Greece Flashcards
What grapes are permitted for the production of Retsina?
Savatiano and Roditis
Retsina is characterized by what distinct flavor?
Pine
What is a Ktima?
Estate
What is Ouzo?
An anise-flavored Greek spirit distilled from grape pomace.
What is Tsipouro?
Greek grappa
Greece’s wine scheme was overhauled, resulting in the PDO/PGI system, in what year?
2009
*Prior to 2009, it was OPAP (controlled appellations or origin), OPE (superior quality), and TO (rough equivalent to France’s vin de pays)
PDO wines:
What percentage of the grapes must be grown and vinified within the appellation?
100%
PGI wines:
What percentage of the grapes must come from the appellation? What percentage must be vinified within the appellation?
- minimum 85%
2. 100%
What is the Meltemi?
A dry wind that regularly sweeps the Aegean
- It occurs when a high-pressure system falls over the Balkans and a low-pressure system sits over Turkey
- Typically occurs between mid-May and late September
Sparkling wines from the Amynteo PDO must be produced by what method?
Traditional or Tank Method
*Requires a minimum 3.5atm of pressure
Sparkling wines from the Zitsa PDO must be produced by what method?
Traditional or Tank Method
True/False: Retsina must be vintage-dated.
False, Retsina may NOT have a vintage labeled
What is Kouloura/Stefani?
A traditional method of vine training, specific to Santorini, wherein vines are trained along the ground in a basket shape
*this protects the grapes from the harsh, hot winds
True/False: most PDOs (Greece) are dedicated to indigenous varieties.
True
*all but the Slopes of Meliton and Messenikola are dedicated entirely to indigenous grapes
When was the quality of wine scheme instituted in Greece?
1969-1970
*By 1971, many of today’s appellations were delimited
What are the wine regions of Greece? (9 total)
Thrace, Macedonia, Epirus, Thessalia, Central Greece (Sterea Ellada), Peloponnese, Ionian Islands, Aegean Islands, Crete
The still and sparkling wines of Zitsa are produced from what grape?
100% Debina
Koutsi is a famous “cru” of this PDO.
Nemea
*Koutsi is a limestone-rich region that sits around 650m elevation
