Greece Flashcards
What are the two levels of Quality wine in Greece?
PDO-Protected Designation of Origin)
Controlled Appellation of Origin/ Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Eλεγχόμενης
OPE- A status reserved for traditional sweet wines
and
Appellation of Superior Quality/ Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Ανωτέρας Ποιότητος (AOSQ/OPAP).
Explain aging requirements for Reserve and Grand Reserve
RESERVE
WHITE- minimum 1YR of aging,at least (6 months in barrel and 3 months in bottle)
RED- minimum 2 years of aging for red wines, (at least 1 yr barrel, 6 month Bottle)
GRAND RESERVE
WHITE - minimum 2 year aging, including at (least 1 year in barrel and 6 months in bottle)
RED - minimum 4 year aging (least 18 months in barrel and 18 months in bottle)
Below PDO are what categories?
PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) wines
“Varietal” wines = vintage and varietal
“Table” wines.
What are the 9 regions of Greece?
TICTAC Makes Everyone Playful
Thrace Ionian Islands Crete Thessalia Aegean Islands Central Greece (Sterea Ellada) Macedonia Epirus Peloponnese
What are the PDO’s of Aegean Islands?
What grapes are they known for?
a) Santorini PDO Paros PDO Rhodes PDO Lemnos PDO Samos PDO Muscat of Rhodes PDO Muscat of Lemnos PDO Malvasia Paros PDO
b)Athiri, Mandelaria, Muscat, Assyrtico
a) What are the PDO’s of Ionian Islands?
b) What grapes are they known for?
a)
Robola of Cephalonia PDO
Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia PDO
Muscat of Cephalonia PDO
b)Robola, Tsaoussi
a) What are the PDO’s of Crete?
b) What grapes are they known for?
a) Sitia PDO Peza PDO Dafnes PDO Archanes PDO Candia PDO Malvasia Candia PDO Malvasia Sitia PDO
b)Vidiano, Vilana, Liatiko, Kotsifali
a) What are the PDO of Epirus?
b) What grapes are they known for?
a)
Zitsa PDO
b) Debina
a) What are the PDO of Macedonia?
b) What grapes are they known for?
a) Amynteo PDO Goumenissa PDO Naoussa PDO Slopes of Meliton PDO
b)
Xinomavro
a) What are the PDO of Peloponnese?
b) What grapes are they known for?
a) Nemea PDO Mantinia PDO Patras PDO Monemvassia-Malvasia PDO Mavrodaphne of Patras PDO Muscat of Patras PDO Muscat of Rio Patras PDO
b)
Agiorghitiko, Moschofilero
a) What are the PDO of Thessalia?
b) What grapes are they known for?
a)
Anchialos PDO
Messenikola PDO
Rapsani PDO
b)Xinomavro
What two regions do not have ay PDO’s
Central Greece
Thrace
What are the PGI Traditional Appellation Retsina Designations in Central Greece
PGI District Retsina: Attiki (Attica), Evia, Viotia
PGI Area Retsina: Karystos, Megara, Mesogeia, Markopoulo, Koropi, Pallini, Peanea, Pikermi, Spata, Ritsona, Thebes (Thiva), Yaltra, Chalkis
Thrace PGI Districts and Areas?
PGI District Wines: Evros
PGI Area Wines: Avdira, Ismaros
Name 3 native white grape varieties in Greece?
Aidani
Assyrtiko
Athiri
In Samos what is Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains known as?
Moscato Aspro
In Santorini PDO, vines are trained how?
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.
Explain Santorini PDO?
Part of the Aegean Islands of Cyclades
Known for their production of dry white wines
Dry Wines: Min. 75% Assyrtiko, plus Athiri and Aidani
Poor low fertility soils with rocky bedrock
Assyrtiko, grown in the island’s poor, volcanic soils, is one of Greece’s most compelling white grapes: the wines are distinctively mineral, powerful, and high in acidity. Paris Sigalas is a master, producing Assyrtiko in both barrel-aged and fresher versions.
Minimum Potential / Actual Alcohol:
Dry Wines: 12% / 12%
OPAP - established in 1971
Samos PDO
Part of the Aegean Islands
The island rises sharply from the sea, and vineyards are planted on high altitude, terraced slopes.
Styles:
Natural Sweet Wine (VDN)- vin doux naturel
Natural Sweet Wine from Specified vineyards (VDN - Grand Cru)
Sweet Wine (VDL) -vin de liqueur
Naturally Sweet Wine (Sun Dried) vin de paille—the wine is produced from dried grapes and aged for a minimum of three years prior to release.
What is Central Greece known for?
Retsina
The low-acid Savvatiano grape is preferred for Retsina as it retains some varietal character when resinated, is the chief grape in the region, and the second most planted variety is Roditis, the common name for a closely linked family of pink-skinned grapes.
Retsina, an aromatized wine flavored with Aleppo pine resin, Wine was transported through ancient Greece in amphorae, often sealed with pine resin to prevent spoilage, and over time the resultant flavor became an acquired taste. Today, Retsina is generally produced as a white wine, from Savvatiano grapes, and flavored with the addition of pine resin, rather than stored in resin-sealed casks. It cannot be labeled with a vintage. Retsina is a Traditional Appellation protected by the EU (as a PGI).
Explain the different climatic area of Greece?
Northern Greece – Wet: Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace
Aegean Islands – Arid: Mediterranean Islands (Santorini, Samos, Límnos, etc.)
