Greece Flashcards
What kind of resin is used to flavor Retsina?
Aleppo Pine
From what grape is Retsina principally made?
Savvatiano
What classification does Retsina fall under?
It is classified as a Traditional Appellation under the PGI category.
When were wine laws first implemented in Greece?
1969 and 1970, most appellations were established in 1971
Who oversees the Greek wine system?
The Greek Wine Institute
What are the two levels of PDO wines in Greece?
Controlled Appellation of Origin/ Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Eλεγχόμενης (AOC/OPE)—a status reserved for traditional sweet wines—and Appellation of Superior Quality/ Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Ανωτέρας Ποιότητος (AOSQ/OPAP)
Between the two categories of PDO wines in Greek, which one is for traditional sweet wines?
Controlled Appellation of Origin/ Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Eλεγχόμενης (AOC/OPE)
What does Reserve indicate on Greek label?
White - 1 yr aging - inc 6 mo barrel & 3m btl
Red - 2 yr aging - inc 1y barrel & 6m btl
What does Grande Reserve indicate on a Greek label?
White - 2 yr aging - inc 1 yr barrel & 6m btl
Red - 4 yr aging - inc 18 mos barrel & 18 mos btl
What are the three categories below PDO in Greek?
PGI, Varietal Wines, and Table Wines
Can Varietal wines carry vintage and variety?
You betcha. Although this category has been hung up the bureaucracy since 2011
Can Table Wines in Greece carry vintage and varietal?
Hell to the no
The Traditional Appellations of Retsina and Verdea are classified as what?
They are PGI, this category also integrates the wines of Greece’s former “vin de pays” category, Topikos Inos/ Τοπικοί Οίνοι
What is Verdea? How is it classified?
An oxidative white wine produced on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea. Classified as a Traditional Appellation under the PGI category.
What are the three ways to subdivide the PGI zones?
Regional, district and area
What do districts correspond to in regards to Greeck PGI?
To the peripheral units of Greece, a form of political state that replaced prefectures during administrative reform in 2010
What does “Cava” indicate on a Greek bottle?
White & Rose PGI - min 1 yr aging inc 6m oak
Red PGI - min 3 yr aging inc 1 yr oak
What does “Palaiomenos se vareli” indicate on a Greek wine label?
“Palaiomenos se vareli” may be added to the label of Cava, Reserve, or Grand Reserve wines to indicate oak aging beyond the required minimums
What is put on a Greek wine label to indicate oak aging beyond the required minimums.
“Palaiomenos se vareli”
What are the six mainland Greek regions?
Macedonia, Epirus, Peloponnese, Thessalia, Thrace, and Central Greece (Sterea Ellada)
What are the two island categories?
Ionian and Aegean islands
What are the PDOs of Thrace?
There are none!
What are the four PDOs of Macedonia?
Naoussa, Amynteo, Slopes of Meliton, Goumenissa
What is the grape of Naoussa?
100% Xinomavro in red only (dry to medium sweet)
What is the grape of Amynteo?
100% Xinomavro, in red, rose, and sparkling rose (dry to medium sweet)
What is the grape of Slopes of Meliton?
In dry red and white.
Red - Lemnio, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
White - Athiri, Roditis, and Assyrtiko
What is the grape of Goumenissa?
Dry red only. Xinomavro plus 20% Negoska
Of these three appellations, what are Xinomavro ONLY - Goumenissa, Naoussa, and Amynteo?
Naoussa and Amynteo - Goumenissa allows ups to 20% Negoska
Where is Boutari based?
Naoussa
What is Greece’s coolest region?
Amynteo
What is the only PDO to allow production of rose wines?
Amynteo - in dry to semisweet, still or sparkling
Slopes of Meliton is a PDO just for what estate?
Domaine Carras
Winemaker Evangelos Gerovassiliou launched the estate under what famous flying winemaker’s guidance?
Emile Peyraud
What almost extinct grape did Domaine Carra’s winemaker save? Where does he produce it?
