The Beginning of My Greek Wine Love

 

 

When most people think of Greece, they think of arid, olive tree-laden pastures that are surrounded by ruins of a time that has long since past. They think of the Olympics, and of a proud, learned people that helped to guide the science and arts for the rest of the world. When most people think about Greek wine, well, let's just say that Retsina does not bring a welcoming smile to people’s faces anymore. As a matter of fact, the majority of people, including the “wine community," don’t think about Greek wine much at all. I, like many other sommeliers and wine professionals, have not paid much attention at all to the wines of Greece—other than some esoteric questions we studied while working on the MS. However, I recently had a mind-altering experience that will forever change my way of thinking about Greek wine. Between September 2 and 12, 2007, I was immersed in one of the most enlightening wine trips that I have ever been on. I, along with eight other Master Sommeliers and the two organizers of the trip, traveled to the majority of the best Greek wine producing regions—literally all over the country, as well as a few of the islands. During these 10 days, we tasted through the best indigenous varietals, as well as some international varietals that could easily compete in the world market. We also had the chance to get a feel for the lay of the land, geography, geology, and climate of the major wine producing regions.

 

 

Before getting into the details of the current shape of Greek wines, I must give you a brief history of the past few millennia. Archaeologists have known that the consumption of wine dates back to about 2000 BC, primarily on the island of Crete during the Minoan civilization. However, most of the wine that was consumed came from both Egypt and Asia Minor during the height of their trade. But, through carbon dating of grape seeds found on Crete, it is thought that there was some cultivation of vines during that time. Around 700 BC, the cultivation of vines began to flourish throughout the country and wine became part of the socio-economic structure. The next few millennia brought about many wars, which brought the industry to many highs and lows. It was not until after World War II that we begin to see the makings of the current wine industry in Greece. During this period, the large-scale producers emerged and began to shape the largest growth in the Greek wine market, both nationally and internationally. It was primarily through their traditional wine, Retsina, which grew a large base of consumers. All over the world, people enjoyed this unique, pine-influenced wine that was consumed in homes, as well as Greek restaurants around the world. Conversely, it was also Retsina that started the decline of Greek wines in the world market. Greek became known for only Retsina, and their other indigenous varietals remained relatively unknown. Moving into the eighties and nineties, we see the beginnings of modern-day Greek wine industry. We also see the proliferation of the small producers focusing on indigenous varietals, as well as some international varietals to sustain them economically. Finally, we have Greece joining the European Union, which helps them establish a more regimented appellation system and also provide monetary assistance to aid them in the growth of the industry.

To define Greek wine simply would be one of the most difficult undertakings in the world. With so many varietals being cultivated all over the country, not to mention many of the islands, it would be like trying to describe French wine in a general sense. However, there was one common thread that I found all over that resonates throughout all of their wines: straightforward terroir. While many countries strive to find a sense of place in their wines, Greece has the fortune to have a terroir that influences its wines to the extreme. Regardless of where you are on the Greek mainland, the dominance of limestone in the wines can easily be seen. From all points of the country you can find multiple variants of limestone, including marble, ferrous limestone, powdered limestone, and rocky limestone. One need only look outside at the white reflective soil in the vineyard to notice this. The influence that this puts on the wine not only adds to the flavor of the wines, both white and red, but also to the texture. For the white wines this is a welcome characteristic, adding a vibrant minerality to local varietals such as Assyrtiko, Moscofilero, Savatiano, and Roditis. For the red wines, it becomes a very different story. The easiest way to compare the textural element that the limestone adds to the red wines is to compare it to the wines of Pommard and Volnay, whereas in their youth, the minerality intensifies the acidity and almost makes the wines to seem even more austere. The consensus among those on the trip was that the best way to counteract this dominant characteristic in the reds was to focus more on ripeness. With the more robust varietals like Agiorghitiko and Xinomavro, adding more richness of fruit would balance with the textural element of the earth.

