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WSET Level 4 - D3 > Greece > Flashcards

Greece Flashcards

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1
Q

For how long has Greece been producing wine?

A

> 5,000 years

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2
Q

How did the Greeks historically protect their wines from oxidation or mask off-flavors?

A
  • Through the addition of substances like herbs, spices, flowers, honey, oil
  • Very common: Pine Resin which is still used today (-> Retsina)
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3
Q

What caused the Greek wine production to suffer and not recover until the 1980s?

A
  • Different empires (e.g., Roman Empire)
  • Wars (e.g., WWII)
  • Phylloxera
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4
Q

What happened in the last 40 years with respect to production, quality, and export?

A
  • Rapid rise in small quality-minded producers
  • Mostly consumed domestically until the financial crisis
  • Significant increase in exports in the last decade
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5
Q

What are the two climate conditions in Greece?

A
  • Mostly Mediterranean (long, hot summers and mild winters)
  • Increasingly continental inland, esp. in nothern Greece
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6
Q

What are the two most important factors that moderate temperatures?

A
  • Mountains (best vineyards are planted at higher altitudes)
  • Sea
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7
Q

What is a hazard for vineyards on Greek islands?

A

Strong onshore winds

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8
Q

What can hazardous onshore winds cause vineyards on Greek islands?

A
  • Stop photosynthesis
  • Interrupt flowering and berry-set
  • Delay ripening
  • Destroy unprotected vineyards
  • Increase water stress
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9
Q

What is the annual rainfall and what region is an exception?

A
  • 400-700mm (irrigation common)
  • Santorini is much drier
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10
Q

Describe the soil types. Are they mostly low or high in fertility?

A
  • Numerous soil types from limestone to volcanic
  • Mostly low fertility
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11
Q

What is Greek’s total size of vineyards and how much is used for wine production?

A
  • 106,000 ha
  • Only 61,500 ha used for wine
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12
Q

How large is an avg. vineyard and what business are engaged in the production of wine?

A
  • 0.5 ha
  • Smaller producers sell their grapes to larger companies or co-operatives
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13
Q

Is the vineyard work mechanized or by hand?

A

Mostly by hand because of the tricky terrain

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14
Q

How was the Greek wine culture shaped by joining the EU?

A
  • Access to funding and wine education
  • However, traditional methods to create distinctive wines are still recognized
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15
Q

What is the status quo regarding organic and biodynamic viticulture?

A

Very suitable for organic and biodynamic viticulture because of the dry and hot climate

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16
Q

What is the typical trellising system? What is the exception?

A
  • Cordon-trained with VSP
  • Different systems for areas with high winds and low rainfall
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17
Q

For what varieties is irrigation mostly used, why, and what system is used?

A
  • International varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
  • Local varieties developed higher tolerance of drought
  • Drip irrigation
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18
Q

How much of plantings are with local varieties?

A

90%

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19
Q

What are the 5 most important white varieties in descending order?

A
  • Savatiano
  • Roditis
  • Assyrtiko
  • Moschofilero
  • Malagousia
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20
Q

What are the 5 most important black varieties in descending order?

A
  • Agiorgitiko
  • Xinomavro
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Merlot
  • Syrah
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21
Q

How are international varieties mostly used?

A

In blends with local varieties

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22
Q

How many local varieties do roughly exist? How many have significant plantings?

A
  • 300
  • 60
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23
Q

What is an advantage in wine business of having strong local varieties?

A

Differentiating factor on the export market

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24
Q

What blends with local and international varieties have been particularly successful?

A
  • Sauvignon Blanc with Assyrtiko
  • Merlot with Xinomavro
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25
Q

When and why did international varieties appear?

A
  • Late 1980s
  • Demand in domestic market
  • Concent that foreign consumers would only buy wines from those varieties
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26
Q

How much of production comes from white grapes?

A

70%

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27
Q

Savatiano
How much is it planted and why?

A
  • Most planted
  • Resistance to drought
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28
Q

Savatiano
What style of wine does it mostly produce?

A
  • Used to produce large volumes of inexpensive wine
  • Most common ingredient in Retsina
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29
Q

Savatiano
What style of wines can it produce besides large volume inexpensive wine? (quality, trellising, aromas, ageing)

A
  • Very good quality from low-yielding, dry-farmed bush vines
  • Subtle aromas of citrus, pear and stone fruit
  • Nutty character with age
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30
Q

Roditis
Is it high or low yielding and for what style of wine is it used?

A
  • High yielding
  • Mainly used for inexpensive wine and as a blending ingredient for Retsina
31
Q

Roditis
Higher quality possible? If yes, how?

A
  • Yes
  • Altitude and from old vines
32
Q

Roditis
What is the higher quality wine like? (body, acidity, flavors)

A
  • Medium body
  • High acidity
  • Ripe fruit (e.g., melon)
33
Q

Assyrtiko
What is its reputation?

A

Greece’s best-known and most prized indigenous white grape

34
Q

Assyrtiko
What charcteristics make this variety popular? (acidity, alcohol, ageing)

A
  • Highly adaptable to different conditions
  • High acidity (even when ripe)
  • High alcohol
  • Can age well
35
Q

Assyrtiko
What two styles are produced?

A
  • Luscious sweet wines (e.g., Vinsanto from Santorini)
  • Dry wine with citrus, stone, tropical fruit (sometimes with oak)
36
Q

Moschofilero
What quality level can it reach and what variety is it similar to?

