Geekin' on Greek Wines

Last week I had an opportunity to go to a tasting of a major distributor and I tried some very cool wines that I may not normally buy. So although it's not too mainstream, I thought I'd take an opportunity to honor a great Twitter friend who is an advocate of Greek wine and talk about the wines from this ancient land.

Why bother addressing a product that's kind of hard to find and a little esoteric? I'll give you three reasons:

1. This is one of the early meccas of wine production. The Greeks have loved their vino for millennia. Therefore to love wine, you have to love the Greeks.

2. Although I can't pronounce most of the stuff, the native grapes are pretty damn good and certainly worth a try to change up the routine.

3. These wines are getting better all the time and if the producers can stay on track, you'll be ahead of the trend by at least knowing they're out there when they finally hit the mainstream.

Greece is so cool in the world of wine because its chock full of history. Knowing just a little about the history tells us what was going on in the Western world from an economic and cultural standpoint. The Puritanical, teetotaling ways of the modern world were completely unheard of during the reign of the Greeks (I guess people had more important things to think about back then, like survival and overthrows of empires and stuff). I think it's kind of cool to look at history through the eyes of Dionysus (the Greek god of the vine!).

When I say that Greek wine tradition is old, I really mean it. We have evidence that grapes were cultivated in Greece before the Bronze Age (which started in about 3000 BC). On the island of Crete, archaeologists dug up grape remains and wine jars from 2000 BC and the Greek poet Homer (as in The Odyssey, The Illiad -- not Bart's dad) talked plenty about the Greek and Trojan soldiers chugging the good stuff. If you don't think that's proving the case that wine has deep roots in Greece, know that it was also mentioned by Hippocrates and Plato.

And if you think that the way grapes were grown back in the day was much different than it is now, think again. We know that the Greeks trained the vines in rows, pruned the vines to make sure the grapes got maximum sunlight, and paid attention to terroir (check out the podcast for more info on this).

They were so into wine that in the Classical Period, they brought vines to Sicily and Southern Italy, Southern France, and the coast of the Black Sea, and taught the Romans how to grow grapes. Let' s be honest, Greeks slutted around with their wine knowledge -- and left amphorae everywhere they went.

I know I've just nerded out big time but this is all to point out that starting in ancient times, wine was a huge part of trade, and was pivotal in the Greek economy in the heyday.

But this all begs the question that I've always had about Greece...what the hell happened? The Phoenicians settled Southern Spain in about 1100 BC, Southern Italy was kickin' it with wine in BC times, and once the Romans spread their love, France and Germany got in on the act too. Why are these countries the juggernauts of wine and when did Greece fall off the grid? Because, frankly, the country did an awesome job building ships to service the world, but seems to have left the wine at home.

Blame the Byzantines and then the Ottomans. With their 1500 year reign the monks and the Venetians killed Greek wine trade. Each group dominated the wine market, leaving no room for winemaking Greeks to make a living at their centuries-old craft. Unfortunately the monks in this part of the world were far less productive than those in France and instead of classifying vineyards and doing soil studies, as the Benedictines and Cistercians did in Burgundy, I guess the Greek sects just concentrated on their books -- good for developing the Greek Orthodox tradition, not so much for maintaining the vinous one.

The effects of these cultures on Greek wine and the unrest that came with independence in the 1800s have had lasting negative effects. While the rest of Western Europe progressed and grew sophisticated wine cultures, Greece was still using ancient techniques to make wine. Example: Retsina, the horrible non-wine that most tourists drink when they go to Greece (except me. I don't remember drinking it when I was there about 10 years ago -- just non-descript white and, on several poorly judged occasions, too much Ouzo).

Retsina came from an ancient tradition of sealing up amphorae with plaster and pine resin to preserve the wine and allow it to keep after harvest. If you don't believe that wine can pick up nasty flavors from its closure (hence why I hate plastic corks), check this wine out. It tastes like pine wine. Actually, Tom Stevenson in Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia brings up a wholly valid point -- it's technically not even wine, but something closer to Vermouth, which is made by mixing fermented grape juice with herbs and spices.

I'm surprised that this nasty ass wine is still around but the Greeks have acquired the taste and it's now part of the culture. But this phenomenon is part of the reason modern winemakers have had a hard time making and selling their wines domestically. This musty, piney, turpentine flavor is what people expect from Greek wine and changing perceptions and palates ain't so easy...

But there are a few good folks who are trying. Given that the climate is very hot and drought prone for grape growing and the terrain varied and mountainous, it can be a challenge to make wine here. But if you position the vineyards on limestone soils, facing north to avoid scalding, and plant at altitude, the possibilities for premium wine start to look good. Especially if there is money invested in modern technology and refrigeration, which is a must in a place where summers can be sub-tropical.

