Greece Flashcards
What is retsina?
Aromatized wine flavored with Aleppo resin.
What grapes are usually used in Retsina?
Savatiano grapes
How many indigenous varietals are there in Greece?
Over 300.
In what year were most of Greece’s appellations established?
1971
What are the two levels of PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) in Greece?
Controlled Apellation of Origin (AOC/OPE)
- a status for traditional sweet wines
Appellation of Superior Quality (AOSQ/OPAP)
Both are considered archaic
What is the more common designation for wines in Greece?
PDO the EU designation
And Also PGI also from the EU
What are the requirements in Greece for Réserve labeling?
For White wines it is 1 year of aging, with a minimum 6 months in barrel and 3 months in bottle.
For Red wines it is 2 years of aging with a minimum one year in barrel and six months in bottle.
What are the requirements for Grand Réserve labeling in Greece?
Grande Réserve 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.
Below the PDO category in Greece there are three other categories, name them.
PGI- (Protected Geographical Indication)
Varietal Wines
Table wines
Explain the Varietal and Table Categories in Greece.
The Varietal category comprises table wines that carry a vintage and variety on the label, whereas ordinary Table wines cannot; neither Varietal nor Table wines may list a geographical indication.
Explain PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) in Greece.
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), and integrates the wines of Greece’s former vin de pays category, Topikos Inos (Τοπικοί Οίνοι). The PGI zones are divided into regional, district, and area levels: PGI regions are equivalent to the major regions of Greece, such as Peloponnese and Crete, whereas PGI areas are so small they may only include a single estate. PGI districts correspond to the peripheral units of Greece, a form of political state that replaced prefectures during administrative reform in 2010.
Name the six regions of mainland Greece.
Macedonia
Epirus
Peloponnese
Thessalia
Thrace
Central Greece
What are the two Island regions of Greece?
Aegean and Ionian Islands.
What are the two monovarietal PDO Apellations of Macedonia?
Naoussa and Amynteo.
What is the red grape of Macedonia?
Xinomavro. (Acid black.)
What are the varietals of Goumenissa?
Xinomavro with a minimum of 20% Negoska.
What is unusual about Amynteo’s wine production?
They allow rosé. They may be dry, sweet, still, or sparkling.
What is the appellation of Domaine Porto Carras?
Slopes of Meliton (Plagies Melitona)
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.
Who is the winemaker who brought the white wine grape Malagousia back from the brink of extinction?
Evangelos Gerovassiliou, the winemaker who launched Domaine Carras to international acclaim under the guidance of Émile Peynaud, nurtured the native white Malagousia grape from the brink of extinction and now produces varietal wines of high aromatic intensity from the grape at his own domaine in the PGI district of Thessaloniki, in central Macedonia.
What is the name of the southern most Xinomavro PDO in Thessalia?
Rapsani where blending is allowed with Krassato and Stavroto varieties.
What is red variety of Thessalia’s PDO Messenikola?
Mavro Messenikola
What grapes are used in the white blends of Anchialos PDO?
Roditis and Savvatiano
What is the main production of Central Greece or Sterea Ellada?
Retsina
What are the PDO zones of Central Greece?
There are none.
What is the pink skinned varietal that is the second most common in Central Greece?
Roditis
What grape is the winemaker Evangelos Gerovassilou credited with saving?
Malagousia
In Thessalia, south of Macedonia, Rapsani PDO includes four villages on the lower slopes of Mount Olympus. The appellation is the southernmost outpost of the Xinomavro grape, whose tannins and acid structure are softened by the warmer climate and blending with what varieties?
Krassato and Stavrato.
What is another name for Central Greece?
Sterea Ellada
What is Central Greece a bastion of?
Retsina
What is the center of production for retsina in Central Greece?
Attiki, the region surrounding Greece.