Malagousia, he makes it at this own state in the PGI district of Thessaloniki in northern Macedonia
What are the three PDOs of Thessalia?
Rapsani, Messenikola, and Anchialos
What is the southernmost outpost for Xinomavro? How does it taste here?
Rapsani. the grape’s tannins and acid structure are softened by the warmer climate and mandatory blending with the lighter Krasato and Stavroto grapes.
At the foot of what mountain is Rapsani PDO located?
Mt. Olympus
What kind of wine is made in Rapsani PDO?
Xinomavro with a mandatory blending with Krasato and Stavroto. It is a red only appellation.
What kind of wine is made in Messenikola PDO?
Dry reds from min. 70% Mavro (Black) Messenikola, plus Carignan and Syrah
What kind of wine is made in Anchialos PDO?
White only from at least 80% Rhoditis plus Savvatiano
What is the only PDO of Epirus?
Zitsa
What kind of wine is made in Zitsa PDO
100% Debina - Still and Sparkling/Semi-Sparkling White (dry to medium sweet)
What are the PDOs of Central Greece (Sterea Ellada)?
There are none
What is Sterea Ellada mostly known for?
Retsina for days.
What is the center of production in Sterea Ellada?
Attiki, the region around Athens.
What is the second most grown grape in Sterea Ellada, after Savvatiano?
Rhoditis
What are the seven PDOs of the Peloponnese?
Nemea, Mantinia, Patras, Monemvassia-Malvasia, Mavrodaphne of Patras, Muscat of Patras, Muscat of Rio Patras
What style of wine is Nemea?
100% Agiorgitiko, red dry to medium sweet
Of the many subzines of Nemea, what is the most notable?
Koutsi
What PDO is nicknamed the “Blood of Hercules” or the “blood of the lion”?
Nemea, after Hercules first of twelve challenges
What style of wine is made in Mantinia?
85% Moschofilero plus Asproudes, dry still or sparkling
What style of wine is made in Patras?
100% Roditis, dry to medium sweet
What style of wine is made Muscat of Patras and Muscat of Rio Patras?
either vin doux naturel or naturally sweet in style, and are produced from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
What style of wine is Mavrodaphne of Patras?
Sweet Red VDN from Mavrodaphne (“black laurel”) and a max. 49% Mavri Korinthiaki, a currant grape useful for enriching the sugar content of the wine
What is the aging requirement for Mavrodaphne of Patras?
at least one year in wood prior to release, but the wine may sometimes slumber in cask for a decade or more prior to bottling
What estate famously has a solera of Mavrodaphne of Patras that dates back to 1882?
Achaia-Clauss
What style of wine is Monemvassia-Malvasia?
Must be a sweet wine from Min. 51% Monemvassia, plus Assyrtiko, Asproudes, Kydonitsa
What is the aging requirement for Monemvassia-Malvasia?
Min. 2 years in an oxidative environment (if the wine is aged for a longer period, it may be aged for 4 years, or in multiples of 4 years thereafter)
What is the history behind the name and style of Monemvassia-Malvasia?
Monemvassia is grape name and name of an old port town governed variously by the Greeks, Byzantines, Venetians and Turks.
Dates back to the 13th century. During their rule, Venetians rechristened the port and its wines “Malvasia”. In deference, the new appellation’s wines must be sweet in style. Est. as a PDO in 2010
What are the four wine producing Ionian Islands?
Cephalonia
Kerkyra (Corfu)
Lefkada
Zakynthos
Of the Ionian Islands, what is the only one with a PDO?
Cephalonia
What are the three PDOs of Cephalonia?
Robola of Cephalonia (dry),
Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia (sweet)
Muscat of Cephalonia (sweet)
Which has more PDOs - Aegean Islands or Ionian Islands?
Aegean
What are the eight PDOs of the Aegean Islands?
Santorini, Lemnos,
Paros, Rhodes,
Muscat of Samos, Muscat of Rhodes,
Muscat of Lemnos, and Malvasia Paros
From what kind of Muscat is Muscat of Lemnos produced?
