Greece Flashcards
What is the main mountain range in Greece?
- Pindos, it forms the spine of Greece, it is the southernmost extension of the central Alps
What is the tallest peak of Greece? Where is it located?
- Mount Olympus
- mark the northeastern boundary between Thessaly and Macedonia
What are the two PDO in Greece that is using international varieties?
- the Slopes of Meliton
- Messenikola
True or False for a PDO, 85% of the grape must be grown and vinified within the appellation
- False, 100%
In Greece, what are the three levels of PGI?
- Regional
- District
- Area
True or False for a PGI, 85% of the grape must be grown and vinified within the appellation
- True for the origin of the grapes, but it should be vinified within the PGI
What are the two traditional PGIs of Greece ?
- Verdea
- Retsina
What is Verdea?
- a traditional PGI
- oxidized white wine from the Ionian island Zakynthos
What is Retsina?
- a traditional PGI
- aromaized wine wih he resin of pine tree
- cannot be labeled with a vintage
- the Aleppo pine trees sap must be added during the first half of fermentation (can account for 0.15 to 1.0% of the wine’s final volume
What are the grape varieties allowed for Retsina?
- Savatiano
- Roditis (if used as rosé Retsina, it is called Kokkineli)
What is Tsipouro?
- Greek grappa
What are the restriction of a Greek vinsanto?
- min 51% Assyrtiko, with Aidani and Athiri
- grapes must be dried, with or without fortification (fortification is rarely if ever practiced)
- aged in barrel for a minimum of two years
Define a Grand Cru Greek wine
- Vin doux naturel fortified with Tsipouro
- From a select group of vineyards, which are generally at a high elevation and are subject to stricter maximum yields
- Only applicable to certain muscats and sweet liatiko from Crete’s Daphnes PDO
What is Theophastus?
- a mixture of hard but aromatic wine from Heraclea with soft Erythraean (a salted wine) which lacks bouquet
What is the traditional vine training in Santorini? Why are they using this technique?
- Kouloura or Stefani, a low-lying basket shape
- to keep the morning fog moisture
- to protect from the intense wind
What is the traditional vine training in Cyclades?
- Aplotaries, a unsupported vine training, the old wood extends horizontally, it creates a floor covering of vines
Where is located the city Thessaloniki?
- Macedonia
Where can we find an important amount of Debina grape?
- Zitsa in Epirus
- 100% Debina
- Is a white grape
What is the most commonly planted indigenous grape variety in Greece?
- Savatiano
What is the color of Roditis grape?
- pink
What is the color of Moschofilero grape?
- pink
What is the wine region between the Aegean Sea and Bulgaria?
- Thrace
What are the two major grape varieties in Thrace?
- Mavroudi (red)
- Limnio (red)
Which region is considered as “the Tuscany of Greece”?
- Macedonia
What are the 3 countries that border Macedonia?
- Albania
- Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
- Bulgaria
What are the three Xinomavro oriented PDO in Macedonia? Are they all 100% Xinomavro?
- Amynteo
- Goumenissa
- Naoussa
- Amynteo and Naoussa are 100% Xinomavro, Goumenissa must be fermented with at least 20% of Negoska
What style of wine is produced in Amynteo?
- Red
- Rosé
- Sparkling rosé or blanc de noirs
What is the minimum aging of Goumenissa PDO?
- must be aged in oak for at least 12 months
What style of wine is produced in Naoussa?
- Red
What style of wine is produced in Goumenissa?
- Red
Name an important producer in Naoussa?
- Argatia winery
- Boutari
- Tsantalis
- Kir-Yianni
What is the sole estate in Slopes of Meliton?
- Domaine Porto Carras
What are the grape varieties used for a white Slopes of Meliton?
- Assyrtiko
- Athiri
- Roditis
What are the grape varieties used for a red Slopes of Meliton?
- Limnio based
- Cabernet sauvignon and or Cabernet franc
What is the famous oenologist of Domaine Porto Carras?
- Evangelos Gerovassiliou
What is the sole PDO of Epirus?
- Zitsa
What is the average altitude of Zitsa?
- 700m
What are the two major natural features of Zitsa?
- Pindos mountains to the east
- Ionian Sea to the west
What style of wine is produced in Zitsa?
- White
- Sparkling
What is the particular wine produced by Ktima Glinavos in Epirus?
- Paleokerisio
- it is made in the style in which the old people of the region liked their wine – skin fermented, off dry, semi-sparkling. This is the original orange wine in Greece
- the grapes are Debina and Vlahico
What is the white wine PDO of Thessalia?
- Achialos
- blend of 80% Roditis and 20% Savatiano
- oak aging is forbidden
What is the PDO in Thessalia that allowed international grape varieties?
