Mavrodaphni,Mavrodaphne, orMavrodafni (Greek: Μαυροδάφνηlit. 'black laurel') is both a blackwine grape[1]indigenous to theAchaea region in NorthernPeloponnese,Greece, and the sweet,fortified wine first produced from it byGustav Clauss in around 1850.[2]
Mavrodaphni is initiallyvinified in large vats exposed to the sun. Once the wine reaches a certain level of maturity,fermentation is stopped by adding distillate prepared from previousvintages. Then the Mavrodaphni distillate and the wine, still containingresidual sugar, is transferred to the underground cellars to complete itsmaturation. There it is "educated" by contact with older wine using thesolera method of serial blending. Once aged, the wine is bottled and sold as adessert wine under the MavrodaphniProtected designation of origin.
Mavrodaphni is a dark, almost opaque wine with a dark purple reflectedcolor and a purple-brown transmitted color. It presentsaromas and flavors of caramel, chocolate, coffee, raisins and plums.
Mavrodaphne literally means "black laurel". The name was chosen by Gustav Clauss, the founder of theAchaia Clauss winery, because of the berries' resemblance to those of thelaurel,[3] though there are various stories about a lover, fiancée, or wife named Daphne, who had black eyes or who died.[2]
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