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
Describe Anchialos PDO
only allows white wines, blended from Roditis and Savvatiano grapes from higher-altitude vineyards
On the Ionian Coast to the west of Thessalia, the region of Epirus contains only one PDO, which is what?
Zitsa
Describe Zitsa PDO wines
Dry, semisweet, and sparkling wines are produced from the Debina grape
What is Central Greece also known as?
Sterea Ellada
Central Greece mainly produces what?
The low-quality Retsina
What is the center of production in Central Greece?
Attiki, the region surrounding Athens
What is the chief grape in Central Greece?
The low-acid Savvatiano
Describe the Savvatiano grape
low-acid , preferred for Retsina as it retains some varietal character when resinated
What is the 2nd most planted variety in Central Greece?
Roditis, the common name for a closely linked family of pink-skinned grapes
There are no _____ in Central Greece
PDO zones
What is directly south of Sterea Ellada?
Peloponnese, a peninsula only by virtue of the narrow Isthmus of Corinth
Vine cultivation is concentrated in the northern reache of Peloponnese, around what three PDO zones?
Nemea, Mantinia, and Patras
Both dry and sweet Nemean wines are produced exclusively from what grape?
the Agiorgitiko (St. George) grape, a softly tannic, intensely fruity black grape and one of Greece’s most noble native varietals
Agiorgitiko performs differently throughout the wide range of elevation and terrain in Nemea, leading to what?
the division of a number of recognizable subzones
What subzone of Nemea is the most famous?
the commune of Koutsi
What is sometimes attached to the wines of Nemea, commemorating the first of Hercules’ twelve legendary labors?
The sobriquet “blood of Hercules” (or “blood of the lion”)
Aside from Nemea, The other PDO zones in the Peloponnese produce what exclusively?
white wines
What red-skinned grape with an aromatic resemblance to Muscat, is the principal component of Mantinia PDO wines?
Moschofilero
Patras itself is an appellation for dry white wines produced from what?
100% Roditis
What 3 dessert wine PDO zones are connected to the Patras region?
- Muscat of Patras
- Muscat of Rio Patras
- Mavrodaphne of Patras
Muscat of Patras and Muscat of Rio Patras may be what?
either vin doux naturel or naturally sweet in style
Muscat of Patras and Muscat of Rio Patras are produced from what?
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Mavrodaphne (“black laurel”) of Patras is a sweet, fortified red produced from what?
Mavrodaphne and Mavri Korinthiaki
What is Mavri Korinthiaki?
a currant grape useful for enriching the sugar content of the wine
Mavrodaphne of Patras aging?
at least 1yr in wood prior to release, but the wine may sometimes slumber in cask for a decade or more prior to bottling.
Mavrodaphne of Patras may be what?
vintage or non-vintage
Who has a Mavrodaphne solera dating to 1882?
The estate of Achaia-Clauss, progenitor of the style
The Greeks often drink Mavrodaphne of Patras as what?
an aperitif—a tradition developed to temper the briny, salty character of Greek first courses—and the wine is used for the communion sacrament in Greek Orthodox services
In 2010, the Greeks awarded PDO status to what wines in a small zone on the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese?
Monemvassia-Malvasia
“Monemvassia” is the name of the grape used in Monemvassia-Malvasia as well as what?
an old port town governed variously by the Greeks, Byzantines, Venetians and Turks
Venetians rechristened the Monemvassia port and its wines as what?
“Malvasia.”
In deference to the historic importance of Monemvassia ‘s malvasios oenos, the new appellation’s wines must be what?
sweet in style
Monemvassia-Malvasia wines must be aged how?
In an oxidative environment for min 2yrs, the first releases, produced from a minimum 51% Monemvassia, are due in the market in 2012.
What are the four wine-producing Ionian islands off the west coast of Greece?
- Cephalonia
- Kerkyra (Corfu)
- Lefkada
- Zakynthos
What is the only Ionian island to warrant a PDO?
Cephalonia
What is the PDO on Cephalonia?
for dry white wines produced from Robola, (unrelated to the Ribolla/Rebula of Friuli/Slovenia)
What else is produced on the island of Cephalonia?
PDO sweet wines from Mavrodaphne and Muscat
Zakynthos, an island of breathtaking beauty visible from the Peloponnesian coast, is the home of what?
