Narrative
Per Boutaris (see citation): "Mavrodaphne is used for the famous Port-style Mavrodaphne Patron A.O.C. wines from Achaia county in Western Peloponissos, although it is also grown on the Ionian islands. By law 'Mavrodaphne grapes must consist of more than 50% of the 'Mavrodaphne Patron' blend, while the remainder is made up of fresh Black Corinth grapes. THe blends are then aged in oak casks for as much as twenty years to give very viscous wines with an extraordinary bouquet full of cocoa, red fruit, and spicy notes, a supple finish, and a dark mahogany color. It is a low yielding variety that is best adapted to calcareous soils. It is very susceptble to draught and downy mildew, less so towards powdery mildew. Ampelography: Vigorous vine; large, round, thick, 5-lobed, puckered, but smooth leaves; underside green-gray, tomentose, while the upper side is dark green; closed lyre-shaped petiolar and superior sinuses, while the inferior sinuses are open and shallow, so that oftentimes are barely noticeable; veins are reddish at the base of the blade; 1-3 cluters per cane on the third and higher nodes are cylindrical/conical, medium-sized, and loose; berries are small, spherical, red/black with bloom, and slightly astringent; maturity early to mid-September; all leaves turn naturally purplish red before leaf fall." Information taken from http://www.wine-lovers-page.com/wineguest/wgg.html: "Red-wine grape widely grown in the Patras region on the north coast of the Peloponnese in southern Greece and either used to make dry wine suitable for blending purposes, or, as also on the island of Rhodes, to make a moderately sweet, portlike, dessert wine.