Central Greece/Aegean Islands/Ionian Islands

Question 1

What is the center of production for Central Greece and what is the style of wine?

Answer 1

Attiki PGI; it is a bastion of Retsina using the low-acid Savvatiano grape. Roditis is the second most planted variety and the common name for a closely linked family of pink-skinned grapes.

-No PDO zones in Central Greece (Sterea Ellada)

Question 2

Why is Savvatiano preferred for Retsina? What other grapes are added?

Answer 2

Known as Greece’s most common white grape, it retains some varietal character even when resinated.
-it is the most common ingredient in Retsina, although Roditisand Assyrtikoare often added to compensate for Savatiano’s naturally low acidity.

Question 3

What are the four wine-producing Ionian islands off the west coast of Greece? N-S

Answer 3

—Kerkyra (Corfu)
—Lefkada
—Cephalonia
—Zakynthos

Question 4

Which of the Ionian islands has a PDO?

What are the three PDOs styles?

Answer 4

Cephalonia
—Robola of Cephalonia PDO dry white wines produced from 100% Robola. (unrelated to the Ribolla/Rebula of Friuli/Slovenia.)
—Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia PDO-Min. 50% Mavrodaphne, plus Mavri Korinthiaki (The latter must be co-fermented.)
—Muscat of Cephalonia PDO producing VDN/VDL/Sun driedsweet wines-100% Moschato Aspro (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains)

Question 5

What is Verdea and where is it found in Greece?

What grapes?

Answer 5

On the Ionian island Zakynthos (off the west coast of Peloponnese). A traditional appellation for oxidative wines (similar to Jura’s vin jaune and Sherry)

Made from Min. 50% Skiadopoulo (a white grape with a high sugar content and moderate acidity), plus Robola, Goustolidi, Avgoustiatis (up to 34 varieties are planted on the island of Zakynthos)

Question 6

What are the PDO’s of the Aegean Islands? (8)

Answer 6

—Lemnos PDO
—Muscat of Lemnos PDO
—Samos PDO
—Paros PDO
—Malvasia Paros PDO
—Santorini PDO
—Muscat of Rhodes PDO
—Rhodes PDO

Question 7

How much of Greek’s wine is produced in Crete?

Answer 7

20% (yet the island struggles with quality)

-largest and most southern Greek isle

Question 8

What are the two red wine only PDO’s of Crete?

Answer 8

Archanes “AR-ha-nays” PDO- dry red onlymade from Kotsifali and Madilaria

Dafnes “DAF-nays” PDO- dry, sweet, fortified red only made from 100% Liatiko

Question 9

What two PDO’s of Crete produce both red and white wine?

Answer 9

—Sitia “SIT-tee-ah”PDO- red made from Liatiko, white made from Vilana
—Peza “pay-ZA”PDO- red made from Kotsifali and Mandilaria, white made from 100% Vilana

Question 10

What are the three new PDO zones of Crete?

Answer 10

—CandiaPDO
—Malvasia Candia PDO
—Malvasia Sitia PDO- White Min. 70%-Vilana, Red-Min. 80% Liatiko, Sweet-100% Liatiko

Question 11

How much of Greece’s wine is produced in Crete?

Answer 11

20%

Question 12

What is the most cultivated white grape of Crete?

Answer 12

Vilana, comprises the majority of Sitia whites and all of Peza whites.

Question 13

What white grape is preferred in Crete by more talented winemakers?

Answer 13

Vidiano, a white grape that retains more acidity.

Question 14

What is the dominant red grape of Sitia and Dafnes?

Answer 14

Liatiko, found only on Crete and a handful of neighboring islands. It is one of the most ancient varieties under cultivation and delivers a distinctively “orange” wine.

Question 15

What two islands make up the Cyclades islands

Answer 15

Santorini and Paros

Question 16

What is the main grape and the blending grapes of Santorini PDO

Answer 16

Assyrtiko, sometimes blended with Athiri and Aidani.

Question 17

What is special about the vine training for Santorini vines?

What is it also known as?

Answer 17

Stefani baskets. The vines must be trained close to the ground, in the stefani shape of baskets or wreaths, in order to protect them from the fierce Aegean winds and to collect the little moisture that becomes available as morning dew.

aka: kouloura: The technique of “weaving” vines into a basket shape (stefani/crown) used on the island of Santorini.

Question 18

Name a producer of Assyrtiko in Santorini.

