Greek Wines
Vintage image sourced on Pinterest
I haven’t been to Greece yet. “Yet” being the operative word here, since the country and its widely varied regions are high on my to-visit list. Even without personal experience, Greece has managed to push its way to the top of my list of Wineluck Club themes this week thanks to several synchronicities. It’s been one of those weeks where I have to wonder if I’ve been noticing Greek things more because it was a contender for this week’s theme, or if the Universe decided to send me signs. Friends have mentioned Greek travels in various regions. The MBA program I attended just posted a recap of a wine trip to Greece. Summery Greek recipes have been littering my inbox. You get the idea.
Greece is demanding its turn in the spotlight, so here I am, doing my best to give this ancient country’s wines their due.
Stuff to know
Greece is part of the ancient cradle of grapevine cultivation and wine creation. We’re talking 8,000 B.C., possibly even earlier. Greeks also introduced viticulture and wine to the Romans, who then spread both all over Europe, establishing the roots of modern viticulture in the process.
Even with its ancient history and centuries of winemaking, Greece hasn’t always held a high global reputation for its wine in the same way that Italy or France have. It wasn’t until the 1980s, when Greece received funding after joining the EU that ambitious agronomists and oenologists, many of whom trained abroad, used to begin to modernize Greek wines by focusing on native grape varieties in new, smaller wineries, prioritizing quality winemaking over bulk wine production and shifting packaging designs so that wine labels used the Western alphabet instead of the Greek one to better suit the international export market.
Since then, Greek wines have become increasingly popular and acclaimed, even though the native grapes aren’t exactly easily spelled or pronounced by non-Greeks. Breakout stars Assyrtiko and Xinomavro are the standouts, though Agiorgitiko and Malagousia aren’t too far behind. Before we get into all the wines though, let’s talk terroir. Greece’s wine regions can’t be summed up any more easily than those in Italy or France, but they’re less well known, so it’s worth a quick overview.
When you think of Greece, you might think of the central portion first, the peninsula where Athens lies. Depending on your travels, you might instead think of the Aegean islands first, with Santorini, Samos and Limnos. You might also think about Crete and the Peloponnese in the south. Wherever you’ve been or want to go, that region is most likely to form your impression of Greece. And hey, I like simplicity too…but Greece is much more than any one of its parts.
If you thought of coastline and beaches, you’re not wrong, since almost everywhere you could go in Greece is no more than 50 miles from the sea, whether it’s the Aegean, Mediterranean or Ionian. Almost 20 percent of Greece’s land mass is islands, which you probably expected…but did you know that almost 70 percent is mountainous?
Vines are planted on cool, inland mountain slopes up to 2,000 feet (610 meters) in northern Greece, where Xinomavro thrives and the land is bordered by Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania and Turkey. In central Greece, the largest wine region, there are mountains, hills, plains and river valleys planted with vines, and there’s Savatiano, a white grape variety used to make retsina, Greece’s famous (and infamous) traditional wine made with the addition of Aleppo pine resin as a nod to the ancient practice of sealing wine-filled clay amphorae with pine resin. In southern Greece, there’s the Peloponnese, where the red grape Agiorgitiko reigns supreme, and Crete, Greece’s largest island, where systematic grape growing and winemaking are thought to have first begun. And there are the Aegean islands, including Santorini, where Assyrtiko vines are trained in low, wreath-like coils with grapes inside to protect them from the heavy winds sweeping across lunar-like volcanic soils.
This tasting focuses on some of Greece’s most exported wine styles, but there are many, many more native grapes and various wine styles made all over this ancient, compelling country.
What to look for in this tasting
It’s not easy to summarize the styles and flavors of Greek wines, especially since this tasting includes whites, reds and rosés. Instead, I’ll let each wine’s description speak for itself, only mentioning here that these wines are all made with native Greek varieties grown almost entirely in Greece alone.
The wines
#1: Assyrtiko
Assyrtiko (”ah-seer-tee-koh”) wines are some of Greece’s most prestigious and best-known, and are especially common in Mediterranean-focused restaurants the world over. It helps that Assyrtikos are famed for their origins on Santorini, one of Greece’s top tourism destinations. Santorini lies atop a volcano whose collapse created a submerged crater, a caldera, whose eastern edge formed what we know as Santorini today. In addition to its nearly infertile volcanic soils, Santorini is windswept to the point of risking vine breakage, so the vines are trained low to the ground in round wreath-like shapes called kouloura (coil). Weaving the vines into their kouloura shape and carefully managing their growth is a specialized practice, a labor-intensive effort maintained by the few producers on the island keeping traditions and what are often very old vines alive.
