Wines of Greece Seminar and Tasting
St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, California
Tasted Monday, April 23, 2007 by rjonwine@gmail.com with 2,453 views
Introduction
Over the past few years, I've had three or four Greek white wines on various occasions, and been fairly impressed at their aromatics and good acidity. I must admit I hadn't expected much when I tasted the first couple of these, because of negative experiences going back to my first trip to Greece in '74 with the pine-resin-infused retsina wines Greece was traditionally known for. Nonetheless, after three or four enjoyable Greek whites in a row, I was intrigued enough to want to learn more about modern Greek wine. Imagine my delight, then, when I received an invite to a seminar and extended tasting of Greek wines in San Francisco from an organization called All About Greek Wine, based in Atlanta. Their website is thewinesofGreece.com.
This tasting, held on the top floor of the St. Francis Hotel, was in two parts. The morning session consisted of an introductory seminar on Greek wines featuring several top Greek winemakers, emceed by sommelier and wine educator Steve Olson, along with a panel of other sommeliers and masters of wine. The second part, for a few hours in the afternoon, consisted of a walkaround tasting of nearly 80 wines presented by winemakers or representatives of over two dozen Greek wineries and distributors. I'm happy to say that none of the wines included any pine resin, and that several of the reds, and many of the whites, were striking in their minerality, aromatics, intriguing and unusual flavors, and good acidity. As you can see from my scores, I generally favor the Greek whites to the reds, but a few of the reds were impressive, and I would very much like to try some of the more complex reds with 10 or more years of bottle age. I'm looking to track down many of these wines to put on some tastings for Northern and Southern California friends who I think would enjoy these flavorful, reasonably priced, and food-friendly wines.
In the seminar portion, we learned about the major indigenous Greek varietals and winegrowing regions, and tasted and listened to comments on 10 representatives wines. My TNs on those wines, and on the more notable of the wines tasted during the afternoon session, are below. Before that, though, let me summarize the key information I learned about Greek wine from the seminar.
Varietals
The major white indigenous varietals are Assyrtiko and Athiri. Assyrtiko originated on the island of Santorini, where it's planted on volcanic soil and produces wines with stunning aromatics, minerality and high acidity. Over the past 25 years, the grape has been planted elsewhere throughout Greece, where it tends to express a milder and fruitier character. The higher acid versions have the potential to age and evolve over 10 to 12 years, something like grand cru Chablis. Athiri is typically a blending grape grown on Santorini as well as in Macedonia, Attic and Rhodes. It is often blended with non-indigneous varietals too, like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Other indigenous white varietals include Debina (exclusively grown in Epirus, producing elegant dry and off-dry wines), Lagorthi (grown in the northern Peloponnese, high in acidity and with citrus and white fruit flavors), Malgousia (also high in acid, with pronounced aromatics), Robola (grown in Cephalonia, and featuring strong aromatics and a long finish), Savatiano (predominant in Attica, with citrus and floral aromatics), and Vilana (low in acidity but aromatic and primarily grown on Crete). Malgousia almost died out, but was brought back by Chateau Carras and is now growing in plantings. Muscat is also used for natural and fortified sweet wines, including types of Vin Santo, which, in Greece, means sweet wines from Santorini. (Speakers at the seminar claimed that Italy adopted the name for the dried grape wines that have become more popularly known, but that the term vin santo originated in Greece, where it has a more particular meaning.)
The two major red indigenous varietals are Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro. Agiorgitiko means "St. George" in Greek, and it is primarily grown in Nemea, in the central Peloponnese. Wine from this grape tends to have strong acidity, plummy fruit and minerality, and is capable of long aging, due to often intense spicy fruit, rich tannins and strong underlying acidity. During the course of the seminar, some of the winemakers compared it to Dolcetto and French Merlot. They also claimed these wines go particularly well with roasted vegetables, due to their acidity and minerality. The name of the other major red, Xinomavro, means "sour black" or "acid black." It is mainly grown in northwestern Greece, most notably in Naoussa. It can produce wines of great complexity and ageworthiness, and several panelists compared it to Nebbiolo. Other indigenous red varietals include Kotsifali (mainly grown on Crete, and usually blended), Limnio (planted in Northern Greece and Limnos and used in Bordeaux-style blends), Mandilaria (planted across Greece, low in acidity and used for blending), and Moschofilero (a purple grape grown in the central Peloponnese, that produces light, high acid and floral white wines, sparkling wines and rosés).
Other interesting facts from the seminar: There are over 300 indigenous Greek varietals. The islands of Rhodes and Santorini have never experienced phylloxera. Santorini's volcanic soil has virtually no nutrients, and the island's vineyards are subjected to severe winds and see no rainfall in summer. In other words, if stressed grapes produce great wines, wines from Santorini should be fabulous. The panel also recommended the first comprehensive book on modern Greek wine, which was long awaited and finally published in late 2005. It's called The Wines of Greece, by Konstantinos Lazarakis, MW.
panelists, including Sofia Perpera , organizer
Flight 1 - Seminar Wines - White Flight (5 Notes)
Flight 2 - Seminar Wines - Red Flight (5 Notes)
Flight 3 - Alpha Estate (2 Notes)
Alpha Estate's north facing, sandy clay soil vineyards are in the remote region of Amyndeo and the winemaker is Bordeaux trained Angelos Iatridis. Their U.S. importer is Diamond Importers.
