I used a price ceiling of 7,50€ (shelf price in Greece, inclusive of 23% VAT) for my personal favourites. Again, the selection focus was also on availability in Greece and in the export markets.

1. Boutari Naoussa 2007, 13% alcohol, 7,20€, Xinomavro: If I had to pick just one Greek wine as the red hot value of the year, this would be it. Refinement and balance best describe the wine. It is quite frankly a steal, and given its wide availability, this should be marketed as a showcase for Greek wines. I have no doubt that this can be cellared for many years to come, an outstanding effort.

2. Tetramythos Agiorgitiko 2010, 13% alcohol, 6,80€: Made from organically grown grapes, this is one of my favourite Agiorgitiko offerings. It is fresh and fruit driven with depth on the palate, and expresses the grape variety in quite a serious way. I highly recommend this.

3. Palivou Estate, Anemos 2010, 13% alcohol, 7,36€, Agiorgitiko: I believe this is simply called Palivou Agiorgitiko – St. George in the US. The wine has been a long time favourite of mine, and delivers year after year. It is one of the best introductions for Agiorgitiko I can think of – intense fruity and extremely delicious.

4. Semeli Oreinos Ilios 2010, 13.5% alcohol, 6,99€, Agiorgitiko: In the export markets, this is branded as Semeli Mountain Sun Red. This is yet another great introduction to the grape variety, smooth and vibrant with some earthiness.

All of the above Agiorgitiko wines have one thing in common: They are elegant, smooth and fruit driven. Try any of them with spicy cuisine and you might be surprised how well they work.

5. Mediterra Winery Nea Gi 2010, 13% alcohol, 6,70€, Kotsifali/Syrah: A delicious and attractive value wine from Crete with soft tannins and a good expression of fruit. Bound to be a crowd pleaser.

Expand your palate with a number of indigenous grape varieties that will tease and stimulate your taste buds. All the wines mentioned are excellent food partners; I would love to learn about your favourite pairing suggestions.

I have selected my personal value favourites from all the wines that I tasted during 2011 with a focus on availability and price. Most of the wines should be available in the export markets, prices shown are shelf prices in Greece, inclusive of 23% VAT.

1. Sokos Savatiano 2010, 12% alcohol, 3,90€: This wine is a superb introduction to Greek whites. Savatiano varietal wines are making strides in terms of quality. Priced at less than 4 Euros, this might be the bargain of the year. No need to think twice.

2. Moraitis Paros Monemvassia 2010, 12% alcohol, 6,16€: This family owned winery was started in 1910 on the island of Paros. This bottling has become one of my favourite value wines; it is elegant and aromatic, with depth on the palate. Given the price tag, I highly recommend this.

3. Union of Vinicultural Cooperatives of Samos Samena, Muscat, 12% alcohol, 4,77€: An excellent example of a dry Muscat – this wine screams for food. At less than 5 Euros, you will be hard pressed to find another wine that conquers spicy cuisine so convincingly.

4. Katogi Averoff Roditis/Chardonnay 2010, 12.5% alcohol, 6,13€: A charmer with good texture and flavour, nicely balanced, unpretentious. You can’t go wrong here.

5. Skouras Moschofilero/Roditis 2010, 12% alcohol, 5,45€: A consistent classic, year in and year out. No pretention, simply a delicious and fragrant wine.

“I continually encounter a number of key misconceptions surrounding Greek wines. These prevent the wine drinking public from recognizing the true value of contemporary Greek winemaking. Here are a few:

1. Greek wines equal high-volume Retsina and Demestica

This image is an extremely powerful one, and not without reason; tourists visiting Greece discover that Retsina wines, produced in the backyard of almost every taverna in bulk and offered as a cheap food accompaniment, are indeed an intrinsic and authentic part of Greek culture. At the same time, the three largest Greek wine producers, with market share of over 50% of exports, confirm exactly this image by primarily offering Retsina and Demestica, and at discount prices. High quality Greek wine rarely reaches the shelves abroad, and therefore has not, to date, reached wine lovers’ minds.