- Messenikola
- Mavro Messenikola with a maximum combined total of 30% Carignan and syrah
What is the major producer of Messenikola?
- Monsieur Nicolas winery
What is the smallest PDO but most important of Thessaly?
- Rapsani
- Xinomavro based, cofermented with Stavroto and Krassato
What are the major producers of Rapsani?
- Dougos winery
- Ktima Katsaros
- Tsantali
Which PDO is at the foothills of Mount Olympus?
- Rapsani
What is the major wine style produced in Central Greece?
- Retsina
What are the major grape varieties in Central Greece?
- Savatiano (90% of production in Attica)
- Roditis
Tripoli is located in which wine region?
- Peloponnese
Where is located Skouras Megas Oenos?
- in Nemea, but not labeled with the PDO, blend of Agiorgitiko and Cabernet Sauvignon
Which grape is named the “blood of Hercules”?
- Agiorgitiko
Koutsi is a renowned cru of which PDO?
- Nemea
Which grape variety is allowed for Nemea PDO?
- 100% Agiorgitiko
What style of wine is produced in Nemea PDO?
- Red
- Sweet
What grape varieties are allowed for Mantinia PDO?
- min 85% Moschofilero
- 15% indigenous grapes (local term: Asproudes)
What style of wine is produced in Mantinia PDO?
- Dry white or Vin gris style made by skin contact
- Sparkling
What grape varieties are allowed for Patras PDO?
- 100% Roditis
What style of wine is produced in Patras PDO?
- Dry white only
What grape varieties are allowed for Mavrodaphne of Patras PDO?
- min 51% Mavrodaphne
- Corinthiaki
What style of wine is produced in Mavrodaphne of Patras PDO?
- Always fortified as mistelle or VDN
What is the minimum aging of Mavrodaphne of Patras PDO?
- a year
What is the minimum aging of Mavrodaphne of Patras Reserve?
- 3 years with 2 years in cask
Where is located the producer Gentillini?
- Cephalonia, Ionian Islands
What is the minimum aging of Mavrodaphne of Patras Grande Reserve?
- 7 years with 3 years in cask and 3 in bottle
What grape varieties are allowed for Muscat of Rio Patras and Muscat of Patras PDO?
- Muscat blanc à petits grains
What style of wine is produced in Muscat of Rio Patras and Muscat of Patras PDO?
- VDL
- VDN
- Vinification of dried fruits
What grape varieties are allowed for Monemvasia – Malvasia PDO?
- min 51% Monemvasia
- Assyrtiko, Asproudes, Kydonitsa
What style of wine is produced in Monemvasia – Malvasia PDO?
- Sweet (grapes must be dried)
- Fortified (optional)
What is the minimum aging of Monemvasia – Malvasia PDO?
- 2 years in barrel
Where are located the PDOs in Ionian Islands?
- on Cephalonia
What are the three PDO on Cephalonia?
- Robola of Cephalonia
- Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia
- Muscat of Cephalonia
What grape varieties are used for the traditional wine of Verdea?
- min 50% Skiadipoulo
- Pavlos, Robola, Goustolidi
What style of wine is produced in Robola of Cephalonia?
- Dry white
What style of wine is produced in Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia?
- Forified Sweet Red
- Fortified during fermentation with alcohol of vinous origin (minimum 95% ABV)
What grape varieties are used for Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia?
- Mavrodaphne
- max 49% Mavri Korinthiaki
What style of wine is produced in Muscat of Cephalonia?
- Vin doux
- VDN, may be grand cru
- VND
Which island is also included in Santorini PDO?
- Thirassia
What is the major wind of Santorini?
- Meltemi wind
Where can we find the highest concentration of vineyard on Santorini?
- Central and western part
What’s the name of the volcanic soil in Santorini?
- Aspa
Is there phylloxera in Santorini?
- No, phylloxera-free, but also Phylloxera-immune. There’s 0% clay
What is the average density planting on Santorini?
- 2,500 vines/hectare
What is the maximum yields in Santorini?
- 60 hl/ha – the lowest of Greece
Can you name producers in Santorini?
- Ktima Argyros
- Hatzidakis
- Sigalas winery
What is one of the most expensive wine of Greece in Santorini?
-20 years old vinsanto from Argyros
What is a Nykteri wine?
- No specific rules
- Dry white from Santorini
- 75% Assyrtiko with Athiri and Aidani
- Overripe grapes
- Aged in oak
- Traditionally picked during night (nychta = night)
- min 13,5% alcohol
- min of extraction and min of contact with air
What is a Brusco wine?
- could be white, rosé or red
- traditionally locals were not able to gather a large quantity of fruit in a day. When enough was picked (after a week or so), they could start the fermentation but the oxidation and extraction of phenolics were intense
What in Mezzo in Santorini?