Flight 4 - Antonopoulos Vineyards (1 Note)
Flight 5 - Boutari (3 Notes)
Flight 6 - CAIR (3 Notes)
Flight 7 - Creta Olympias (3 Notes)
Flight 8 - Douloufakis (3 Notes)
Flight 9 - Emery (2 Notes)
Emery's Mary-Irene Triantafillou
Emery Wines was established in 1923, and their modern winery was built near the village of Embona. Their vineyards are located on the northwesterly slopes of Mount Attavyros, "renowned for the quality of the native Athiri and Amoryano grapes grown there for centuries." They listed two importers: Athenee Importers in Hampstead, NY, and Vina Mediterranean in Washington, D.C.
Flight 10 - Domaine Evharis (3 Notes)
Flight 11 - Gaia (2 Notes)
Flight 12 - Domaine Gerovassiliou (2 Notes)
Domaine Gerovassiliou is located southwest of Thessaloniki, and was built by Bordeaux trained winemaker Evangelos Gerovassiliou. "The mild local climate, close proximity to the sea and sandy soils together with the use of integrated pest management bring out the best qualities of this well maintained 45 hectare vineyard." Their importer is Vina Mediterranean.
Flight 13 - Glinavos Monastiri (2 Notes)
Flight 14 - Greek Wine Cellars (3 Notes)
Flight 15 - Katogi & Strofilia (3 Notes)
Flight 16 - Kir-Yianni (3 Notes)
Flight 17 - Nico Lazaridi (3 Notes)
Flight 18 - Domaine Mercouri (3 Notes)
Flight 19 - Oenoforos (3 Notes)
Flight 20 - Palivou (1 Note)
Flight 21 - Ktima Pavlidis (1 Note)
Flight 22 - Domaine Porto Carras (1 Note)
Flight 23 - Semel (2 Notes)
Flight 24 - Sigalas (2 Notes)
Paris Sigalas, owner and winemaker of Domaine Sigalas
According to the event program, Sigalas, whose winery is located near the town of Oia on Santorini, has been involved with the restoration of Santorini's historic vineyards, practices organic farming, and "gives special incentives to farmers that are willing to grow their grapes organically." Sigalas's U.S. importer is Diamond Importers in Chicago.
Flight 25 - Domaine Skouras (2 Notes)
Domaine Skouras has been run for the past 15 years by Burgundy trained winemaker George Skouras, who has built a very modern new winery near Argos, in the appellation of Nemea. The U.S. importer is Diamond Importers.
Flight 26 - Domaine Spiropoulos (3 Notes)
Domaine Spiropoulos's modern winery and vineyards are located in the heart of Arcadia in Mantinia, with other vineyards in Nemea. The Spiropoulos family have been making wine since 1860, and their winemaker is UC-Davis trained Dr. Apostolos Spiropoulos. Their U.S. importer is Athenee Importers.
Flight 27 - Tsantali (2 Notes)
Tsantali Vineyards began in 1890 by making and distilling Ouzo and Tsipouro. The family's third generation continues to make spirits and fine wine. Tsantali's U.S. importer is Fantis Foods in New Jersey.
Flight 28 - Vatistas (4 Notes)
Vatistas sources wine from different locations in the Peloponnese. Their U.S. distributor is Wonderful Ethnic in NYC.
Closing
Wineries
The star Greek wineries for me, based on the wines from the seminar and subsequent walkaround tasting, are, first and foremost, Domaine Sigalas on Santorini for their concentrated, complex whites (and it was a treat to chat with the owner/winemaker, Paris Sigalas), followed, alphabetically, by Alpha Estate (Amyndeo), Emery Wines (Rhodes), Domaine Gerovassiliou (Epanomia/Macedonia), Domaine Skouras (Peloponnese), Domaine Spiropoulos (Peloponnese), Tsantali Vineyards (Thrace and Macedonia) and Vatistas (Peloponnese).
2006 Emery Estate Athiri Villaré 91 Points
Greece, Aegean, Rhodes
Light bright yellow color; clean citrus and white peach nose with a sense of oil and a deeper nutty note; oily texture to the focused palate of spice and minerals, good acidity, reminiscent of a Gruner Veltliner; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (would be a great companion to shellfish, mussels, clams, seafood salad, and even asparagus) ($14-15 retail)
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2006 Antonopoulos Vineyards Moschofilero 92 Points
Greece, Peloponnisos, Mantinia
Virtually clear in color; very aromatic nose of white rose, gardenia and sweet witch hazel with a lime note; crisp, a little steely, with floral notes, gardenia, spicy minerality and an oily texture, like a cross between a high acid Condrieu and a dry Muscat, with great acidity; medium tangy finish (would be very nice with a flavorful fish, a spicy chicken dish or moussaka) ($16)
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2006 Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia 90 Points
Greece, Macedonia, Epanomi
Pale yellow color; deep minerally, earthy, kumquat, olive oil nose; light oily texture and herbal palate of green olives, a sense of chalk, lime and spice; lime note on medium finish 90+ pts. (would go well with any dish involving goat cheese, or stuffed grape leaves) (spends 3 mos. In oak) ($20 retail)
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2006 Sigalas Assyrtiko Santorini 92 Points
Greece, Aegean, Cyclades, Santorini
Light yellow color; lovely chalky, lemon, lemon blossom and apple nose; tasty, light-medium bodied with rich palate of apple, minerals, spice, chalk, great acidity; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. ($20)
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2006 Ktima Pavlidis Thema 88 Points
Greece, Macedonia, Drama
Light bright yellow color; pleasant, aromatic nose of sweet lemon, mineral, melon and a hint of chalk; lightly oily texture with high acidity, grassy Sauvignon Blanc, spice, good crispness; short-medium finish 88+ pts. ($16-18)(40% Assyrtiko, 60% Sauvignon Blanc)
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No