Earlier this year, I had an honest and lengthy discussion with one of the above-mentioned export wineries. I was delighted to hear that a shift is currently taking place in their strategy and attitude, as they move increasingly toward the premium segment. This winery in particular has consolidated all of their low cost wines under one umbrella and introduced it with a different brand name, reserving their estate name for only the more serious wines. High volume wines have very little to do with the wine revolution that is taking place in Greece, so this is a highly desirable development.

Not surprisingly, this image still exists and little progress has been made to rectify this. Local Greek tavernas continue to offer mostly questionable quality wines; Retsina and Demestica are likely still the most widely distributed Greek wines abroad. At the same time, some high quality Retsina wines are being recognised and some of the large wineries continue their shift towards the premium segment. It will take much more time to reshape this powerful image with the public at large.

2. Greek wines are of low quality

The first misconception advances this one, but nothing is further from today’s truth. I would go so far as to say that some of the most exciting wines on this planet are currently being made in Greece. A handful of local grape varieties like Assyrtiko or Xinomavro already produce world-class wines. Whenever I present Greek wines to merchants, critics, or consumers abroad, the reactions are similar and repeatable: true surprise and disbelief about the high quality they experience. Whites are either mineral-driven or full of exotic and ripe fruit character, with aromas of lemon and citrus zest, and reds are often deeply coloured, loaded with silky fruit and spicy aromas, harmonious and serious with a velvety finish.

Greece has a real spread of terroir, plus a large and unique variety of grapes. Winemakers have learned to explore and exploit this combination, and it seems that the best is yet to come.

Wow, a lot has happened over the last couple of years. Greek wines are now considered trendy and exciting in many places, especially at top restaurants. The consumer has currently limited exposure as distribution is still an issue, but I am very encouraged by the recent developments. The coverage that Greek wines have received during the last 24 months is stunning. There is no doubt that the wines are being taken much more serious.

3. Good Greek wines are too expensive

In order to introduce their customers to Greek wines, many merchants ask for solid wines that can be sold for less than $10. Whilst these wines exist, the really exciting ones cost more. About 70% of the captivating wines will cost the consumer between $10 and $20, and about 95% of the top wines carry a price tag of up to $35. Not cheap, but there are few countries that offer truly inspiring wines for less than that amount, and a large number whose best wines cost a multiple.

The reaction of one well-known German wine writer precisely demonstrates my point. His response to the above was that, although the wines might be great, that the label states that the wine originates from Greece means they can’t be marketed at a higher price point. Penalizing wines simply due to their country of origin, instead of evaluating them solely on their merits, is, to my mind, an outdated school of thought.

Solid progress has been made: The medium and high end wines are being compared to similar quality wines from other countries, and suddenly do not feel that expensive any longer. More importers do not shy away from the top offerings because of price.

The quality in the medium segment continuously improves, and many wineries have lowered pricing. It is somewhat easier to find exciting wines in the $8 to $12 price bracket. Greek wines have become more competitive.

4. Greek wines from indigenous grape varieties are only interesting to wine geeks

Greece has an abundance of indigenous grape varieties, including some that had been on the verge of extinction. The most important white varieties for the commercial wine production are Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Moschofilero, Robola, and Roditis. For the reds, varieties include Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro.

I have often heard concerns that Greek wines are too far off the mainstream taste to succeed. Yet my experience paints a very different picture. This year, I presented three dozen Greek wines on several occasions to the public, wine critics, and wine journalists. These included international and indigenous varieties. In all cases, the wines that impressed most—and impressed even the wine merchants—were Greek natives, with Assyrtiko and Xinomavro coming out top. Both of these have the ability to clearly mirror their terroir, and are probably the most distinctive and least conventional. Assyrtiko from Santorini is grown in some of the hottest and driest vineyards on earth, and are often bone-dry, salty wines with strong mineral aromas. Xinomavro wines from the north of Greece typically lack fresh primary fruit on the nose and are dominated by vegetable aromas like freshly cut tomatoes. They are quite tannic and need hours in the glass to truly open up.

Unfortunately, the wine merchants always decide in favour of the more mainstream varieties, as they perceive them as a safer option.

The largest shift in perception has probably taken place here. Greek native varietals are now sought after, especially in the US market. Agiorgitiko, Xinomavro, Assyrtiko and Moschofilero are household names for Sommeliers and any serious importer of Greek wines includes them in his/her portfolio. These varieties are now the standard, not the exception.

