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Zitsa is a hillside town and appellation within the mountainous Epirus region in north-western Greece. Regulations dictate that wine bearing the town’s name must be dry, semi-sweet or sparkling, and made exclusively from the Debina grape. The appellation in centred on Zitsa but includes the villages of Karitsa, Klimatia and Protopappa in a four mile (6.5km) radius. Vineyards near the village are located on the eastern side of the limestone foothills, with some steeper sites planted nearer the 2460ft (750m) summit. Neighboring Albania is visible through the valley to the north.
Wine made from Debina tends to be fresh and delicate. Although Zitsa has been producing Debina wine since 600 AD, it only became an official appellation in 1972. The advent of Phylloxera had a severe impact on the region during the 20th Century but it has experienced growth in production and quality since the 1970s.
Debina may be the only officially permitted grape to be used in Zitsa-labelled wines, but it is not the only variety grown in the area. A traditional wine associated with Zitsa is a blended red made from Bekari and Vlachiko grapes, often produced in a sparkling rose style. Bekari and Vlachiko are still grown in Zitsa and are often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to produce dry, full-bodied table wines.
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