Muscat of Alexandria (Moschato Alexandreias)
From what kind of Muscat is Muscat of Samos produced?
Moschato Aspro (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains)
From what kind of Muscat is Muscat of Rhodes produced?
Moschato Aspro (Blanc a Petit Grains) and Moschato Trani
From what grape(s) is Malvasia Paros produced?
Min. 85% Monemvassia plus Assyrtiko - sweet only
What is the aging requirement for Malvasia Paros?
Minimum 2 years in oak
What styles of wine are produced on Santorini?
Dry white, “Nychteri” (Dry White): Min. 13.5% abv, min. 3 months in oak
and “Vinsanto” (Sweet White): Min. Must Weight of 370 g/l after raisination, Min. 2 years in oak prior to release
From what grapes can Santorini wines be made if its a dry white?
Min. 75% Assyrtiko, plus Aidani and Athiri
From what grapes can Santorini VIn Santo be made?
Min. 51% Assyrtiko, plus Aidani and small amounts of other native white grapes
What styles of wine are made in the Paros PDO? From what grapes?
Dry White - 100% Monemvassia
Dry Red - 2/3 Mandilaria, 1/3 Monemvassia
What styles of wine are made in the Rhodes DO and from what grapes?
White - Athiri
Red - Mandilaria
What styles of wine are made in the Lemnos DO and from what grapes?
White - dry to medium sweet of Muscat of Alexandria
Where is the PDO pf Sitia? From what grapes is it made?
It is on Crete.
Dry whites from Min. 70% Vilana, plus Thrapsathiri
Dry and sweet reds from 80% Liatiko, plus Mandilaria (Mandilari)
Where is the PDO of Peza? From what grapes is it made?
Crete
Dry white from 100% Vilana
Dry red from Kotsifali and Mandilaria (Mandilari)
Where is the PDO of Dafne? From what grapes is it made?
Crete
Dry of sweet reds 100% Liatiko
Where is the PDO of Archanes? From what grapes is it made?
Crete, dry reds from Kotsifali and Mandilaria (Mandilari)
Where is the PDO of
Crete
Dry whites Min. 85% Vilana, plus Vidiano, Assyrtiko, Thrapsathiri, Athiri
Dry Red: 70% Kotsifali, 30% Mandilaria (vinified together)
What are the two sweet wine PDOs of Crete?
Malvasia Candia and Malvasia Sitia
From what grapes can Malvasia Candia and Malvasis Sitia be made?
They are almost exactly the same except Candia allows Vidiano
Assyrtiko, Athiri, [Vidiano], Thrapsathiri, Liatiko (vinified as a white wine), plus a combined max. 15% Malvasia di Candia Aromatico and Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
What is the aging requirement for Malvasia Sitia and Malvasia Candia?
2 years in oak
What is Crete’s most cultivated white grape?
Vilana
What is the name for the unique basket shape of Santorini’s vines?
Stefani
What is the purpose of Santorini shaping their vines like a basket?
to protect them from the fierce Aegean winds and to collect the little moisture that becomes available as morning dew
What is the only PDO to mandate a white grape in the red blends?
Paros - 2/3 Mandilaria, 1/3 Monemvassia
What is the name for the cooperative on Samos?
Union of Vinicultural Cooperatives of Samos (EOSS)
What type of Muscat is grown on Samos?
Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains aka Moschato Aspro
What styles of sweet wine can be produces on Samos?
Vin de liqueur, Vin doux naturel, and naturally sweet wines.
Naturally sweet wines are 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.
What is Samos Nectar?
Similar to vin de paille—the wine is produced from dried grapes and aged for a minimum of three years prior to release
What does “Cyclades’refer to?
It is a group of Greek islands, including Santorini and Paros.
What is Grappa called in Greece?
Tsipouro
What are straw wines called in Greece?
Vin Liastos
Which two PDO wines of the Aegean Islands can label as “Grand Cru” (there are four total in Greece)
Muscat of Rhodes & Muscat of Lemnos
What are the three PGI districts for retsina?
Attica, Evia and Viotia
