Greek wine: Beyond Retsina
Today Ryan and I were tasting Greek wines and cheeses in preparation for the PMW / Pasta Shop class on August 24. Anyone who's read Homer or Plato knows that Greece has a millenia-long tradition of winegrowing and enthusiastic wine consumption. Yet its vinous history over the past several centuries has been sad indeed, thanks to domination by the Turks, various other political and economic woes, and the scurge of Retsina. The picture has been changing in recent decades, and we're now seeing excellent Greek wines from quality-minded producers. These are the three wines that we tasted today.
2003 Mercouri Foloï ($17)
Citrus, some night flowers (jasmine?), some spiciness, and a whisp of smoke. High acid and refreshing; very bright finish. It makes a mouth-watering aperitif, but I'd really love to try it with octopus. It went especially well with a wonderful Fetiri (Feta) cheese with wild Greek oregano and fresh mint.
2004 Gerovassiliou Malagousia ($22)
This wine is barrel-fermented and barrel-aged. It's richer, more exotic, with a hint of tropical fruits and that perfumed quality of a judiciously oak-aged wine. There's a smoky, crisp quality in the finish that keeps the wine from feeling heavy or over-ripe. We'll pair it with Manouri, a sheeps' milk cheese.
2002 Gerovassiliou Syrah ($27)
Superb syrah. It's a little less unique than the other two Greek wines here, but no less interesting or satisfying. (I remain convinced that syrah is the international wine grape par excellence; it seems to be capable of making characterful wines just about anywhere.) Reminiscent of Northern Rhône syrah: smoky, earthy, minerally, olive-y. This is a really classy wine. It didn't pair particularly well with any of the Greek cheeses that we tasted, but we're planning to whip up some lamb meatball kebabs for the class. I've had the wine with roast lamb before, and it was a brilliant combination.
2003 Mercouri Foloï ($17)
Citrus, some night flowers (jasmine?), some spiciness, and a whisp of smoke. High acid and refreshing; very bright finish. It makes a mouth-watering aperitif, but I'd really love to try it with octopus. It went especially well with a wonderful Fetiri (Feta) cheese with wild Greek oregano and fresh mint.
2004 Gerovassiliou Malagousia ($22)
This wine is barrel-fermented and barrel-aged. It's richer, more exotic, with a hint of tropical fruits and that perfumed quality of a judiciously oak-aged wine. There's a smoky, crisp quality in the finish that keeps the wine from feeling heavy or over-ripe. We'll pair it with Manouri, a sheeps' milk cheese.
2002 Gerovassiliou Syrah ($27)
Superb syrah. It's a little less unique than the other two Greek wines here, but no less interesting or satisfying. (I remain convinced that syrah is the international wine grape par excellence; it seems to be capable of making characterful wines just about anywhere.) Reminiscent of Northern Rhône syrah: smoky, earthy, minerally, olive-y. This is a really classy wine. It didn't pair particularly well with any of the Greek cheeses that we tasted, but we're planning to whip up some lamb meatball kebabs for the class. I've had the wine with roast lamb before, and it was a brilliant combination.