Most Assyrtiko wines from Santorini and other Greek wine regions are dry, but the grape’s consistently high acidity lends itself well to sweet wines, too, so both styles are produced. The dry Assyrtiko wines can have surprisingly high alcohol levels, though I haven’t experienced any that taste unbalanced, and they tend to have flavors of lime zest, grapefruit, peach, and passion fruit with minerality that comes through as like saline, flint or smoke. Some wines will also have a toasty, honeyed or beeswax-like quality. Some producers partially age their Assyrtiko wines in oak, adding weight and roundness, while others use lees stirring to add creaminess and texture, which can also further emphasize the wines’ smoky, flinty qualities.
What to ask for: Ask for a dry Assyrtiko (since sweet wines are also produced)
Alternative(s): Stick with an Assyrtiko wine from anywhere in Greece
#2: Xinomavro
Xinomavro (”zee-noh-mahv-roh”) is probably best known today for being a poor man’s Barolo. The comparison isn’t exactly flattering, but there’s usually a kernel of truth in most sayings. In Xinomavro’s case, being a Greek grape variety hasn’t done the wine’s prices any favors, since Greek wine suffered internationally from years of tourists’ ideas of pine resin-flavored Retsina representing the whole of modern Greek wine. Today’s winemakers have adjusted to market demands, and are making wines with their native grapes like the world has never seen before, even if prices and prestige haven’t quite caught up yet.
Xinomavro wines get their comparison to Barolo from their pale, brick-red color and contrastingly large structure. High, grippy, grainy tannins and lithe acidity are juxtaposed with sweetly ripe red fruit flavors and abundant aromas of fresh herbs, dried tobacco leaves, olives and spices. These are full-bodied, savory red wines.
If you thought of beaches when you thought of Greek wine, in Xinomavro’s case, you’d be wrong. These grapes grow throughout central and northern Greece, and shine in the mountainous parts of Macedonia, particularly Naoussa and Amynteo.
What to ask for: Ask for a Xinomavro wine from Naoussa or Amynteo
Alternative(s): Stick with a Greek Xinomavro
#3: Agiorgitiko
Agiorgitiko (”ah-your-yee-tee-koh”) is yes, another mouthful of a name, but also the most widely planted red grape variety in Greece. Agiorgitiko is so popular partly because it’s so versatile…which also means that it’s not very easy to sum up what an Agiorgitiko wine does or “should” taste like. There are delicate rosé wines, juicy, light-bodied reds that sometimes undergo carbonic maceration that are delightful served with a chill, and age-worthy, structured and full-bodied Agiorgitiko reds that can stand up to the meatiest of meaty meals. Agiorgitko is also often blended with other red grapes, much like the Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc) are frequently blended with each other and other grapes to create robust red blends.
The region most closely associated with quality Agiorgitiko wines is its homeland, Nemea, in the Peloppenese in southern Greece, where vines are planted on flatlands, hillsides and on mountainsides, each contributing to a different style.
Flavor-wise, your experience will vary greatly depending on which style of wine you’ve found. Agiorgitiko rosés often have flavors of strawberry, raspberry, peach, melon or pomegranate with subtle floral or spice aromas. Light-bodied reds might have flavors of ripe strawberry, blackcurrant and cherries with hints of black pepper. Full-bodied, oak-aged Agiorgitiko wines are generally considered to be the top quality versions, and often have flavors of raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, black pepper, nutmeg and vanilla.
What to ask for: Ask by style name
Alternative(s): Stick with a red Agiorgitiko wine from any region in Greece
#4: Moschofilero
Moschofilero (”moh-sko-fee-leh-roh”) is an aromatic white grape variety, which means that it might also be polarizing. If you’re a fan of wines made from grapes like Muscat, Gewürtztraminer and Viognier whose aromas leap out of the glass before your nose is even at the rim, you’ll probably love Moschofilero wines. If floral-scented wines remind you of your grandma’s potpourri or bath soaps (as some friends have told me), these wines might not be your thing. The only way to find out though is to try, and in a Wineluck Club tasting, the pressure is off anyway.
Moschofilero wines are best known in Mantinia, a region in the Peloponnese in southern Greece, though the grape is planted elsewhere, too. The grapes themselves aren’t technically white - they’re rather like Pinot Grigio in that they tend to have a reddish or grey-ish color that can impart a bronze-y or pinkish color to the wine if there is skin contact in the winemaking process. Much like Vin Gris rosés in France, there are also pale rosé wines made by gently pressing darker-hued Moschofilero grapes in Greece.
