Greece

Question 1

What two large producers dominate Greek production?

Answer 1

Boutari and Tsantali

Question 2

What are the two PDO categories of Greek wine?

Answer 2

OPE - for sweet wines, means ‘controlled appellation of origin’

OPAP - means ‘appellation of superior quality’

Question 3

Reserve on a bottle of Greek PDO quality wine requires how much ageing?

Answer 3

1 year, 6 months barrel, white
2 year, 1 year barrel, red

Question 4

Grand Reserve on a bottle of Greek PDO quality wine dictates how much ageing?

Answer 4

White 2 years, 1 year barrel
Red 4 years, 18 months barrel

Question 5

At the IGP level for Greek wines, what quality designation is there?

Answer 5

Cava - requires whites/rose to age for 1 year with 6 months in barrel

reds will go 3 years with 1 year in barrel

Question 6

What does ‘Palaiomenos se vareli’ on a bottle of Greek wine mean?

Answer 6

it indicates oak ageing beyond the required minimums.

Question 7

What’s the region of Northern Greece called?

What 4 PDO wines are produced here?

Answer 7

Macedonia

Naoussa
Amynteo
Goumenissa
Slopes of Meliton

Question 8

What is a wine from Naoussa going to be?

Answer 8

Red Xinomavro

Question 9

Whats a wine from Amynteo going to be?

Answer 9

Red or rose, Xinomavro

The rose can be still or sparkling, at a variety of sweetness levels

Question 10

Whats a wine from Goumenissa going to be?

Answer 10

Red Xinomavro, although up to 20% Negoska can be blended. Lighter wine than Naoussa

Question 11

Whats getting made on the Slopes of Meliton?

Answer 11

Emile Peynaud was here, Domaine Carras.

CS + CF + Limnio for reds
Assyrtiko + Athiri + Roditis for white

Question 12

What 2 Greek regions lie South of Macedonia?

Answer 12

Epirus on the Western half
Thessalia on the Eastern

Question 13

What is the only PDO wine in Epirus?

Whats the grape and style?

Answer 13

Zitsa PDO

Debina, white still/sparkling

Question 14

What are the 3 PDO of Thessalia?

Answer 14

Rapsani
Messenikola
Anchialos

Question 15

What is the Central Greece region famous for producing?

What is the preferred grape for making it?

Answer 15

Retsina

Savvatiano

Question 16

In what Greek region will I locate the PDO’s of Nemea, Mantinia, and Patras?

Answer 16

Peloponnese

Question 17

Whats the grape of Nemea PDO?

Answer 17

Agiorgitiko

Question 18

Whats the grape of Mantinia PDO?

What color skin is the grape, what color is the wine?

Answer 18

Moschofilero

Red, White

Question 19

Patras PDO will be what grape and style?

Answer 19

White wine, dry to semi sweet, Roditis

Question 20

What PDO sweet wines are there on the Peloponnese?

Answer 20

Muscat of Patras, Muscat of Rio Patras
- both are VDN
Mavrodaphne of Patras
- fortified as well, aged min 1 year in barrel but many go for a decade or more.

muscat aspro, white muscat

Question 21

What is Verdea and where is it made?

Answer 21

An oxidized wine like sherry, made from a blend of native grapes on the island of Zakynthos, Greece.

Located in the Ionian Sea, going towards Puglia

Question 22

What’re the only PDO level wines off the western coast of Greece?

Answer 22

Cephalonia

dry white from Robola
sweet wines from Mavrodaphne Muscat

Question 23

What portion of Greek production does Crete account for?

Answer 23

20%

Question 24

What is the most planted white grape on Crete?

Into what PDO wines does it go?

Answer 24

Vilana

Peza, Sitia, and Candia PDO’S

Question 25

What three grapes do the red wines of Crete come from?

Answer 25

Liatiko, Kotsifali, Mandilaria

Question 26

What sea is home to many a Greek island, off the East coast of the mainland?

Answer 26

Aegean Sea

Question 27

On Santorini, if Assyrtiko has a blending partner, what grapes would they be?

Answer 27

Athiri, Aidani

Question 28

How are Assyrtiko vines trained on Santorini? Why is this done?

Answer 28

In these “wreaths” close to the ground.

Called the Stefani method, helps protect from fierce winds and captures moisture.

Question 29

What is the only Greek PDO that requires blending white and red grapes?

What are the 2 grapes?

Answer 29

Paros PDO

Mandilaria (red) and Monemvassia (white). Monemvassia is cofermented with Mandilaria, not unlike a Cote Rotie.

Question 30

What is Samos Nectar?

Answer 30

A Vin de Paille made on the island of Samos, from Muscat Bl.a.p.g. Ages minimum 3 years.