still call ahead to be slotted into a scheduled tour.
Family cellar four kilometres outside Naoussa town in Nea Strantza, open to any visitor who wants to taste through the estate's Xinomavro range with the Fountis family, who have farmed here since 1992.
Tip: The estate is a Wine Roads of Northern Greece member, which in practice means it is set up for casual drop-ins rather than appointment-only visits.