Answer 18

Paris Sigalas, a master of Assyrtiko in both barrel-aged and fresher versions.

Question 19

What two styles in Greece must label their aging in multiples of four (if not labeled by vintage)?
Aging requirments for each?

Answer 19

—both must be aged a minimum 2 years (Santorini in barrels, Mon-Mal in “oxidative environment”), (Santorini vinsanto must occur on the islands of Thera or Thirasia)

• Vinsanto from Santorini PDO: If released with aging statement rather than a vintage, must have been aged in an oxidative manner for at least 4 years. The aging statement on the bottle may only be listed as a multiple of 4 (8, 12, 16, etc)
• Monemvasia-Malvasia PDO: If aged longer than 2 years, it may be aged for 4 years, or in multiples of 4 years thereafter

**”Vinsanto”-a name likely appropriated by the Italians when Venetian ruled the island in the Middle Ages.

Question 20

What is Vinsanto from Santorini produced from?

Answer 20

Min 51% Assyrtiko, plus Athiri and Aidani and “small amounts” of other traditional grapes.

Question 21

What is Nychteri?

Answer 21

Modern definition is a wine of at least 13.5% abv, aged in barrel for at least three months.

—Traditionally, meaning runs deeper (impossible for anyone to agree on a definition). “nychteri” meaning “night”, thought that it was either harvested or pressed at night, but always a product of late-harvested grapes. Often reached 19˚ potential alcohol left to age in large barrels, and without topping they regularly developed flor. No one is making flor-affected-nychteri today, but styles align closely with its traditional form.

Question 22

What is the only PDO appellationthat mandates use of a white grape in red blends? What styles are allowed?

Answer 22

Paros PDO
—Dry white and red
—White: 100% Monemvasia
—Red: co-fermentation of min. 35% Mandelaria grape, and Monemvassia must.

Question 23

What does the isle of Samos produce?

Answer 23

One of the nations most famous wines: Muscat of Samos. The island rises sharply from the sea, and the vineyards are planted on high altitude, terraced slopes. -Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is known as Moscato Aspro, and is produced in vin de liqueur, vin doux naturel and naturally sweet versions.

Question 24

What is Samos Nectar?

Answer 24

The naturally sweet version of Moscato Aspro on Samos. It is similar to vin de paille—the wine is produced from dried grapes and aged for a minimum of three years prior to release.

Question 25

What are the PDO’s and styles of Lemnos?

Answer 25

Dominated by white wine from Moschato Alexandrias (Muscat) and may be dry or sweet. PDO does produce red wine with the Limnio grape, but it is quickly diminishing.

Question 26

What are the PDO’s and styles of Rhodes?

Answer 26

Produces PDO red, white and rose varietal wines from Mandilaria and Athiri.

Muscat of Rhodes PDO wines are rarely encountered.

Question 27

What is Assyrtico?

Answer 27

-Top-quality white grape variety grown increasingly widely in greece.

Originates fromthe island of Santorini; ability to retain acidity in a hot climate has encouraged successful experimentation with it elsewhere, notably on the north-eastern mainland around Halkidiki.

• Severe mineral profile has made it a successful blending partner for malagousia, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sémillon. Its wines can age relatively well.
• By 2008 it was Greece’s third most-planted white wine vine with 1,704 ha/4,211 acres, and it has even been imported into Australia.

Question 28

What is Savatiano?

Answer 28

Greece’s most common wine grape, widely planted on 11,306 ha/27,926 acres in 2012 throughout Attica and central greece. This light-berried vine, with its exceptionally good drought resistance, is the most common ingredient in retsina, although roditis and assyrtiko are often added to compensate for Savatiano’s naturally low acidity. On particularly suitable sites, Savatiano can produce well-balanced dry white wines.

Question 29

What is Robola?

Answer 29

wine and grape variety for which the Ionian island of Cephalonia in greece is most famous. The distinctively powerful, lemony dry white is made entirely from Robola grapes, which are cultivated almost exclusively on the island. The wine made from these early-ripening grapes is high in both acidity and extract and is much prized within Greece. The few hundred hectares are mainly limited to the Ionian islands of greece.

Question 30

Three major red varietals from Crete?

Answer 30

Liatiko, Kotsifali, Mandilaria

Question 31

What are the four island groups of the Aegean Islands?

Which has no importance insofar as winemaking?

Answer 31

Cyclades, the Dodecanese, the North Aegean, and the Sporades. As the Sporades don’t really contribute to the wine industry, they are excluded from this guide.