Although they may have missed the boat at first (BAD pun), Greece should thank its shipping moguls who like wine. They started this revolution in the 1970s and 80s and slowly but surely boutique wineries have sprung up and are starting to make wine worth knowing about.

I tasted three Greek wines at the Pinnacle Wines Tasting -- all native grapes. Mixed results but I see the promise...

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Wine 1: Domaine Spiropoulos Ode Panos Non-Vintage Sparkling Wine
Where It's From: Mantinia, Greece (in the Peloponesse on mainland Greece, it's located on a plateau 650 meters high)
The Grape: 100% Moschofilero (Mo-sho-FEE-le-ro), a native WHITE Greek grape
Price: About $25

Color: Pale, pale straw and not much bubble to speak of. I was a little surprised since the wine is made in the Charmat/tank fermentation method (the second fermentation that makes the bubbles is done in bulk instead of in individual bottles) and usually its pretty effervescent (with bigger bubbles than wines made in the traditional method) but this was not too bubbly.

Smell: A stellar example of a wine expressing the sense of place. Or, I could be less nice and say that it *stinks* of the earth on which it grew. I had to take a few sniffs before I could get over this pasture-like, chalky smell. I am known to love earthy wines, but this was a little much even for me. It reminded me of a trip to Ireland where sheep and sheep remnants were ubiquitous. On a positive note, after powering through the strong smell, there was a very pleasant clover smell that was kind of fresh and unique.

Taste: Yikes. Too much of a good thing for me. And that thing was sharp acid with no balance in creamy texture or fruit/floral flavors to offset the pinch in my mouth. This was austere to a fault.

Drink or Down the Sink?: This is a down the sink for me. I love an acidic wine and one that expresses where it's from, but this was over the top. The acid burned and there was nothing pleasant to balance it. For $25, there are many other desireable sparklers to have from France, Spain, the US, and Italy. I've had Moschofilero in the still version and found it to be really nice and refreshing. Could be an issue with the producer or the blend. Don't know but I won't be trying this one again...certainly another version, but not this one.

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Wine 2: Argyros 'Atlantis Red'
Where It's From: Santorini, Greece (an island)
The Grape: Mandilaria (90%) [ mahn dee lar YAH ] and Mavrotragano (10%) [ mah-vroh-trah-gah-NOH], native RED Greek grapes
Vintage: 2006
Price: $18

Color: This was a lovely light garnet color. It's a 5 year old wine, so I expected a little browning (red wines get lighter with time) but it still looked fresh.

Smell: You know, similar to the Moschofilero, the overwhelming impression was of land, although with a twist. Dirty clothes or dirty garden gloves. There was a little bit of raspberry and strawberry fruit aroma, but the main note was this dirty fabric note.

Taste: Not much fruit to be found here. The wine was slightly tannic, a bit like sour cranberry, and had a note that reminded me of acetone/nail polish remover. It had a short finish -- just kind of ended unceremoniously. I found it a little thin and, like the previous wine, a tad off balance. There just weren't enough other flavors to balance the tannin and pungent earth.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Also down the sink. Not sure I could find an occasion or food for this wine. That said, I see potential for the grape and would love to try a better version that was more balanced.

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Wine 3: Gaia Estate Notios
Where It's From: Upper Nemea in the mainland Pelopenesse area
The Grape: 100% Agiorgitiko [ Ah-yor-YEE-ti-ko ], a native RED Greek grape
Vintage: 2008
Price: $15

Color: A dark ruby with thick tears from the 13.5% alcohol, this looked like a rich wine. I was excited after the last one -- I was kind of craving some fruit...or at least some balance to the dirt.

Smell: And I got it! Although still stinky and dirty, this wine had lush fruit. Raspberry, dark cherry, and cooked strawberry. Now we're talking. I liked the balance I smelled in this glass and was excited to taste this wine (as a side note, had I known about this producer, this makes sense. Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, one half of the winemaking team, studied in Bordeaux and is lauded as a major player in modernizing the Greek wine industry).

Taste: This was a great little wine. There was some nice licorice and raspberry fruit flavors. The tannins were light and the overall impression of the wine was one of balance and goodness.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink. Loved it. A nice, medium-bodied wine that seems like it could match up with medium meats/grilled vegetables that have herbal rubs or flavors, or even heavy fish with a soy glaze.

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Overall, I say try Greek wines. As the industry gets on its feet, this stuff is only getting better and with this much tradition and pride behind it, the country is poised for good things in the future.