Greece Flashcards
What was Retsina?
aromatized wine flavored with Aleppo pine resin, hung like an albatross and is still a layman’s only reference point for the country’s vinous products
Today, what is Retsina?
generally white, from Savvatiano grapes, flavored with pine resin, rather than stored in resin-sealed casks
Can Retsina be vintage dated?
No
What is Retsina considered in the EU system?
a Traditional Appellation protected by the EU (as a PGI), and is rarely encountered outside of Greece
What larger producers continue to dominate the Greek wine industry?
Boutari and Tsantali
When were Greek wine laws first implemented?
1969 and 1970, with most of the country’s appellations est in 1971
Refined in the 1980s, who oversees the appellation laws?
the Greek Wine Institute
What are the 2 levels of PDO quality wine?
- Controlled Appellation of Origin/ Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Eλεγχόμενης (AOC/OPE)
- Appellation of Superior Quality/ Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Ανωτέρας Ποιότητος (AOSQ/OPAP)
Describe Controlled Appellation of Origin/ Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Eλεγχόμενης (AOC/OPE)
a status reserved for traditional sweet wines
While the 2 separate categories exist for PDO, what will appear on current and future bottles of wines featuring a designation of origin, especially those destined for export?
“PDO Wines of Greece”
PDO wines may carry an ___ designation
aging
What does “Reserve” indicate?
min 1yr of aging for whites (6mos in barrel, 3 in bottle)
min 2yrs of aging for reds, (1yr in barrel, 6mos in bottle)
What does “Grand Reserve” require?
min 2yr aging for whites, (1yr in barrel, 6mos in bottle)
min 4yr aging for reds, (18mos in barrel, 18 in bottle)
What is below the PDO category?
PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) wines
“Varietal” wines
“Table” wines
What category is still awaiting its official unveiling in 2011 due to bureaucratic delays?
The “Varietal” wines
What are “Varietal” wines?
table wines that carry a vintage/ variety on the label, whereas ordinary “Table” wines cannot
What does the PGI category include?
- Traditional Appellations/ Ονομασία κατά Παράδοση of Retsina and Verdea
- Greece’s former VDP category, Topikos Inos/ Τοπικοί Οίνοι
What is Verdea?
an oxidative white wine produced on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea
What are the PGI zones divided into?
regional, district, and area levels
PGI regions are equivalent to what?
the major regions of Greece, such as Peloponnese and Crete
What are PGI areas?
so small they may only include a single estate
What do PGI districts correspond to?
the peripheral units of Greece, a form of political state that replaced prefectures during administrative reform in 2010
What does “Cava” indicates for white and rosé PGI wines?
1 year of aging, (6mos in oak)
What does “Cava” indicates for red PGI wines?
Min 3 years (1yr in oak) aging
What may be added to the label of Cava, Reserve, or Grand Reserve wines to indicate oak aging beyond the required minimums?
“Palaiomenos se vareli”
What regions are included in the Greek mainland?
Macedonia, Epirus, Peloponnese, Thessalia, Thrace, and Central Greece (Sterea Ellada)
The Greek islands are broadly categorized into what?
the Aegean and Ionian Islands
What region in northeastern Greece cannot claim any PDO appellations?
Thrace
What is home to some of Greece’s best dry red wines?
Macedonia
What Macedonian PDO regions produce wine solely from Xinomavro?
Naoussa and Amynteo
Describe Xinomavro
firmly tannic, high acid (“acid-black”)
Goumenissa PDO produces lighter Xinomavro wines with the addition of what?
at least 20% Negoska
What is one of Greece’s most successful appellations and is the home of Boutari?
Naoussa, established in 1971
What is Boutari?
one of Greece’s two largest producers and a major force in the modern rejuvenation of Greek winemaking
What is Greece’s coolest region and the only PDO to allow the production of rosé wines?
Amynteo
Describe the rosé wines from Amynteo
may be dry to semisweet, and still or sparkling
What PDO of Macedonia is a single appellation for Domaine Carras?
Slopes of Meliton (Plagies Melitona)
Who is Domaine Carras?
a trailblazing, ambitious Greek estate
Describe the reds of Domaine Carras
blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and the native Limnio
Describe the whites of Domaine Carras
blends of the Greek varietals Assyrtiko, Athiri, and Rhoditis.
Who is the winemaker who launched Domaine Carras to international acclaim under the guidance of Émile Peynaud?
Evangelos Gerovassiliou
Evangelos Gerovassiliou nurtured what grape from extinction?
the native white Malagousia
Where is Evangelos Gerovassiliou’s current domaine?
in the PGI district of Thessaloniki in northern Macedonia
What lies south of Macedonia?
Thessalia
What is the southernmost outpost of the Xinomavro grape?
Rapsani PDO, which includes 4 villages on the lower slopes of Mt. Olympus
What are the Rapsani PDO wines like?
Xinomavro’s tannins/acid are softened by the warmer climate and mandatory blending with the lighter Krasato and Stavroto grapes
What other PDOs are in Thessalia?
Messenikola PDO, Anchialos PDO
Describe Messenikola PDO
red wines