Most people don’t think of Greece when they think of wine. Which is unfortunate, because Greece has some interesting, reasonably priced, high quality wines. It also has an unsurpassed winemaking history: Greeks began making wine around 4,500 B.C. and developed many of the basic winemaking techniques that we still utilize today. They spread their wine culture throughout the Mediterranean, with the Romans and other western European cultures picking up the torch in later centuries.
- Greece – as was the case with many countries – had a stretch of pretty awful wines for a while, but Greek wines began a resurgence in the 1980s when a handful of winemakers from France and California recognized that they could make some pretty special wines there and brought their knowledge and money along. They were helped by some generous European Union subsidies.
Let’s make this simple. The challenge with Greek wines is that they’re complicated, with unfamiliar regions and grapes, and bottles sometimes labeled in an unfamiliar language. So, today we’ll focus on just one area, the island of Santorini, and its most famous wine, Assyrtiko.
- Greece has several hundred indigenous grapes that you won’t find elsewhere in the world, such the white Assyrtiko and Moschofilero and the red Agiorgtiko. These, grown on the unique Greek terroir, produce very distinctive wines.
Santorini is a dormant volcano in the Aegean sea. Some Greeks consider it to be the legendary lost island of Atlantis. It’s extremely windy and, to avoid damage, the vines are pruned into ground-hugging baskets called ambelies (pictured above). The island’s soil consists of lava rocks which impart a unique flavor. The island’s signature grape is Assyrtiko, which is produced throughout Greece but is native to Santorini and there it makes incomparable lean, white wines, with citrus and almond notes and often a hint of salt from the sea breezes.
- Assyrtiko is unusual for a white grape because it grows well and has good acid in a hot climate. It’s a great choice for people looking for an unconventional, intense dry white – if you like Sauvignon Blanc, for example, give this a try.
- Greece follows the EU wine quality pyramid, with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) at the top level, and there is a Santorini Assyrtiko PDO. Except they call it OPAP (onomasía proeléfseos anotéras poiótitos) – see what I mean about complicated?
Our wine of the week is a 2019 Greek Wine Cellars “Flowers” Assyrtiko from the Santorini PDO ($18 retail). This is a really nice wine, and a bargain for the price. It’s straw yellow, with aromas of citrus, vanilla, white flowers and maybe a hint of honey suckle. On the palate, the first impression is a very nice almond, followed by light citrus, noticeable minerality, and a touch of salt from the sea breezes. The wine is medium bodied, with a 13 percent alcohol level and a medium finish.
- It’s a great aperitif. Try it with some feta cheese, kalamata olives, roasted tomatoes and fresh oregano – and a splash of olive oil. Or, a Greek salad. It also pairs well with seafood (Santorini is an island – no surprise there) or poultry.
- The bottom line: we're putting some of this wine in our cellar for warm summer evenings. It's capable of aging for about ten years, although I would drink it young.
Cheers!