 

There are two major influences that are currently shaping the quality of wines in Greece, one which deals with the “by the book” winemaking and the other dealing with Greek’s youth in the European Union. The first is the only negative which was seen during the entire trip through the country: the technical aspect of winemaking. It was as if many of the winemakers were trained in Bordeaux 20 years ago. The heavy-handed use of sulfur was the biggest of these problems. Instead of focusing on the needs of the wines, we found that most of the winemakers followed a technical recipe, which in the end was one third more, up to two times more, sulfur than the majority of rest of the wines in the world. In some of the wines, this “blew-off” after a period of time, but for the majority of the wines it was a major fault. The only other major problem that we found was the use of prefermentation cold-soak on white wines, primarily on Moscofilero. With such a crisp aromatic white wine, this process brought out too much bitterness in this pink varietal that mask its wonderful aromatics and vibrant finish. Overall, these winemaking negatives were not very detrimental to the wines. They are elements that are being addressed, and we will, hopefully, soon see those as a thing of the past.

           

Greece’s induction into the European Union was a major help to the wine industry, overall. One of the main factors this impacted is the financial influence that this has on many of the new producers. Many of these producers are being subsidized by the EU to help build new wineries, as well as acquire and plant new vineyards. Though many are small, they are starting off with some of the most high-tech wineries in the world. This, in turn, is giving many of the already well-established wineries reason to renovate their currently outdated wineries. Overall, this has helped start a trend of cleanliness and quality. The only downfall seen with these new wineries is maybe a little bit too much technology a bit too soon. On more than one occasion we saw incredibly old, indigenous vines, with relatively new winemakers and a lot of technology at their disposal. The end product was not a bad wine, but a wine that could be from any grape, anywhere—just more expensive. This is also something that is being remedied; most of these winemakers realize that they are dealing with a high learning curve, but wanted to build a winery with everything that they feel could enhance what the land could offer.

 

Alpha Estate's new EU-sponsored winery in Amynteon. 

Though we found incredible wines in every region that we visited, there are three main areas that stand out amongst the rest, which are Santorini, Nemea, and Mantinia in Peleponnese, and Naoussa in Macedonia. The overall quality—or the potential for it—is the highest in each of these regions. When we spoke of overall quality, we realized that we tried not to include the international varietals. The producers that focused on the local varietals and the region were most important.

 

Out of all the regions that we visited, the small island of Santorini is the region that we were the most surprised. They have been cultivating vines and making wine in some of the harshest conditions imaginable for millennia. First, the incredibly hard volcanic soil makes it hard enough to plant grapes, but the bigger factor that adds difficulty in the vineyards is the wind. With trade-like winds blowing constantly the vines like to shut down; they have difficulty completing photosynthesis which renders them useless. To counteract this, vines are trained in an unusual method. Instead of trellising the wines in a traditional manner, they are trained on the ground and rolled into a turban-like shape. This, of course, adds to the cost of the wines as everything must be hand picked and the yields are incredibly low. The wines themselves are truly remarkable. The main grape which is grown here, and is the grape which must be used for the Santroni appellation, is Assyrtiko, one of the rare grapes that can get very ripe while at the same time retain high acidity. Two of the properties on Santorini are making Assyrtiko that that could compete with any white wine in the world, Gaia and Boutari. There, Assyrtiko would have characteristics of lemon curd and honeysuckle and seemed like they would be incredibly rich; however, once in the mouth they were lean and vibrant with intense acidity and minerality. There was one producer that was not only making wine that could compete against any white wine in the world, this producer was making world-class wines. Paris Sigalas is probably the hardest working man in Santorini. Tasting his wines back 13 years, we could truly see the depth and class of this great grape. Not only is Assyrtiko an incredibly age-worthy grape, but it is also one of the few chameleon grapes that can do incredibly well with or without oak. Without having to write out the tasting notes for 13 years of barrel-aged and non-aged Assyrtiko, we found other ways to quickly describe his wines: Grand Cru White Burgundy, Grand Cru Chablis, Haut Brion Blanc, Domaine Leflaive. When using these great wines as a descriptor, it is easy to see the quality level that Sigalas is achieving. The biggest problem that all of these producers are dealing with is the tourist industry. Every year, more vines are being ripped out to make way for a new hotel, inn, or resort. However, with the emotions that these three producers invested in their land, we think they will be around for a while.