Verdea Traditional Appellation wines
What is Verdea?
produced from obscure and autochthonous grapes like Skiadopoulo, Pavlos, and Avgoustiatis, may share similarities with Jura’s vin jaune and Sherry, but even to Greeks it is often unknown.
A greater number of PDO appellations exist for what islands?
the Aegean islands to the south and east of the mainland
___, the largest and southernmost Greek isle, accounts for approximately 20% of Greek wine production, yet the island struggles with quality.
Crete
Crete is home to what red wine only PDO zones?
Archanes and Dafnes
Crete is also home to what red/white permitted PDO zones?
Sitia and Peza
In 2012, what 3 new PDO zones debuted on Crete?
- Candia
- Malvasia Candia
- Malvasia Sitia
What is Crete’s most cultivated white grape?
The Vilana grape, comprising the majority of dry white Sitia wines and the entirety of Peza whites
Despite Vilana’s status in the PDO wines of the island, many of Crete’s most talented winemakers prefer to showcase what grape?
Vidiano, a white grape that manages to retain more acidity
___, the dominant grape in the red Sitia and Dafnes PDO wines, is found only on Crete and a handful of neighboring islands
Liatiko
Describe the variety Liatiko
one of the most ancient varieties under cultivation, it ripens in mid-July, and it delivers a distinctively “orange” wine
What is the most common red varietal throughout the Aegean?
Mandilaria
What is blended with Kotsifali to produce the Archanes and red Peza wines?
Mandilaria
On Crete, however, many winemakers are more excited to blend Kotsifali with what?
Syrah–a recipe for international tastes, yet sacrifices some of the character of Crete in the process.
North of Crete are what islands?
the Cyclades islands of Santorini and Paros
Santorini PDO is an exciting appellation, producing white wines from what?
Assyrtiko, sometimes blended with Athiri and Aidani
Santorini Assyrtiko vines must be trained in what manner?
close to the ground, in the stefani shape of baskets or wreaths, in order to protect them from the fierce Aegean winds and to collect the little moisture that becomes available as morning dew
Where is Assrytiko grown on Santorini?
in the island’s poor, volcanic soils
Describe Assyrtiko
distinctively mineral, powerful, and high in acidity
Who is a master, producing Assyrtiko in both barrel-aged and fresher versions?
Paris Sigalas
Santorini also produces what sweet dried grape wine?
Vinsanto—a name likely appropriated by the Italians when Venetians ruled the island in the Middle Ages
Paros produces red and white wines, from what varieties?
Mandilaria and white Monemvassia varietals
Paros is the only Greek appellation that mandates use of what?
a white grape (Monemvassia) in red blends
What isle, to the northeast of Paros, is home to one of the nation’s most famous wines?
The isle of Samos
When did the famed Muscat of Samos receive appellation protection?
now a PDO, received a form of appellation protection as early as 1934, when the island’s growers were united under the Union of Vinicultural Cooperatives of Samos (EOSS)
Unlike many Greek wine regions, Samos was not considered what?
a propitious place for viticulture in the ancient world; only after constant harassment from pirates led to a near-total depopulation of the island (around 1475) did newcomers to the island begin to plant Muscat.
Describe the aspect of Samos
The island rises sharply from the sea, and vineyards are planted on high altitude, terraced slopes
On Samos, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is known as what?
Moscato Aspro, and is produced in vin de liqueur, vin doux naturel and naturally sweet versions
What is the naturally sweet version of Moscato Aspro called on Samos?
Samos Nectar, and is similar to vin de paille—the wine is produced from dried grapes and aged for a min of 3yrs
What isles to the north and east of the Cyclades respectively, each have two PDO appellations?
Lemnos and Rhodes
Describe the wines of Lemnos
white, dominated by Muscat, and may be dry or sweet
What ancient grape is utilized in the wines of Domaine Carras originated on Lemnos, but its importance on the island has greatly diminished?
red Lemnio grape
Rhodes, an island much closer to southern Asia Minor than Greece itself, produces what PDO wines?
red/white varietal wines from Mandilaria and Athiri
__of Rhodes PDO wines are rarely encountered
Muscat
Greece today is focused on what?
building a reputation with indigenous grapes as well as international varietals
When did phylloxera hit Greece?
the Peloponnese in the 60s and Crete in the 70s, has enabled producers with the ability to rethink and reshape their vineyards.
