A Guide to Greek Wine |
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There is more to Greek wine than Retsina. This page will tell you all you need to know about Greek wine and where to find out more
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Retsina is my preferred
wine and most of the time that is what is available in
those barrels. But many tavernas also have an
excellent red, or a white which is not resinated. Most
restaurants are proud of their wine though not all the
restaurants make their own. Some buy it from
distillers by the barrel or by large jug, and in some
touristy restaurants homemade wine, or
hima
, as it is called, is not even available and you have
to take your chances with the wine list. Lately many restaurants have been buying bulk wine in boxes and filling the carafes from them. But before you get upset I want to reassure you that many of these boxed wines are pretty good and in some cases it is the same bulk wine the restaurants have always had, but now it comes in boxes. But walking into a restaurant and seeing barrels stacked is usually a sign that they make their own wine and you should try that first before you try any bottled wine they may have. But my rule is to always ask for local wine (doh-pio) and then ask for hee-ma or wine in a carafe (karafaki) and hope for the best. It is rare that I will get a house wine so bad that I send it back and order a bottle from the wine list, but it does happen. I always ask if it's good (eeneh kalo?) and they always say absolutely (veh-vay-os). But what else are they gonna say? It's terrible? |
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Nowadays retsina from the barrel is hit or miss. But if you go to a taverna and it is full of happy Greek people drinking from glasses that are being refilled over and over again from a carafe then chances are the retsina is pretty good. When it's not, mix it with soda water like I do. This also will enable you to drink all night long. One of the things I have noticed is that I can drink a lot of retsina and still not be hung over the next day. My kidneys may hurt like hell but otherwise I feel great, considering. |
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THE ILLUSTRATED GREEK WINES BOOK These are the bottled Retsinas which Mr. Manessis favors:
Boutaris:
Light and fruity and
lightly resonated. |
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These are my faves (next to hima from the barrel of course)
Vrettos:
This is my favorite
and can be found only at Vrettos Distillery on
Kydatheneon street in the Plaka. |
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Favorite Wines of Nico Manessis These are the wines Nico Manessis has rated four-star and above. You won't find them everywhere and when you do they won't be cheap especially if the dollar keeps losing fground to the euro. If you are interested in tasting the large variety of wines in Greece I urge you to purchase this book which reviews hundreds of wines in all different varieties. If you wish to purchase this book before you go to Greece try e-mailing Olive Press Publications at olivepress@ath.forthnet.gr |
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Antonopoulos Chardonnay: Green gold in color. Lime and sweet oak on the nose. Lemon fruity richness-a palate full of roasted hazelnuts. Elegant. World class. Antonopoulos 1997 Cabernet-Nea Dris: Playful nose features eucalyptus and red berries. Balanced, multi-layered, ripe tannins. Dazzling concentration, freshness and depth. Best from 2002. Arghyros 1998 Santorini Vareli: Nose reminiscent of Chardonnay and lemon. Spice and white pepper on the palate. Yeasty. Toasty. Atypical. A cosmopolitan Santorini. World Class. Dalmaras 1992 Naoussa: Deep color. A complete nose alternating mulberry and leather. Compact, velvety smooth tannins have a gamy richness. A great bottle, best from 2000. 1997 Gaia Estate: Delivering both power and velvety texture, this serious, fine, unfiltered wine has raised the stakes in the Nemea Appellation. Best after 2004. The 1998 vintage-tasted in cask- is even more concentrated. Lazaridis Amethystos Cava: Almost black. Pure fruit evokes the essence of Cabernet Sauvignon. Skillful use of oak. Exquisite, long, smoky end-taste. Unfiltered. Much finesse.
Tselepos
1998
Mantinia: Seductive,
exotic, floral nose. Violets bursting with grapes
and fruit on the palate. Extended bone-dry Muscat
aftertaste and searing acidity that goes on and
on. A bold Mantinia from this ultra-ripe
vintage. |
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Matt's Favorite WinesMethymneos
According to Mr. Lamprou...
