Greece and Eastern Europe Flashcards
What are the two PDO appellations of Rhodes?
Rhodes PDO & Muscat of Rhodes PDO
What red grape originated on the island of Lemnos but is no longer important on the island?
Lemnio
T or F: Lemnos PDO wines must be dry.
False: Lemnos PDO wines can be dry or medium sweet.
Lemnos PDO wines are dominated by what grape?
Muscat
What style of wine are Muscat of Lemnos wines?
Vin doux naturel
What is the naturally sweet version of Muscat of Samos called? How is it made and what are the aging requirements?
Samnos Nectar; made similarly to vin de paille – dried grapes; aged for a min. of 3 years prior to release.
What style can Muscat of Samos be made in?
Vin de liqueur, vin doux naturel, or naturally sweet
In the Muscat of Samos PDO, Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains is known as what?
Moscato Aspro
What is the PDO of Samos?
Muscat of Samos
Samos is an island in what sea?
Aegean Sea
What is the only Greek appellation to mandate the use of a white grape in red blends?
Paros PDO
What are the major white and red grapes of the Paros PDO?
Mandilaria – red
Monemvassia – white
What style of sweet wine is produced in the Santorini PDO?
“Vinsanto” = dried grape wine from Assyrtiko & Aidani
What is the soil type of Santorini?
Poor, volcanic soils
What is unique about the vine training on Santorini and why?
Santorini is affected by strong Aegean winds so vines are trained in a stefani (crown) shape low to the ground that allows the grapes to be sheltered in the middle of the vine crown.
What is the major grape and supporting grapes of the Santorini PDO?
Assyrtiko, sometimes blended with Athiri and Aidani.
What are the two Cyclades islands?
Santorini and Paros.
What are the major white and red grapes of the Peza PDO?
white – 100% Vilana
red– blend of Mandilaria and Kotsifali
What are the major white and red grapes of the Sitia PDO?
white – Vilana
red – Liatiko
What style of wine is produced in the Dafnes PDO? What grape is used?
100% Liatiko, reds only, dry or sweet.
What is the most common red grape throughout the Aegean?
Mandilaria.
What style of wine is made in the Archanes PDO?
Red only. Mandilaria blended with Kotsifali.
What are the four PDO zones of Crete?
Archanes, Dafnes, Sitia & Peza
What Greek island accounts for 20% of all Greek wine production?
Crete
What is the largest and southernmost Greek isle?
Crete
The Aegean islands can be found where in relation to the mainland of Greece?
Southeast.
Verdea is similar to what famous wine styles?
Vin Jaune & Sherry
Where are Verdea Traditional Appellation wines produced?
Kerkyra (Corfu) – Ionian Islands
In the PDO of Cephalonia, what grapes are dry wines made from? What grapes are sweet wines made from?
dry – Robolo
sweet – Mavrodaphne & Muscat
What are the 4 wine producing islands in the Ionian Sea? What is the only PDO?
Cephalonia, Kerkyra (Corfu), Lefkada, Zakynthos. Cephanolia is the only PDO.
What is Retsina?
An aromatized white wine flavored with Aleppo pine resin.
What are the varietal and aging requirements for Monemvassia-Malvasia PDO?
Must be aged in an oxidative environment for at least 2 years and must at least be 51% Monemvassia.
Achaia Clauss is a famous estate for the production of what wine?
Mavrodaphne of Patras.
What are the aging requirements for Mavrodaphne of Patras?
At least 1 year in wood before release.
Marri Korinthiaki is a currant grape used for enriching the sugar content of what wine?
Mavrodaphne of Patras
What grape translates to ‘black laurel’?
Mavrodaphne
T or F: Muscat of Patras and Muscat of Rio Patras PDOs must be made in a vin doux naturel style.
False, they can be made naturally sweet too.
What are the 4 sweet PDO regions of the Peloponnese?
Muscat of Patras, Muscat of Rio Patras, Mavrodaphne of Patras, Monemvassia-Malvasia.
Patras PDO are dry white wines produced from 100% of what grape?
Roditis
What grape is the principal component of Mantinia PDO wines?
Moschofilero
True or False: wines of Nemea can only be dry?
False, they can be dry or sweet.
What PDO is the phrase “blood of the lion”/”blood of Hercules” associated with?
Nemea
Koutsi is a sub-zone of what PDO?
Nemea
What is the grape of Nemea?
Agiorgitiko (St. George)
What are the 3 dry PDO regions of the Peloponnese?
Nemea, Mantinia, and Patras.
What region is directly south of Sterea Ellada?
Peloponnese
Where is the most Retsina produced?
Central Greece (Sterea Ellada), specifically Attika, the region surrounding Athens.
What is the only PDO zone of Epirus, and what kind of wine does it make and from what grape?
Zitsa PDO; dry, semi-sweet, and sparkling wine made from the Debina grape.
What region lies to the west of Thessalia on the Ionian Coast?
Epirus
Anchialos PDO allows for only ____ wine blended from what two grapes?
White; Roditis & Sauvatiano
Messenikola is a PDO in ______ that produces only _______ wine.
Thessalia; red.
What PDO sits at the base of Mt. Olympus?
Rapsani
The Rapsani PDO is primarily planted to what grape? What grapes is it mandatory to blend with it?
Xinomavro; Krasato & Starroto
What are the 3 PDO districts of Thessalia?
Rapsani, Messenikola, Anchialos
Who is the winemaker at Domaine Carras, and what grape has he resurrected from the brink of extinction under his own label in the PGI district Thessaloniki in Northern Greece?
Evangelos Gerovassiliou; Malagousia
What are the white and red varietals used by Domaine Carras in the Slopes of Meliton PDO?
red – Cab, Cab Franc, Limnio
white – Assyrtiko, Athiri, and Roditis
What PDO is a single estate appellation for Domaine Carras? What region is it in?
Slopes of Meliton PDO; Macedonia.
What is Greece’s coolest appellation?
Amynteo, within Macedonia
What are the required grapes of the Goumenissa PDO? What region is it in?
Xinomavro w/ at least 20% Negoska; Macedonia
What Greek grape translates to “acid black”?
Xinomavro
Which 2 PDOs in Macedonia produce wines solely from the Xinomavro grape?
Naoussa & Amynteo
Name the 4 PDO appellations of Macedonia.
Slopes of Meliton, Amynteo, Naoussa, Goumenissa
What is another name for Central Greece?
Sterea Ellada
What two regions on the Greek mainland have no PDO appellations?
Thrace & Central Greece (Sterea Ellada)
The Greek islands are broadly split into what two groups?
Aegean islands & Ionian islands
Name the 6 regions that the Greek mainland is split into?
Macedonia Epirus Peloponnese Thessalia (Thessaly) Thrace Central Greece (Strea Ellada)
What does “Palaiomenos se vareli” mean on a bottle of Greek wine mark “Cara” “Reserve” or “Grand Reserve”?
Oak aging exceeds minimum requirements
What does “Cava” indicate on a bottle of PGI wine?
white and pink – 1 year aging with at least 6 months in oak
red – 3 year aging with at least 1 year in oak
PGI wines integrate Greece’s former “vin de pays” category, which was previously called what?
Topikos Inos
What is Verdea?
A PGI “Traditional Appellation” for oxidative white wine produced on the island of Zakyntnos in the Ionian Sea.
Is Retsina a PDO wine?
No, it’s PGI