It's All Greek to Me!

Greek wine has an image problem- Nobody knows them, they are hard to pronounce and even harder to find. Find them and try them though and you’ll see why Greek wine has been the favorite of conquering empires centurys. For the ancient Greeks the culture of wine was embodied in the deity, Dionyssus. The son of Zeus and Semeli, Dionyssus was one of the most worshiped of the Greek Gods inspiring artists, philosophers and the lives of everyday people.
    

Greece has been producing wine since forever, over four thousand years and it’s always been a consistent staple at any meal, consumed daily. Greek wines were always meant to be enjoyed with food; they are the quintessential food wines, high acid and comfortable playing the supporting role.  That’s not to say that Greek wines lack intensity or complexity, just he opposite.  They are very distictive with a sense of place dictated by the varied regional cultures, food and climate.
    
Until recently though the biggest problem with Greek winemaking it has been inconsistency of quality, from vintage to vintage, case to case and even bottle to bottle.  Happily, the Greek wine industry has made significant progress in this area.  Perhaps the sobering effect of the economic hardship felt by th entire European winemaking, but specifically Greek wine producers, has fostered a renewed focus but recent results have been dramatic. Pun intended. Wines, both red and white are much more consistent.  Beautifully crafted early drinking wines with vibrant personalities that are definately worth a try.
Some notable facts about Greek winemaking:

Greek winemakers enjoy a cornucopia of wine grapes from which to make there wines; no fewer than three hundred indigenous grape varieties are used,  not to mention the incluson of many “international grapes” aka French varieties.

Although the majority of grape growing regions are very hot, they enjoy the constant breezes from the sea which cools the nights and dries the vineyards. That diurnal shift, one of the greatest natural phenomena for growing grapes which end up balanced between ripe sugars (which will equate to alcohol in the wine) and crisp acidity is a difference between day time and night time temperatures. Greece has some of the most ideal fluctuations of any wine region in the world.

The Greeks introduced winemaking techniques to their colonies in Italy and Sicily around the 8th century BC and later in France and Spain. The Italian grapes such as Aglianico, Aleatico, Greco di Tufo, Malvasia di Candia,  are all names derived from there Greek origin.

Vin Santo, or the “Saint’s Wine” was first produced in Greece although today certainly the majority of what the United States imports is from Italy.

Greek Wines and their quality designations

Wines produced within the EU are divided into two quality categories, Table Wines and Quality Wines. These categories are translated into different national wine classifications for each member state. In Greece those designations are PDO and PGI respectively.


The PDO Wines of Greece “Protected Designation of Origin”
Production areas of PDO wines are essentially the historic vine-growing and wine producing regions of Greece. These areas are basically delineated by the boundaries of the community from whence the grapes used in the PDO Wines originate. PDO Wines are made using the varieties of the region, the majority of which are indigenous, and the vinification must take place within the boundaries of the region.

PGI Wines of Greece (Protected Geographical Indication) represent 3 qualitative levels:

The PGI Regional Wines are the widest group of the PGI Wines of Greece. The PGI Regional Wines contain 8 out of 9 wine regions of the country, excluding the islands of the Ionian Sea. As expected, they include white, rosé and red wines and, respectively, dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet, but that does not mean that they are all produced. The grapes of PGI Regional Wines, must come from areas of PDO Wines or from the predefined areas of PGI wines in each region. The vinification of these wines may be made anywhere within the boundaries of the region.

The PGI District Wines are confined to the geographical boundaries of a district sector, that is, in one specific former prefecture. The grapes of the PGI District Wines must come from this district and this also applies to their vinification. At the level of the PGI District Wines, the varietal compositions are even stricter, in essence, while the types of wines that can be produced are more limited. Nevertheless, at this level of PGI wines, neighboring wineries in the region also have the right to produce wines.

The PGI Area Wines have the most stringent regulations in terms of geographical boundaries. The boundaries of each PGI Area Wine can be a part of a district and sometimes even be the boundaries of a single community/village. Varieties and types of wine, is also quite strictly defined.

Major Greek Wine Regions
Macedonia
Located in the North of the country, Macedonia is charatezied by high altitude ranges, fertile valley and mild climate. This can be a bit ambiguous, as Macedonia is both the name of a region in Northern Greece, and an independent country called the Republic of Macedonia. It is one of the main red wine producer from Xinomavro, Greece’s most predominant black grape, and white wine from Malagousia, which are stunningly aromatic and balanced. Some of Greece’s finest, most technologically advanced and age worthy wines are made in Macedonia.
 
Thessaly
Just south of Macedonia is Thessaly, with continental climate and greater dirunal temperature range. It produces more tannic, structured red wines from Xinomavro.
 
Ionian Islands
Located just west of Thessaly are the Ionian islands, in the Ionian sea. The most notirous of these for wine productions is Cephalonia. These islands enjoy Mediterranean, moderate climate, suitable for riper red wine from Mavrodaphne, and emblematic zesty fresh white wine from Robola.
 