Moschofilero wines tend to have refreshingly high acidity, lifting the heady aromas and flavors of roses, jasmine, orange blossom, lemon, grapefruit, peach and apricot.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a Moschofilero wine, preferably a still white or rosé wine
#5: Greek rosé
Ok, so rosé, as a French word and all, doesn’t sound all that Greek. Nor does the generic “Greek rosé.” But hear me out: Greek winemakers are making incredible rosé wines from their own native grape varieties, and it’s summer as I write this, and rosé pairs with damn near everything, so we’re just going to go with it.
There are many, many different types of Greek rosé, some with white grapes like Assyrtiko or Moschofilero in the mix, some with only native Greek varieties, some with international varieties like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon or Grenache. If you can find one, try a rosé made entirely from Agiorgitiko or Xinomavro. Xinomavro rosés in particular can be as complex and compelling as the best Bandol rosés from Provence, even with age-worthiness on the table…though I can’t imagine they’ll last all that long anyway.
Greek rosés’ color and character vary widely, from the palest salmon-pink to bright ruby, and some rosés might be bright, zippy and refreshing, while others might have subtle tannic structure that begs to be paired with grilled fare. You might find flavors of watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, red currants, or grapefruit, orange peel or apricots, dried herbs, fresh orange blossom or ginger.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a Greek rosé of any style
#6: Malagousia
Malagousia (”mah-lah-goo-zee-yah”) was once thought to be extinct, but a few determined producers and professors carefully cultivated and studied the variety, then spread the gospel of Malagousia, driving a national revival that has made Malagousia a must-try Greek white.
Thought to be from the western part of central Greece, an area called Aitoloakarnania, though it’s now planted all over central Greece and on Aegean islands like Rhodes and Paros.
Malagousia wines are both aromatic and full-bodied, though some lean more toward medium-bodied, particularly the ones made in stainless steel tanks, in contrast to those that undergo fermentation and/or aging in oak barrels. There are dry and sweet wines, and both are known for their ability to age well. Malagousia wines are known for flavors and scents that jump out of the glass, like peach, green bell pepper, lime, lemon peel, orange blossom, sage and honey.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a Malagousia, preferably dry
Tasting tips
The eats
This tasting practically begs for a Greek-inspired meze. If you’re lucky enough to have a Mediterranean market nearby, this will be a very easy tasting to prep. Both Austin, where I used to live, and Houston, where my parents live now, have Mediterranean markets named “Phoenicia.” No relation to one another, despite the matching names. The Phoenicias were regular destinations for my husband I whenever we were within a reasonable proximity of either city’s markets. We’d stock up on everything from olives and feta to tzatziki, spicy feta dips, dolmades, keftedes, spanakopita, pitas in all their forms, baklava and pretty much anything pomegranate-related before even getting started in the wine sections. They were the kind of markets we couldn’t visit too often, since I could always find just one more thing we needed to buy.
You can tackle this Greek-style, with many small bowls and plates spread across a table for all to pass around and share, or you can create charcuterie-esque platters with the various olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, dolmades, keftedes and pitas with dips galore in little bowls. However you do it, err on the side of extra, since these foods are will disappear quickly!
The prep
This tasting includes both white and red wines from both the islands and mainland Greece. I’ve intentionally chosen wine styles that should be widely available worldwide.
Greek wines suffered from various difficulties on the export market for many years, including labeling with Greek letters that weren’t easy for Western customers to decipher and economic crises that devalued their products. These days, the wines are finally receiving more global attention and acclaim, though prices remain reasonable, even highly affordable.
Some of these wines will be easy to find, others might take some time, depending on where you live. It’s worth giving your guests at least 2 weeks to find their wines for this tasting.
For the whites, encourage your guests to give their wines some pre-tasting fridge time, since it’s best if the wines are chilled…but not too chilled. Lightly chilled is generally the goal here, so if the wines didn’t get their fridge time before arrival, keep the ice bucket dunk time brief, since you’ll want to enjoy the texture, not just the flavors, of these wines and that’s difficult to do when they’re ice cold.
For the reds, it’s ideal to have a slight chill, though if this didn’t happen before the tasting, a very brief dunk in an ice bucket will suffice.
A note on the tasting order: The wines are listed in the order of which should be included first. If you have fewer than 6 wines/guests, you’ll still have a well-rounded experience. However, the order in which you taste the wines, regardless of how many wines are included, is recommended as follows:
Malagousia
Assyrtiko
Moschofilero
Greek Rosé
Agiorgitiko
Xinomavro
