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By Michael Franz
for The Washington Post
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
If you are eating Greek food, you've got a good
reason to try Greek wine. If you are just trying to get into
the Olympic spirit, you've got another reason. However, my
experience suggests that the only reason you really need to try
Greek wine is a bottle of Greek wine. Because Greek wines rock.
Given the timing of this column, I wouldn't blame
you for suspecting me of Olympic opportunism. Yet the fact
is that I've profiled Greek wines here four times in the recent
past and for good reasons: They are among the world's most distinctive
and food-friendly wines and are seriously under appreciated by most
American consumers.
If your recollection of Greek wine carries the
baggage of Retsina (a traditional wine containing pine resin that
has its defenders, among whom I do not number) or of something oxidized
or awkwardly sweet from the bad old days, I'm pleased to report
such stuff has given way to fresh, vivid wines, both white and red.
Vine training and winemaking are very ancient
practices in Greece. Archaeological evidence indicates that
wine was significant in Greek and Minoan culture well before the
advent of the ancient Olympic games, as long as 3,000 years ago.
Winemaking in Greece has continued uninterrupted
since that time, though centuries-long occupation of the country
by the tee totaling Ottoman Turks curtailed it considerably and
also severed its connection to Europe. Independence and establishment
of a Modern Greek state promised a wine renaissance, but that promise
went unfulfilled due to the disruptions of two world wars and a
civil war.
Vinous modernity came even later to Greece than
to late bloomers such as Portugal and southern Italy, but come it
did, and by the 1980s Greek wines began showing dramatic improvements.
The prime catalysts were temperature-controlled fermenters and the
first generation of scientifically trained viticulturalists and
winemakers. But the deepest roots of the current resurgence spring
from the land itself.
Vineyards are speckled across much of Greece's
mountain slopes, broad plains and beautiful islands in the Aegean
and Ionian seas. Vineyard soils are as varied as the country's
topography, and, with more than 300 indigenous grape varieties at
their disposal, Greek winegrowers have a remarkably varied palette
from which to craft interesting wines. Imported grapes have also
done well, including the usual suspects: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
and Chardonnay. However, recent improvements in equipment
and expertise have proved that Greece's best native grapes can make
truly extraordinary wines, and among these the most clearly outstanding
are Moschofilero and Assyrtiko on the white side and Agiorgitiko
and Xynomavro on the red.
Judging solely by latitude, one might guess that
most of Greece is too hot to make interesting wine. Yet many
vineyards are cooled by elevated altitudes or by proximity to the
seas, so that, judging solely by the wines, one might never guess
that Greece is a hot country. Few whites or reds exhibit the
high alcohol, low acidity or general heaviness of wines from hot
growing regions, and the great majority are either light- or medium-bodied.
As a result, these wines tend to be refreshing
rather than tiresome and are extremely versatile with food -- but
not so heavy or rough as to require it. Only wines made from
Xynomavro are consistently too tannic to drink on their own, but
even they will behave themselves when partnered with cheese, and
Greece's glorious feta cheeses perform this function deliciously.
This is one of many terrific pairings of Greek
wines and foods, as you can discover from the recipes on Page 4,
all of which are accompanied by wine recommendations based on trials
of the dishes with wines reviewed here.
Moschofilero: This
wonderful variety is grown predominantly in the northern Peloponnese,
yielding wines that are fresh and zesty but also soft in texture
and easy to enjoy.
Santorini: Santorini
is among the most famous and beautiful of all the Greek isles, and
it produces one of the world's most distinctive wines. Trust
me on this: These wines seem a bit odd at first but become more
convincing with every sip, and prove phenomenally interesting with
almost any food appropriate for white wine.
Blends: Greek winemakers
-- like their Australian counterparts -- are inventive blenders.
Consistently outstanding is Biblia Chora White (Pangeon) 2003, a
superb, 50-50 blend of Assyrtiko and Sauvignon Blanc. Light
in body but packed with citrus flavor, with undertones of minerals,
straw and smoke, it is a great sipper and a terrific partner for
all sorts of foods. Kir-Yianni (Florina) "Samaropetra" 2003
is made from unspecified percentages of Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer
and Roditis, which may sound like strange bedfellows to those who
know the grapes but which produce a wonderful interplay between
crisp citrus notes and soft floral ones.
Malagousia: This
grape can produce exciting wine when well made, and Gerovassiliou
(Epanomi) 2003 is so much fun that it seems vaguely illegal, with
expressive floral aromas, rich, soft fruit and just enough acidity
to keep the wine in line.
Rosé: High-class
dry rosé is greatly appreciated in most Mediterranean countries
for its great versatility with summer foods, and Kir-Yianni (Amyndeon)
"Akakies" 2003 offers a case in point. It is impeccably dry
but hardly austere, with wonderful strawberry- and red cherry-scented
fruit and a long, clean finish. It was the most versatile
of all the wines tasted with today's recipes.
Agiorgitiko: This
grape (sometimes transliterated as "St. George") produces wines
that are deep and satisfying in flavor but soft and rounded in texture.
Xynomavro: This
is the greatest grape of northern Greece, and though it is always
structured with tannin and acidity, it can make wines of supreme
intricacy when fully ripened. Karydas (Naoussa) 2000 is a brilliant
example, with little complexities recalling dark berries, black
cherries, roasted meats, tobacco and smoke. Kir-Yianni (Naoussa)
"Ramnista" 1999 shows much the same character in a slightly subtle
form, and though it is clearly second in the pecking order here,
it is a fine rendition from a tough vintage.
Blends: Kir-Yianni
(Macedonia) "Paranga" 2001 is a successful synthesis of Greece's
two greatest red grapes (Xynomavro and Agiorgitiko), with deep flavors
but light body that permits successful pairing with fish or any
light meat.
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