5. Greek wines are hard to sell because of the language barrier

I often hear concerns that Greek wines may not become successful in the export markets simply because the names of the producers, regions, and grape varieties are too confusing and sound unfamiliar. Some of the newer wineries like Alpha Estate or Wine Art Estate selected their names simply to cater to the foreign markets.

Whilst I agree that the language barrier is somewhat problematic, enough examples of other wine producing countries with similar issues exist. No one argues today that Italy or Spain will fail in the export markets because of this; to the contrary, consumers have embraced their wines and educated themselves about them. Brunello di Montalcino made from the Sangiovese grape is one of Italy’s best-known wines. Are Xinomavro from Naoussa or Agiorgitiko from Nemea really that much harder to memorize?

The names of the Greek grape varieties are not that much of an issue any longer and this will improve going forward. Grower names are a different issue, but the cream will always rise to the top. Greek wines are making headway in the export markets despite the language barriers.”

Muscat of Limnos PDO wines can be either fortified or naturally sweet (Vin Naturellement Doux). A Grand Cru designation may be added only for naturally sweet wine produced from selected vineyards.

In my view, the sweet wines of Limnos are some of the best food pairing partners around. They are crowd pleasers as the wines are generally very approachable and youthful. Compared to other more complex sweet Muscat offerings, the Muscat of Limnos wines are lighter in style, less extracted and less dense. This is exactly why they pair seamlessly with a variety of foods, from Chinese cuisine to fruit cakes and blue cheeses.

Excellent quality prevails in most cases, yet they are surprisingly inexpensive. One fine example is the Chatzigeorgiou Muscat of Limnos Grand Cru 2009, which retails at 8 Euro. The aromas are captivating: Lime, orange zest, honeysuckle and thyme. It is smooth, with good levels of acidity, and spicy Muscat notes. The wine is well integrated, beautifully balanced and scores with a persistent finish.

At this price tag it seriously outclasses many other wines. With food, it works wonders. The next time you plan on inviting friends for a dinner party, surprise them with a glass of Muscat of Limnos.

Despite its long history, it took all but 10 years for Retsina to become a global synonym for Greek wine: During the 1960s, commercial and bottled Retsina became available. This coincided with the tourist boom, when a large number of travellers began to discover Greece. Suddenly, the name Retsina shot to fame. The large producers quickly built upon this momentum by exporting enormous quantities of the new darling.

The excitement did not last long: While consumers became more sophisticated in the following years, a lot of plain and even bad Retsina was sold unabated as cheap, mass market wine. The boom ebbed away, yet the taint has remained to this day. This is slowly beginning to change. There are a number of Greek winemakers who seek to build upon old traditions and craft a sophisticated and modern style of Retsina. These are pioneers in their own right and they are a paragon of just how dynamic the Greek wine industry has become over the last years.

The Kechris winery belongs to those visionaries. Their top offering is a Retsina called “The tear of the pine”. Retsina is usually made from the Savatiano variety and to a lesser extent from Roditis. Kechris went for the noble Assyrtiko grape instead. The fermentation takes place in new oak barrels and the wine spends some time on its lees. The current 2010 vintage is a must-try. It does not come cheap, retailing around 13 Euros. But what a stunning wine this is: The aromas are dominated by fresh lime; the resin is obvious, but not overpowering at all. There are also nuances of citrus peel, lavender and vanilla. It is beautifully balanced on the palate and the acidity is really put to work here. It is medium bodied, and full with citrus and ginger notes – an explosion for the senses. The mid-palate is particularly rewarding and the finish lingers on for quite some time. This is a very fine wine indeed.

Please keep in mind that Retsina is foremost a wine to be enjoyed with food. Greek dishes are a natural choice, apart from a number of mezedes; it pairs perfectly with a number of grilled fishes like red mullet or sardines. It is also real winner with spicy and exotic dishes; try it with Thai or Indian cuisine.

Side fact: “The tear of the pine” was selected by Konstantinos Lazarakis MW for the “Discovering Greek wine” programme which is run by Aegean airlines. It was offered during the last quarter to its business class passengers. What a great way to raise awareness of how extraordinary great Retsina can be.

