Greece Flashcards
Greece first implemented wine laws in?
1969 and 1970, with most of the country’s appellations established in 1971
Réserve in PDO indicates a minimum?
one year of aging for white wines, with at least six months in barrel and three months in bottle, and a minimum two years of aging for red wines, with at least one year in barrel and six months in bottle
Grande Réserve (PDO) requires a minimum?
two-year aging period for white wines, including at least one year in barrel and six months in bottle, and a minimum four-year aging period for red wines, including at least 18 months in barrel and 18 months in bottle
The PGI category includes the Traditional Appellations (Ονομασία κατά Παράδοση) of ?
Retsina and Verdea (an oxidative white wine produced on the island of Zakynthos, in the Ionian Sea)
In Goumenissa PDO, lighter Xinomavro wines are produced, requiring the addition of at least?
20% Negoska
Naoussa PDO, established in?
1971
A fourth PDO, Slopes of Meliton (Plagies Melitona), is a single appellation for?
Domaine Carras, a trailblazing, ambitious Greek estate. Red PDO wines from the estate are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and the native Limnio; white PDO wines are blends of the Greek varieties Assyrtiko, Athiri, and Roditis
Messenikola PDO grape composition?
Minimum 70% Mavro Mesenikola, maximum 30% combined Syrah and Carignan
Anchialos PDO requires?
Dry White
Semi-Dry White
Semi-Sweet White
Authorized Varieties:
Minimum 80% Roditis, maximum 20% Savvatiano
Name the 3 PDOs of Peloponnese
Nemea, Mantinia, and Patras
Patras is an appellation for dry to semisweet white wines produced from ?
100% Roditis
but there are also three dessert wine PDO zones connected to the region: Muscat of Patras, Muscat of Rio Patras, and Mavrodaphne of Patras. Muscat of Patras and Muscat of Rio Patras may be either vin doux naturel or naturally sweet in style, and are produced from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. Mavrodaphne (“black laurel”) of Patras is a sweet, fortified red wine produced from Mavrodaphne and Mavri Korinthiaki
Mavrodaphne of Patras is aged for at ?
least one year in wood prior to release, but the wine may sometimes rest in cask for a decade or more prior to bottling. Both vintage and nonvintage versions are produced. The estate of Achaia Clauss, progenitor of the style, has a Mavrodaphne solera dating to 1882
In 2010, the Greeks awarded PDO status to the wines of?
Monemvassia-Malvasia
As the wines must be aged in an oxidative environment for at least two years, the first releases, produced from a minimum 51% Monemvassia
There are four wine-producing Ionian Islands off the west coast of Greece:
Cephalonia, Kerkyra (Corfu), Lefkada, and Zakynthos. Cephalonia is the only Ionian island that has any PDOs
PDO sweet wines are also produced on the island, from Mavrodaphne and Muscat
Verdea of Zakynthos, produced from obscure and autochthonous grapes such as ?
Skiadopoulo, Pavlos, and Avgoustiatis, may share similarities with Jura’s vin jaune and sherry
Crete is home to the red wine PDO zones?
Archanes and Daphnes, and the PDO zones Sitia and Peza, which permit both red and white wines
In 2012, three new PDO zones debuted on the island of Crete:
Candia, Malvasia Candia, and Malvasia Sitia
Crete’s most cultivated white grape?
The Vilana grape, used for the majority of dry white Sitia wines and the entirety of Peza whites
Which is the dominant grape in the red Sitia and Daphnes PDO wines?
Liatiko
Mandilaria, the most common red variety throughout the Aegean, is blended with?
Kotsifali to produce the Archanes and red Peza wines. On Crete, however, many winemakers are more excited to blend Kotsifali with Syrah—a recipe that may successfully mirror international tastes yet sacrifices some of the character of Crete in the process.
Name the styles, authorized grapes and ageing requiremetns for Santorini PDO
Dry White Wine
Sweet Dried Grape Wine (Vinsanto / Liastos)
Dry Wines: Min. 85% Assyrtiko, plus Athiri and Aidani
Vinsanto: Min. 51% Assyrtiko, plus Athiri, Aidani, and “small amounts” of other traditional grapes, including Katsanó, Monemvassia, Gaidouria, Moschato Aspro, Platani, Potamissi, and Roditis
Επιλεγμένος (“Selected”) or Réserve: These terms are only allowed for dry wines, and are interchangeable. Selected/Réserve wines must age for a minimum 1 year, including at least 6 months in oak barrels and 3 months in bottle.
Ειδικά Επιλεγμένος (“Specially Selected”) or Grande Réserve: Also interchangeable and authorized only for dry wines, these terms require at least 2 years of aging, including a minimum 1 year in oak barrels and 6 months in bottle.
Vinsanto: Vintage wines must be aged for at least 2 years in barrels, and aging must occur on the islands of Thera or Thirasia. If released with an aging statement rather than a vintage, vinsanto 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.).
Νυχτέρι (“Nykteri”): Aged in wooden barrels for at least 3 months
Paros PDO produces?
red and white wines are produced from the Mandilaria and white Monemvassia varieties. Paros is the only Greek appellation that mandates use of a white grape (Monemvassia) in red blends.
the famed Muscat of Samos, now a PDO, received a form of appellation protection as early as ?
1934
On Samos, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is known as?
Moscato Aspro, and is produced in vin de liqueur, vin doux naturel and naturally sweet versions. The naturally sweet version is called Samos Nectar, and is similar to vin de paille—the wine is produced from dried grapes and aged for a minimum of three years prior to release
The islands of Lemnos and Rhodes, to the north and east of the Cyclades respectively, each have two PDO appellations. Lemnos wines are?
white, dominated by Muscat, and may be dry or sweet. The ancient red Lemnio grape utilized in the wines of Domaine Carras originated on Lemnos, but its importance on the island has greatly diminished
. Rhodes, an island much closer to southern Asia Minor than Greece itself, produces PDO?
red, white, and rosé varietal wines from Mandilaria and Athiri. Muscat of Rhodes PDO wines are rarely encountered
