Greece Flashcards
Varietal of Retsina
Savvatiano white grapes
Macedonia’s PDO regions
Naoussa, Amynteo, Goumenissa, Slopes of Meliton home to some of Greece’s best dry red wines
Main grape variety of Macedonia
Xinomavro “acid black”
Home of Boutari
One of Greece’s largest two producers, in Naoussa
What is Greece’s coolest PDO region
Amynteo, allows production of still and sparking rose
Domaine Carras
Trailblazing ambitious Greek estate, single estate in the PDO Slopes of Meliton, Blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Limnio; White blends are Assyrtiko, Athiri, and Rhoditis.
Evangelos Gerovassiliou
Domaine Carras’ famous winemaker
Rapsani PDO
In Thessalia, southermost outpost of Xinomavro, PDO has 4 villages on the lower slopes of Mt. Olympus, Xinomavro is blended with Krasato and Stavroto grapes
What is Epirus’ only PDO
Zitsa (NW corner of country by Albanian border). Dry, semisweet and sparkling wines from Debina grape
Sterea Ellada
Central Greece, bastion of Retsina; Attiki, the region around Athens is the center of production
Second most planted variety in Attiki
Roditis, pink skinned grapes related to Savvatiano
Varietal of Nemea
Agiorgitiko (St. George), a softly tannic, intensely fruity black grape
Koutsi
Most famous subzone of Nemea (in NE Pelopponese)
“Blood of Hercules”
quote sometimes attached to the wines of Nemea
Mantinia PDO
In central Peloponnese, Moschofilero is main grape (red skinned, aromatic resemblance to Muscat)
Patras PDO
Northern Peloponnese. Dry whites made from 100% Roditis, three dessert wine PDOs connected: Muscat of Patras, Muscat of Rio Patras, and Mavrodaphne of Patras
Mavrodaphne of Patras
Sweet fortified red produced from Mavrodaphne and Mavri Korinthiaki. Aged at least a year in wood. Popular as an aperitif and communion sacraments
Momenvassia-Malvasia PDO
New PDO, On SE coast of Peloponnese, Venetians renamed the port and its wines Malvasia. Wines must be sweet and oxidative
What are the four wine producing Ionian islands off the west coast of Greece
Cephalonia, Kerkyra (Corfu), Lefkada and Zakyntho, Cephalonia is only PDO (Robola based dry white wines)
Zakynthos wines
Ionian Island, home of Verdea Traditional Appellation wines, obscure grapes such as Skiadopoulo and Pavlos, similar to vin jaune and sherry
What is Crete’s most cultivated grape
Vilana, comprising most of the dry white Sitia wines
Liatiko
Dominant red grape in Sitia and Dafnes PDO wines in Crete, ancient variety delivering a distinctively “orange” wine
Main grape of Santorini PDO
Assyrtiko white grape
What is the only Greek appellation that requires the use of a white grape (Monemvassia) in red blends
Paros PDO (in Cyclades north of Santorini)
Where is Muscat of Samos produced and what is it
Island of Samos, NE of Paros, it is itself a PDO, appellation protection in 1934, Moscato Aspro (Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains), sweet wine, called Samos Nectar, produced from dried grapes and aged minimum three years