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By Laurie
Daniel, Mercury
News
I stopped to talk the other day with the UPS delivery guy, who's
of Greek descent. "I'm off to San Francisco to taste some Greek
wines", I said.
"Oh, I'm sorry", he replied, adding that, even on trips to
Greece, he's never found a Greek wine he liked.
Greek wines face an uphill battle here when even my well-traveled
friend of Greek heritage can't find much good to say about them. At
least he's sampled a few. What most Americans know about Greek wines
begins and ends with retsina, a wine treated with pine resin and
definitely an acquired taste. (I haven't.)
Even when consumers are introduced to Greek wines, they can be a
tough sell. Sure, there's the occasional chardonnay or merlot. But
most are based on indigenous varieties with names like agiorghitiko
or assyrtiko. If you think German wine labels are hard to read, try
Greek labels. (At least some of the wines have proprietary names,
like White Fox or Red Stag.)
But with the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, attention is likely
to be on all things Greek - even wine. As a result, some vintners
are taking advantage of the opportunity and trying to get the word
out about the new breed of Greek wines.
Wine has been a part of Greek culture for 4,000 years. Winemakers
had a lot to work with because there are more than 300 indigenous
grape varieties in the country. But as winemaking improved elsewhere
around the world, the Greeks began to fall behind.
Too many of the wines were oxidized or not very clean-tasting. In
recent years, some vintners also made the mistake of chasing after
varieties familiar to the world, such as chardonnay and cabernet
sauvignon. Even when the results are competent, they are rarely
exciting. Would most California consumers choose a Greek cabernet
over one from France, California or even Chile?
I think the future of Greek wines lies in a handful of those
tongue-twisting indigenous varieties. These grapes don't produce
big, fat Greek wines. Rather, they're racy and on the lean side,
with great acidity that pairs well with food. The whites stand very
nicely on their own, while some of the reds benefit from the
addition of a little merlot or cabernet to plump them up a bit, much
as some Chianti Classico producers add a little merlot to high-acid
sangiovese.
All About Greek Wine, a venture involving 16 wineries, recently
held a tasting for the trade and press in San Francisco. Some of the
wines were eye-opening, with flavors that had me searching beyond my
usual descriptors. And the wines exhibit fewer technical flaws, now
that Greek winemakers are being trained in the world's best wine
schools and are incorporating modern techniques.
The most common whites were made from assyrtiko, which yields a
citrusy, minerally wine and is most often associated with the island
of Santorini, and moschofilero, an aromatic, floral, pinkish grape
used for both whites and rosés. I particularly liked some of the
moschofileros, such as the 2002 Domaine Skouras ($15) and 2002
Domaine Tselepos "Mantinia" ($14). They are very crisp wines with
notes of orange blossom, lime peel and mineral. There was also an
interesting robola from Gentilini on the island of Cephalonia; the
wine was perfumey and floral with a slight musky quality.
Kir Yianni Estate had an impressive rosé. The 2002 Akakies ($13),
with crisp cranberry flavors and good weight, is made by Yiannis
Boutaris, who left his family's large Boutari Winery to start his
own estate in Macedonia. He also brought an interesting red that
showed the value of blending. The 2001 Yianakohori ($20) is a blend
of xinomavro (the name literally means "acid black",so you get
the idea) with merlot, which adds some plushness.
Some of the best reds were from Domaine Skouras in the
Peloponnesus. Winemaker George Skouras was trained in Burgundy and
is producing lovely, stylish wines. The 2001 St. George ($14) - St.
George is the translation of the grape variety, agiorghitiko - has
pretty cherry flavors, accented by mineral, as well as great
acidity, supple texture and a long finish. It's a bargain. From the
same grape comes the 2001 Grand Cuvee ($26), a weightier wine with
more structure. And the 2001 Megas Oenos ($20), a blend of
agiorghitiko and cabernet, tastes of black cherry, anise, tobacco
and rose petals.
There were some stellar muscats, most of them sweet, from the
co-operative on the Aegean island of Samos. The 2003 Odyssey ($15),
a dry muscat, is flowery and crisp. And I loved the 2000 Nectar
($29/375ml), a sweet wine made from grapes that have been partially
dried. These wines are not yet available here, but look for them in
the coming months.
Not represented was Boutari Winery, but I've previously tasted
some very good wines, especially the whites, from that large
producer. Look for the Kreitkos ($9), a simple, refreshing white
from Crete; Santorini ($12); and Moschofilero ($14).
You won't be able to find Greek wines at the supermarket. Even
stores or restaurants that sell them probably will have only a few.
But for a change of pace, these are fascinating wines.
For information, including details about importers, go to
allaboutgreekwine.com.
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