Central Greece
Central Greece, which encompasses Athens, is a key wine region for domestic consumption, enjoying both Mediterranean climate in valleys and cold higher altitude climate. Red wines are made from Messinicola, and white wines primarily from Malagousia.
 
Peloponnese
Peloponnese is a large penninsula located South of Central Greece, which high mountain ranges and Mediterranean plains. It is one of the largest wine producing areas of Greece, mainly for Agiorgitiko, Greece’s second red winemaking grape. Mavrodaphne is another key grape for Peloponnese.
 
Aegean Islands
Located East of Central Greece is the Aegean sea, and its cluster of islands. The most famous for wine production is the volcanic island of Santorini, for its iconic dry and refreshing assyrtiko, grown directly in the Volcanic ash as bush vine and manually treilled into round baskets for protection against the hard winds. Santorini is also notorious for producing sweet wines from Muscat.
The wines of Santorini run the gamut of flavor and textures, with strict guidelines and distinctive styles.

Santorini - This wine must contain 75% or more of the Assyrtiko grape variety with the remaining 25% made up from Athiri and/or Aidani. The wine is generally unoaked, but some wineries choose to make a small portion of oaked wine due to Assyrtiko’s versatility. Either way has a great gaining potential due to the high acidity of the grapes. The wine is bone-dry with high acid flavors of lemon and stone fruits with a distinct taste of minerality.

Nykteri - In Greek, the name means “working the night away” as it was traditionally harvested at night to avoid the hot temperatures and create a fine wine with little extraction from color and exposure to air. The grapes were to be picked before sunrise and pressed and drawn off within the first day. Today, many producers still choose to harvest the grapes at night, but some also harvest during the day. It is at least 75% Assyrtiko with the remaining composition allowed to derive from Athiri and Aidani. After vinification in steel or oak, Nykteri wines must be aged in oak for a minimum of three months. These wines are bone-dry and contain high acid and mineral components bringing forth flavors of citrus and stone fruits.

Mezzo - Although this wine is not part of Greece’s classification system, it is a wine commonly produced. This is a sweet wine made from the island’s white or red grapes and is similar to Vinsanto, but literally means “less sweet.” The grapes are also sun dried, but before vinification dry grape must is added to the run-off juice from the raisoned grapes.


Here are some of the most important Greek wine grapes to look for and their flavor profiles.

Agiorgitiko. Or Saint George as it is known. This has a deep red-blackgrape has a complex aromatic profile, good structure and great volume, with flavors of sweet cherries, licorice and warm spices, not unlike the hypothetical blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah. It pairs wonderfully with roasted meats.

Xinomavro. If you read that a wine exhibits notes of forest berries, leather and spices, with hints of ripe blackberry and vanilla you might think Cabernet Sauvignon.  Xinomavro has a full mouth, rounded tannins and balanced acidity. Earthy and rich, this is for bigger food flavors and anything off the grill.

Mavrodaphne.
Mavrodaphne is one of Greece’s best kept wine secrets. It is a sweet, but very subtle dessert wine that has strong similarities to a tawny port. Produced in the Achaia region, the aging process produces a delicate blend of flavors including baked apple, nuts, spices, caramel & toffee. Don’t relegate this to dessert only though, it works wonderfully with cheese and chicken dishes.  Think Chicken Marsala.

Mavroudi. The name  Mavroudi (blackish) can be attributed to the dark, nearly black color of its berries. This dark color is also the reason why Mavroudi is used mostly in the production of dark red wines, which are valuable and rare.  The scarcity of the Mavroudi wines is inversely proportional to the variety’s planting. Mavroudi can be found in several places in Greece although it is the Peloponnese where the best quality can be found . This variety’s wines have huge aromas, a fruit forward and rich palate with titanic tannins.

Assyrtiko.A delicious alternative to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, Assyrtiko from the volcanic island of Santorini is as refreshing as it gets. It is a bone-dry wine with big upfront fruit and a full body. It is well structured with crispy acidity, distinctive minerality and delicate honeysuckle flavors. Try it with grilled seafood with a little olive oil, sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lemon.

Moschofilero
This deep pink-skinned grape variety makes a broad range of effusive perfumed white wines. Grown on Greece’s high plateau of Mantinia in the Peloponnese it shows delicate aromas of floral, peach, citrus and tangerine; it can be bone-dry or just off-dry and creamy on the palate, with notions of ripe stone fruit, tangerine peel and lemon.

Robola
Grown most notably in the mountainous vineyards of the Island of Cephalonia, the noble Robola grapes yield distinguished wines with citrus and peach aromas mixed with smoky, mineral hints and a long lemony aftertaste. Interesting note:A rchaeological excavations have shown that grape cultivation was known in Greece as far back as Neolithic times, somewhere around 10,000 years ago.