Central Greece – Modulating Mediterranean: Central Greece, Thessaly, and Attica
Southern Greece – Stable Mediterranean: Crete, Peloponnese, and Kefalonia
What is the southernmost outpost of the Xinomavro grape
Rapsani PDO which sits at the base of Mount Olympus
in Thessalia Region
Where are you most likely to encounter the grape Kotsifali
Crete
What is Greece’s only monopole PDO?
Who does it belong to?
Slopes of Meliton
Domaine Carras
What island would you find the varieties of Mandilaria and white Monemvassia?
Paros
Paros is the only Greek appellation that mandates use of a white grape (Monemvassia) in red blends.
What is the only Ionian Island to warrant a PDO for DRY white wine? What is the PDO?
Cephlaonia
Robola of Cephalonia PDO
What are the sweet wine PDO’s of the Ionian islands?
Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia PDO
Muscat of Cephalonia PDO
Crete accounts for approximately how much of Greece’s wine production?
20%
What is Crete’s most cultivated white grape?
Vilana
Crete’s most talented winemakers prefer to showcase Vidiano, a white grape that manages to retain more acidity
What grape would you find in Sitia and Dafnes PDO wines
Liatiko dominant
Where did the vine first identify in Greece?
Crete
Minoan Bronze Age civilization
Name two large Greek producers?
Boutari and Tsantali
When did Greece first implement wine laws?
1969-70
with most of the country establishing appellation in 1971
AOC/OPE equivalent in Greece?
PDO
Explain PGI
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.
A)Cava indicated what?
B)Palaiomenos se vareli indicates what?
A)“Cava” indicates at least one year of aging for white and rosé PGI wines, and a minimum three years of aging for reds.
B) indicate oak aging beyond the required minimums.
Explain Goumenissa PDO style of reds?
Lighter Xinomavro wines with the addition of at least 20% Negoska.
Where is Boutari established?
Naoussa
What is Greece’s coolest regions?
Amynteo
Evangelos Gerovassiliou is known for what?
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 northern Macedonia.
Also launched Domaine Carras to international acclaim under the guidance of Émile Peynaud.
Both dry and sweet Nemean wines are produced for what?
exclusively from the Agiorgitiko (St. George) grape, a softly tannic, intensely fruity black grape and one of Greece’s most noble native varietals.
What is the only producing PDO producing red wines in the Peloponnese?
Nemea
“blood of Hercules” (or “blood of the lion”) is produced from what grape?
Agiorgitiko
Mantinia PDO wines is produced form what variety?
Moschofilero, a white wine made from a red skinned variety
Patras is produced from what variety?
100% Roditis
Muscat of Patras, Muscat of Rio Patras, and Mavrodaphne of Patras are produced from what variety?
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Mavrodaphne (“black laurel”) is what style and produced from what varieties?
sweet, fortified red produced from Mavrodaphne and Mavri Korinthiaki
What wine is used for the communion sacrament in Greek Orthodox services
Mavrodaphne of Patras (Muscat a Petit Grains)
Monemvassia-Malvasia
a small zone on the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese
wines must be sweet in style. As the wines must be aged in an oxidative environment for at least two years, the first releases, produced from a minimum 51% Monemvassia
Zakynthos is an Island that is known for what obscure wines?
the home of Verdea Traditional Appellation wines. 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
What is the red wine PDO’s zones of Crete?
zones Archanes and Dafnes made from Liatiko
The majority of dry white Sitia wines and the entirety of Peza whites are made from what?
Vilana, Cretes most cultivated variety
What is the most common red varietal throughout the Aegean
Mandilaria
Rhodes, an island much closer to southern Asia Minor than Greece itself, produces PDO red, white, and rosé varietal wines from
Mandilaria (RED) and Athiri (WHITE)
Lemnos wines are ?
white, dominated by Muscat, and may be dry or sweet.
Give an example of area with Mediterranean climate?
Crete, Cyclades , eastern part of Mainland Greece
Give an example of area with a continental climate?
Epirus, Mountainous area of Mainland Greece, western Macedonia
Give and example of milder climates within Greece?
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
Wine labelled with RESERVE require how many years of aging?
White - 1 yr
Red - 2 yrs
Wine ;labelled Grand Reserve require what aging requirements
White - 2 years
Red - 3 years
A bottle labelled with Cava refers to what?
Oak aged table wines
White - 1 year 6m in oak, 6m in bottle
Red - 1 yr in oak, 1 yr in bottle
What is the varieties of PDO Achialos?
75% Roditis
25% Savatiano
What is the only PDO that allows rose?
PDO Amedeo in Macedonia
Rose and red
Most southern PDO for xinamavro?
PDO Rapsani
Blended with Savataro and Krasata
What is the only PDO that permits white and red coferments white and red
PDO Paros of Crete
Mandilaria red and
white
Monemassia
What style of wines are
PDO Mavrodaphne of Patros
PDO Mavrodaphne of Cephlaponia
Sweet red wines
What does Mavrodaphne translate to
Black Laurel
3 varieties permitted in PDO Slopes of Meliton?
Lemnio
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet franc
What international variety is permitted in the blend of PDO Messenikola?
Syrah
Mavro messinikola
Carignan
Other than slopes of Meliton what PDO allows international varieties?
PDO Messenikola
Red
70% Mavro Messenikola
30% carignan and Syrah
What are the varieties of Retsina?
Savatiano and Rhoditis flavoured with Attica pine resin
Epirus?
Zitsa made from Debina
Thessaly
Rapsani; xinomavro
Cyrus
Commandaria- Xynisteri and Mavro grapes