 

 

Peleponnese is the largest of the islands that form the Greek mainland, so it is no wonder that the regions here are some of the most diverse in all of Greece. In central Peleponnese is the town of Arcadia, which is home to the region of Mantinia. Mantinia is the appellation designated for the use of the Moscofilero grape. I, like many others, had always believed that Moscofilero was related to Muscat, due to its citrus aromatics, overall profile, as well as a little misinformation. However, Mosofilero is actually related to the Traminer grape. It is a pink-skinned grape that is extremely versatile. From Domaine Tselepos and Spiropoulos Estate, we tried a multitude of styles, ranging from crisp and dry, to sparkling, to aromatic and sweet. Here the Moscofilero takes on flavors of citrus blossom with crisp acidity, as well as the tell-tale limestone soil that adds textural richness and length—also very good for the sparkling wines. It is in northeastern Peleponnese where the best reds are made, in Nemea. Here is where the legend of Hercules reigns supreme with his cunning overtaking of the lion. It is also the place where St. George first influenced Greece with monotheism, hence the name of one of their most famous grapes, Agiorghitiko. The best examples of this grape take on characteristic similar to a ripe Sangiovese, with intense flavors of cherry, tart blackberries. In a small enclave in the mountains of Nemea is the town of Koutsi, where the best Agiorghitiko is made. Producers Gaia and Domaine Skouras are by far the most formidable of this grape. Fortunately the majority of the wines are priced on the lower end of the scale, making classic Agiorghitiko that has flavors of red and black cherry, moderate tannins, as well as the vibrant, textural earth that also accentuates the acidity in the wines. Both producers are also making phenomenal, high-end cuvées that can be rich, concentrated and incredibly age worthy. Many of these wines have names like Megas Oenos and Labrynth, which instead of using sometimes difficult to read labels, they have proprietary names that are very attractive to consumers.

 

 

Naoussa is located in the Greek region of Macedonia—not to be confused with the country of the same name. It is here that Xinomavro is king and the oldest examples of this grape are being grown. In both Naoussa and Amynteon, a region northwest of Naoussa, we find the two producers that I feel have currently the best quality wines, as well the most potential. The producer with the most potential is Alpha Estate. This producer is located in Amynteon and truly on the cutting edge of the Greek wine industry with both their wines and their marketing. Not only are they producing wines from 80-year-old Xinomavro, but they are making proprietary blends with other estate-grown grapes such as Tannat, Montepulciano, and Barbera. The wines are made in a very “New World” style, along with progressive names and labels like Alpha One and Omega; these wines will surely capture the attention of the American market.

 

One of my favorite producers on the entire trip was Ktima Kir Yianni. Yiannis Boutaris replanted the first vineyards in Yianakohori in the sixties that began a revival of Naoussa. It was in 1996 when he broke away from his family's company, Boutari, to make his own wines with his family. Today, he produces wines from the same vineyards which he planted, fortunately he was able to retain them, and is making the best Xinomavro in Greece. The grape itself, which means acid-black, produces wines exactly like its name would suggest: rich with concentrated black fruits along with high acidity and backbone. The wines the Yiannis produces reflect his years of experience in these vineyards. This area has both clay and sand soils that, of course, also have limestone sub-soils. By using up to 10 different clones of Xinomavro, he has the vines performing exactly as he wants to when the conditions are optimal. Tasting wines back to the early nineties, it is easy to see how these wines can age. In their youth they are dark and rich with powdery earth and well-integrated tannins, with age they take on characteristics like “Old School” Napa Valley Zinfandel, with flavors of dried, tart berries, tobacco, and spice. Though his reds are truly phenomenal, it is only fair to mention the white wines from Savatiano and Roditis that are also made at Kir Yianni. One in particular is Petra, made solely from Roditis could be closely compared to the great examples of Albariño that we see today having so much success in America. Fortunately, it is priced in the same category, with a very simple name that will attract those who don’t want to deal with long, confusing names on labels.

 

 

Though Greece is an Old World winemaking country, it is truly moving full steam ahead with a New World winemaking vigor. The quality that already exists in these wines will become a force to be reckoned with, not to mention the potential quality that will soon take the world by storm. We are already starting to see the beginnings of this with cutting-edge restaurants pouring these wines by the glass, but by also seeing small importers like Ted Diamantes striving hard to bring these wines to sommeliers' glasses. Once they are in the glass they usually speak for themselves, and any preconceived notion that we may have had about Greek wines disappears from the first sip. Within the next decade, I believe that people will know regions like Naoussa, Nemea, and Santorini without discussing their vacation plans. Moscofilero and Xinomavro will become more common, like Albariño and Mourvèdre are today. Though Retsina will always be a wine that you have to have when you are in Greece, it is the other grapes that will soon be gracing our tables at home.