- style close to Vinsanto
- only red grapes are used, mainly Mandilaria
- less dried than vinsanto, fewer than 10 days
Define a Greek Vinsanto
- Vin Santo (Vino Santorini)
- min 51% Assyrtiko
- dried to 370 g/l must weight
- aged for min 2 years in barrel (500l or larger)
What is the sole appellation who require white grape for red wine in Greece?
- Red from Paros
- Madilaria based (this grape is so rich in anthocyanins)
- must be co-fermented with Monemvasia
What’s the PDO for sweet wine in Paros?
- Malvasia of Paros (VDN or just sundried)
What are the subregions of Rhodes?
- Zone A
- Zone B (the best sites)
True of false, Rhodes has never been affected by Phylloxera
- true
What are the major grapes of Rhodes PDO?
- White: min 70% Athiri with muscat and assyrtiko
- Red: Mandilaria (also known as Amorgiano (min 70% for PDO), malagousia, mavrothiriko
What style of wine is produced in Rhodes?
- dry white
- sweet
- rosé
- red
- tradition of sparkling production
What are the two PDO of Rhodes?
- Rhodes
- Muscat of Rhodes
What is the synonym of Moschato Aspro?
- Muscat blanc à petits grains
What is the first appellation in Greece?
- Samos (1934):
- PDO for Muscat blanc à petits grains
- VDN
- VDN Grand cru
- VDL
- Natural sweet wine
What style of Muscat is planted on Lemnos?
- Muscat of Alexandria
What is the red grape variety used on Lemnos?
- Limnio, here called Kalambaki
What are the most important white grape varieties in Crete?
- Vidiano
- Vilana
What are the most important red grape varieties in Crete?
- Liatiko
- Kotsifali
- Mandelaria
- Syrah
In Crete, the majority of vineyard are on the northern half or southern?
- Northern, the southern is quite warm with the impact of African winds
What are the PDO in Crete from west to east?
- Chandaka Candia & Malvasia Chandakas Candia
- Dafnes
- Archanes
- Peza
- Sitia & Malvasia Sitia
What is the sole grape variety allowed for Daphnes PDO?
- Liatiko
Which PDO in Crete grow only Liatiko as red grapes?
- Daphnes
- Chandaka Candia
- Sitia
In Greece, speaking of ‘Oinos’, or ‘Epitrapezios Oinos’, what do we refer to ?
- Table Wine
In Greece, speaking of ‘Liastos’, what do we refer to ?
- Sun-dried wine
Which Greek PDO produce 100% Monemvassia grape, white wines ?
- Paros PDO
General aging for a ‘Grande Réserve’ red wine from Aegean Islands ?
- 48 mt total
- 18 mt oak
- 18 mt botle
General aging for a ‘Grande Réserve’ white wine from Aegean Islands ?
- 24 mt total
- 12 mt oak
- 6 mt bottle
What is he aging requirement for a ‘Liastos’ wine from Aegean Islands ?
- Sun-dried grape wine
- Min. 24 mt oxydative aging in barrel
General aging for a ‘Réserve’ red wine from Aegean Islands ?
- 24 mt total
- 12 mt oak
- 6 mt bottle
General aging for a ‘Réserve’ white wine from Aegean Islands ?
- 12 mt total
- 6 mt oak
- 3 mt bottle
Speaking of ‘Samos Nectar’, what do we refer to ?
- Similar to Vin de Paille
- Dried grapes (Moschato Aspro)
- Aged 36 mt prior to release
What is the traditonal vine training for Assyrtiko in Santorini ?
- Stefani
What are the two highest elevated PDOs of Greece ?
- Patras
- Samos
- can reach 900m.
In Greece, speaking of ‘Vino di Sasso’, what do we refer to ?
- Robolla based wines
- From Robola of Cephalonia PDO
- Vino di Sasso = Stone wine
- Past name given by Italians
What are the four flagships grape varieals of Greece ?
- Xinomavro
- Assyriko
- Agiorgitiko
- Moschofilero
Which greek varietals can be compared to Gewurztraminer ?
- Moschofilero
In Greece, speaking of ‘Kataboladi’, what do we refer to ?
- Marcottage
- A grower buries a cane from a living vine in the ground to generate a new plant
What means the therm pezoules in Greek?
- Terraces
What is the ratio of production for PGI in Greece?
- it represent 62.47% of production in Greece
What is the minimum Assyrtiko for white Santorini PDO?
- 85%
Trifolos, Fytia and Ramnista are crus of which PDO?
- Naoussa
Who is renowned to bring back the Malagousia grape variety?
- Evangelos Gerovassiliou
Who vinifies 95% of fruit from Rapsani?
- Tsantali, they actually does not own vineyards in Rapsani
What historic wine of Greece is made in a style similar to Sherry and may have flor?
- Verdea, on island of Zynkathos