If you are in
Lesvos to
visit Methymnaios Winery, turn left at the 24th
kilometre of the route Kaloni-Andisa-Sigri,
immediately after the village of Vatousa. Then,
follow the 7 kilometre road to the village of
Chidira. The winery is at the entrance of the
village. Signposts will lead you all along the
way. Visits are free of charge |
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Megapanos Wines
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The Rubaiyat of Melissinos
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Apollo's horses: in a splended dawn ascending Oh you who light the silver moon every night Before Old wounds have adequate time to clear |
The grapes sweet blood is life-giving As our dreams fly through time space and air The blasphemer's tongue and lips I wish them dry forever |
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You can buy the Rubaiyat of Melissinos (and sandals) from his shop next time you are in Athens or get more information from his son Pandelis at info@melissinos-art.com For More on the poet-sandalmaker Stavros Melissinos see www.athensguide.com/poet.html |
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I am a wine drinker. My favorite earthly activity is eating in a taverna
with my friends and drinking wine. My favorite
tavernas have their own wine, straight out of the
barrels, which are usually stacked against the wall.
We order it by the kilo and we can go through several
kilos in an evening. Glasses are continually being
refilled by each other without anything being said.
It's like a reflex or second nature to fill your
neighbors glass when you see it is empty. And when the
carafe is empty someone at the table just lifts it in
the air and catches the eye of a waiter, the busboy or
even the owner of the restaurant and in thirty seconds
it is full again.
There have been many explanations as to why retsina tastes the way it does.
The explanation is because they put pine resin in it
to make it taste like that and the reason is because
they like the taste. Some people have come up with
theories on how this all began. When we were kids we
heard (from other kids of course) that during world
war two the Greeks put the resin into the wine so the
Germans would think it was turpentine and not drink
it. That was a romantic theory but not a good one. But
according to Vassilis Kourtakis, who makes the most
popular of the bottled retsina, the ancient Greeks
knew that the air was the enemy of wine and used pine
resin to seal the tops of the amphora and even added
it to the wine itself.
I have a new hero. Nico Manessis has written an amazing book on Greek
wines called THE ILLUSTRATED GREEK WINES BOOK
which can be found in Athens at a small shop of
Cretan goods on the corner of Nikis and
Kydatheneon streets in the Plaka. The book is a
labor of love and anyone with an interest in Greek
wines should buy it and treasure it because not
only will it be invaluable when confronted with a
wine list in one of the more touristy restaurants,
but you will end up spending a great amount of
time reading the histories, descriptions and
explanations of the world of Greek wine, a world
that is just starting to be discovered. Even now Greek wines are finding their way into wine shops and gourmet food shops all over the United States and this book will help you choose a Greek wine that is perfect for you.
The island of Lesvos
was renown in antiquity for it's wine. It is
claimed the island had the finest soil and climate
for growing grapes and the wine from Lesvos was
the most treasured in the wine cellars of the
Byzantine Emperor. Unfortunately a blight killed
all the grapes on the island and wine-making on
Lesvos died out, one reason why ouzo is now the
drink of choice there. But in the remote
agricultural village of Xidera something very
special has happened. Dimitri Lamprou has been
paying farmers in the area to grow grapes again
using a disease resistant strain and organic
methods. He has built a state-of-the-art winery in
this village and has begun production of what I
think is one of the best red wines I have ever
tasted. Of course I don't have the expertise of Mr
Manessis, but I know what I like and I think if
you try this wine you won't be disappointed. The
wine is called
Methymneos
and was available in
Lesvos and by the time you read this may be
available elsewhere in
Greece too.
"I can name and
praise the wines produced in other cities
This wine I first found out about through Aglaia Kremezzi who served it at one of her famous dinners on the island of Kea. Then I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Megapanos one afternoon at Thalia's Mezedopouleon in Vourkari and he just happened to have a bottle with him. Since then I have been drinking it whenever
I can find it and of course whenever we get at invitation to Aglaia's. Megapanos makes several varieties including two from the well-known grapes of Nemea. Their vineyards and winery are located in Pikermi, a suburb of Athens in another area known for its vinyards. They have tours too and if you time it right you can go there on the way to or from the airport. See 
In the neigborhood of Psiri in Athens, on Agios Thelkas Street just off Ermou by the Monastiraki train station is the tiny workshop of Greece's great poet Stavros Melissinos. Workshop of a poet? Well, yes. You see Melissinos profession is as a sandal-maker, and in fact he is the most famous sandal-maker in Athens, which is a lot easier to make a living at than
writing poetry. His greatest work is his Rubaiyat which is a series of poems that I would describe as a spiritual exploration of the pain and sufferings of mortal life and on the joys of drinking wine, the cure to the pain and suffering. Here are a few of my favorite verses from the Rubaiyat of Melissinos. There are 127 verses in all and it has been translated from the original Greek into English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.