Nerd fact: Retsina belongs to the category “Wines of traditional appellation”. Resin must be between 0.15 and 1% of the final product, the minimum acidity is 4.5 g/l, and the alcohol level must be between 10 and 13.5%.

Sadly, it might also be one of the most underperforming wine appellations of the country. The export markets have been flooded with cheap and unexciting Mavrodaphne wines for years. It is often one of the few Greek wines offered by merchants, tucked away in a hidden corner deep down on the floor.

How did it come to this? The current legislation takes part of the blame, as it allows the addition of up to 49% of Black Corinthiaki (famous for the production of currants). There are enough growers who maximize this percentage, a poor choice for the resulting quality of the wine. The size of the appellation is large and includes unsuitable land; the lawmakers have been too lax.

Growers and producers are also to blame: Mavrodaphne is often sold in bulk to large companies who bottle and sell it as a product of the region. In order to save costs, ageing might take place in stainless steel tanks or cement vats, rather than in oak barrels. The vast majority of Mavrodaphne wines are sold as non-vintage wines.

All of the above factors have contributed to the decline in quality and price. This has tainted the reputation of the appellation.

Despite this, some stunning Mavrodaphne of Patras wines are being crafted that have the ability to rival the top sweet wines of the world. If this were the norm rather than the exception, the name of the appellation would be whispered alongside with Port or Madeira.

One example of a truly outstanding Mavrodaphne of Patras wine comes from the family owned Karelas winery that was founded in 1936. They do not use any Black Corinthiaki grapes as a blending partner, opting for 100% Mavrodaphne instead. The 2001 vintage is still available at the winery and shows perfect now. The alcohol content is 15%. It has a medium deep bright toffee colour. The nose is extremely forthcoming with lovely aromas of caramelized fruit, marzipan and a hint of oxidation. It is light bodied on the palate with crisp acidity and explosive fruit. The wine is harmonious throughout, with a strong mid-palate and a matching finish. It is mouth watering and makes you yearn for the next sip. There is no pretension here, just a beautiful balance.

A wine like this is not cheap, yet inexpensive. It has nothing in common with the vast majority of the sweet wines that come from the area – apart from the appellation name it shares with them.

Nerd fact: The appellation law allows for two different fortification methods: In the case of “Vin Doux”, fortification takes place before or in the very early stages of the fermentation, resulting in wines with at least 200 grams of residual sugar per litre. For “Vin Doux Naturel”, the fortification takes place after the initial fermentation. This method typically leaves about 160 grams of residual sugar per litre. The alcohol level is typically around 15% for both.

My recent post “The Greek Rhone Rangers” triggered an email exchange with Kim Ginsberg, a New York based Wine Consultant/Spirit advisor. With her permission, I publish our conversation here on elloinos. What is YOUR view on the issue?

K.G. Is this REALLY what you want to champion, support, write about in Greek Wines? Do we want to go to Greece for Syrah? The future of Greek wines lies in their ability to hold onto, embrace, what is unique to them. What is special.  Authentic.  And the people that have the courage to do that.   Indigenous grape varieties. Please, don’t encourage winemakers to abandon their legacy.

M.S. I am a huge supporter of indigenous grape varieties. At the same time, there are some wines that are authentic and truly well made, coming from international varieties. This does not happen all that often, but when it does, these winemakers have my full support. I do find your point of view somewhat limited.

K.G. Yes, it IS limited! The fact that XYZ chose to make a Xinomavro-Merlot blend wine tells me that they were misguided by their perceptions of the market, or by what others advised them to do.  They were afraid their indigenous varietals were not good enough?  They felt they had to pander to the market?  I don’t know.  

“Build it and they will come” I say. Who needs to go to Greece for Merlot?  Don’t lose what makes you special.  Don’t pander.   They don’t have to re-invent the wheel.  Look at the fantastic Mavrokalavryta that Tetramythos makes, as elegant and sublime as any Bourgogne rouge out there!  What a treasure trove of goodies lie in the soil of Greece!

At the very same instant that America is craving “artisanal” this and that in other  areas of drink  (single batch bourbons, micro brews..) and food (cheeses…jamons…etc)   the wine industry is still loaded with “International-style” wine production.  Why is this?