A
  • High quality
  • Similar to Muscat
37
Q

Moschofilero
What style is it made in? (aromas, acidity, body, alcohol)

A
  • Flowers (particularly rose petals) and spices
  • High acidity
  • Light body
  • Relatively low in alcohol (12% abv)
38
Q

Moschofilero
Where is it mostly planted?

A

Mantinia in the Peloponnese

39
Q

Malagousia
What is its reputation and plantings?

A
  • Reputation for high quality
  • Very small plantings (almost extinct 20 years ago)
40
Q

Malagousia
What is the typical style? (acidity, body, aromas)

A
  • Medium acidity
  • Medium body
  • Complex and intense aromas of stone fruit and flowers (herbaceous note is picked early)
41
Q

Malagousia
What vessels are used for winemaking?

A
  • Stainless steel
  • Old oak
  • Proportion of new oak
42
Q

What other white varieties are grown in Greece and what type of wine is produced with them?

A
  • Various Muscat varieties
  • Everything form dry to sweet
43
Q

Agiorgitiko
What are the plantings and color?

A

Most planted black variety (3rd place overall)

44
Q

Agiorgitiko
What four types of wines are produced from this grape?

A
  • Lighter, fruity style for early drinking
  • More complex, full-bodied age worthy style
  • High quality rosés
  • Sweet wines
45
Q

Agiorgitiko
What is the typical style of this red wine? (color, acidity, tannin, alcohol, aromas)

A
  • Deeply color
  • Medium acidity
  • Medium to high tannins
  • Medium alcohol
  • Red fruit and spices
46
Q

Agiorgitiko
What vessels are used for winemaking?

A

Often aged in oak

47
Q

Agiorgitiko
Where is the variety mainly found?

A

Peloponnese, esp. PDO Nemea

48
Q

Xinomavro
What is its reputation and where is it grown?

A
  • Greece’s most prized indigenous black grape variety
  • Grown all over northern Greece
  • Most famous wines from Naoussa
49
Q

Xinomavro
With which other varietiy is it often compared? Why?

A
  • Nebbiolo
  • In youth: unpleasantly high levels of acidity and grippy tannins with aromas that are more vegetal than fruity
  • Pale colored
50
Q

Xinomavro
What is the typical style? (oak, aromas, ageing)

A
  • Best wines, produced from lower-yielding vines and aged in oak
  • Highly complex aromas of flowers, herbs, spices, leather, and earthiness
  • Can age for decades
51
Q

Xinomavro
What is a recent trend with this variety?

A

A number of producers have started producing wines that are more accessible in their youth

52
Q

Xinomavro
With what is it sometimes blended and why?

A
  • Merlot
  • To soften rough edges
53
Q

How did the winemaking since the 1980s evolve?

A
  • Usage of modern presses, temperature control and stainless-steel vessels
  • Sometimes new oak
  • Experiments with natural yeast and amphorae
54
Q

Retsina
What was pine resin (Fichtenharz) used for in Ancient Greece?

A
  • Used to seal amphorae
  • Used as an additive
55
Q

Retsina
When did sales boom?

A

1960s

56
Q

Retsina
How was resin often used?

A

Mask poor quality
or even faulty wines

57
Q

Retsina
Are Retsina wines always low quality?

A

No, there have always been high-quality examples

58
Q

Retsina
Where and with what varieties is it mostly produced?

A
  • Hot central plains
  • Made mostly from Savatiano and Roditis
59
Q

Retsina
How is pine resin used during winemaking?

A

Added to the must and then left on lees for a week after fermentation

60
Q

Retsina
What EU definition does Retsina follow?

A
  • Does not comply with EU definition for wine
  • Special status as a “wine of appellation by tradition” (OKP in Greek)
61
Q

Retsina
What grape variety is used for premium bottlings?

A

Assyrtiko

62
Q

What are the three categories within Greek’s appellation system and how is production distributed?

A
  • PDO (20%) (Greek: POP)
  • IGP (62%) (Greek: PGE)
  • Wines from Greece (18%)
63
Q

Within the PDO category, what grapes are allowed to be used?

A
  • Usually restricted to native varieties
  • Exception: Muscat for sweet wines
64
Q

What are the two largest producers?

A
  • Greek Wine Cellars
  • Boutaris Group
65
Q

What businesses are involved in the production of wine?

A
  • 7,000 growers (mostly small)
  • 1,000 wineries (mostly small)
  • Mostly seeling to co-operatives or larger companies
66
Q

What is recent trend for smaller wineries?

A

Selling their wine themselves

67
Q

What role did and do co-ops play in wine business?

A
  • Were reponsible for significant production, but mostly lower quality
  • Today often higher quality
68
Q

How much of the wine is exported?

A

13%

69
Q

What are the main export markets for lower quality wines?

A
  • Germany (40%)
  • Scandinavia
  • Benelux
70
Q

What are the four emerging export markets for higher quality wines?

A
  • USA
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • UK
71
Q

What influence did Greece’s weak economy have on wine business?

A

Even the highest quality wines do not reach premium prices

72
Q

What is a challenge for exporting Greek wines?

A
  • Local varieties
  • Different language and alphabet -> changed to Latin alphabet
73
Q

How important is the domestic market and what is awkward about it?

A
  • Still highly important
  • Domestic market wants international varieties

WSET Level 4 - D3 (56 decks)

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