General Flashcards
Vidiano and Kotsifali are grape varieties thought to be indigenous to what island?
Crete
Monemvassia-Malvasia
PDO for sweet wines, southern Pelopennese
- Naturally Sweet White (Vin Liastos/Sun Dried)
- Fortified Sweet White (VDN)
- min 51% Monemvassia, plus Assyrtiko, Asproudes, Kydonitsa
Retsina
Most common white grape
Saavatiano
T/F: Retsina cannot be labeled with a vintage.
True
Greece
Number of indigenous varietals
over 300
Two large producers who dominate the Greek wine industry
Boutari
Tsantali
Greece wine laws
Year 1st implemented
1969 and 1970
- Most of the country’s appellations were established in 1971
- Laws refined in the 1980s
- Overseen by the Greek Wine Institute
- Conform to EU standards and resemble the French model
Year most of Greece’s appellations were established
1971
2 levels of PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) quality wine
-
Controlled Appellation of Origin
- status reserved for traditional sweet wine
- Appellation of Superior Quality
* While these 2 separate categories remain, “PDO Wines of Greece” will appear on current and future bottles of wines featuring a designation of origin, especially those destined for export.
“Reserve”
- White - min. 1 yr, 6 mo barrel, 3 mo bottle
- Red - min. 2 yrs, 1 yr barrel, 6 mo bottle
“Grand Reserve”
- White - 2 yrs, 1 yr barrel, 6 mo bottle
- Red - 4 yrs, 18 mo barrel, 18 mo bottle
Verdea
Oxidative white wine produced on the island of Zakynthos of the Ionian Sea
3 other categories of wine quality below PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) level
- PGI (Protected Geographical Indication)
- Varietal - still awaiting its official unveiling in 2011 due to bureaucratic delays, comprises table wines that carry a vintage and variety on the label, whereas ordinary “Table” wines cannot
- Table
PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) zones
3 levels
- Regional - equivalent to the major regions of Greece, such as Pelopnnese and Crete
- District
- Area - so small they may include a single estate
Regions of the Greek mainland
- Thrace
- Macedonia
- Epirus
- Thessalia
- Peloponnese
- Cental Greece (Sterea Ellada)
Region known as Sterea Ellada
Central Greece (Sterea Ellada)
Region home to some of Greece’s best red wines
Macedonia
Thrace
Number of PDO appellations
None
Sole grape for red wines of Naoussa and Amynteo
Xinomavro (“acid-black”)
- Firmly tannic
- vs. Macedonia’s Goumenissa PDO, which produces lighter Xinomavro wines with min. 20% Negoska
Goumenissa PDO
Style
- Xinomavro + min 20% Negoska
- Lighter profile
Min. % of Negoska added to Xinomavro in Goumenissa PDO
20% Negoska
“Cava”
- Aging indication for PGI wines
- White and rosé - min 1 yr, 6 mo oak
- Reds - min. 3 yrs, 1 yr oak