Yes, my view is VERY limited, like DOGC etc. I don’t want Velveeta cheese from Reggiano do you?

M.S. I hear what you are saying. The fact that XYZ added Merlot is no misguidance – I actually like the added dark chocolate notes. It is simply not all black and white – winemakers were and are not afraid to experiment, this is not a bad thing.

Don’t get me wrong – for example, I have often said that are only two or three producers in all of Greece that make really good Cabernet, with many others being poor. Does the world need another Cabernet? Not likely, although maybe, if the quality is really outstanding. If there is a Greek winemaker who excels with Cabernet, why should we keep quiet about it?

K.G. For the same reason that Cabernet should not be grown in Burgundy or in Rioja.

When a country’s agricultural groups believe they have something special (wine, cheese, ham, Vidalia onions…olive oil)   and regulate it, to keep the legacy alive, the quality protected, so the consumer has some sense of the product, it becomes more marketable. The regulations help to define the product.

We keep yammering about “terroir” and yet I sense less and less of it these days.  More and more overripe, reverse osmosis, manipulated, over-extracted plonk from all over the world.  

M.S. Should you ever visit Greece, I am more than happy to taste some real top examples of Greek wines from international varieties with you (as I said, there are only view around Then you can make up your mind about “terroir”.

K.G. I would love that! Thank you!

Greek wines have never been featured in the past. I am truly delighted and grateful that the editor of WeinWisser approached me with the idea for me to introduce and present the finest Greek wines to their readership. Over the last months, I have tasted hundreds of Greek wines in order to come up with a solid selection. In the end, I was able to report on more than 30 wineries, covering close to 60 wines, from many different wine regions. In addition, details on a vertical tasting of 10 vintages of the iconic Megas Oenos are included. I believe that the wines covered represent a truthful overview about the quality of Greek wines. Great care has been taken to ensure that the scores are representative and directly comparable to the other fine wines that are usually featured in WeinWisser.

My contribution was so extensive, that it was impossible to include all the wines in the printed version of WeinWisser. For this reason, only those wines that are currently available for sale in Switzerland or Germany were included. In order to account for all wines, the editor kindly suggested to produce a special PDF file. This can now be downloaded via this link:

http://www.weinwisser.com/downloads/Weinwisser9_2010_Internet_2.pdf

I urge you to peak inside this special issue – even if you are not able to understand German, you can still see the scores. In addition, you will get a good feel for the format of the WeinWisser.

The first ever inclusion of Greek wines in such a prestigious publication shows that the interest for Greek wines is manifesting itself for real.

Greek wines are discreet wines.

They offer the following characteristics:

• Crisp and refreshing acidity
• Noticeable but soft tannins
• Light bodied texture
• Relative low alcohol
• Mellow palate

This combination makes them the ultimate food wines. They are never too overpowering, yet packed with pure elegance. They are naturally restrained wines, balanced and harmonious. They truly complement food, rather than stealing the spotlight. They are simply made to be enjoyed, yet are far from being simple!

While spending some time last week with my family in Laconia, Peloponnese, I was intrigued by a taverna that offered high quality bottled wines from one of my favourite producers in Laconia, Vatistas. The holiday season lasts from June until the end of September, and I asked the owner of the taverna how many bottles he sells during this time. He replied that they sell about 100 bottles during the holiday season, roughly one bottle per day. As for open house wine, they sell about 1200 litres during the same time, about 10 litres per day. The bottled wine was 11 € per bottle, a litre house wine priced at 5 €.

I asked what grape varietals the white house wine consisted of (I was not able to identify this, and believe it was a blend). The answer was accompanied by a shrug with the shoulders: “It’s white, we also have rosé and red.” Tavernas outside of Greece continue a similar tradition – they do not have access to open house wine, but fill this void by offering mostly cheap bottled wine that is mass-produced and often dull.

I renew my call upon the Greek wineries to seriously consider an additional alternative by introducing more solid quality bag in box wines and promote those to the tavernas. Imagine the tourists would be able to taste a few different varietals by the glass at competitive prices… There is enough talent in this country to ensure that the quality would be much improved in comparison to the current offering.