Greek products, including wine and spirits, are frequently criticized for being poorly designed. As a result, they fail to communicate with potential consumers. However, over the last few years there has been a new trend towards what can only be called “creative expression” in regards to the product presentation. Some of my personal favourite examples of originality follow below. Some are trendy, others are timeless. Some are elaborate, others are simple. Some draw on traditions from the past, others bring past traditions into the future. All communicate in their own, distinctive way.

Katogi Averoff Red

Katogi & Strofilia is a major medium sized player and one of the better known Greek wineries. Evangelos Averoff founded the winery in the Metsovo region in 1959. The vineyards reach up to an altitude of 1000 metres (nearly 3300 feet), and Averoff was possibly the first to introduce Cabernet Sauvignon to Greece. Katogi & Strofilia was created in 2001, but the product lines are marketed under the separate Katogi Averoff and Strofilia brands.

The Katogi Averoff labels are timeless – and have been around for some time. They use symbols of the Vlach language, one of the four Lower Latin Balkan languages spoken in parts of Northern Greece. Cleverly, they also employ elements of the Cyrillic style in the Greek and Latin words. The label of the red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Agiorgitiko, is perhaps the most striking one.

Diamantakos

Diamantakos is a small family-run winery, located in Naoussa. They produce less than 20000 bottles of wine annually, concentrating on the local Xinomavro and Preknadi varieties. Winemaker is the talented Georgos Diamantakos, one of the very successful ‘young guns’ winemakers in the region, who have been so vital for propelling this appellation forward.

The two labels are minimalistic. There is no pretension, simply a beautiful harmony. Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. On these labels, the complexities of all things related to the wines are conveyed with a single still image.

Anama

This naturally sweet wine is made from sundried grapes from Cyprus’ indigenous Xynisteri and Mavro varieties. The “Anama Concept” is the result of a partnership between Greek Oenologist Lefteris Mohaniakis and Jewellery Designer Kristina Apostolou.

The design pairs up the two ancient arts of Cyprus, winemaking and jewellery. The theme varies with each vintage. The current 2010 vintage (1881 bottles total production) was inspired by the wine’s striking natural colour. To emphasize this, a light coloured oak label with a copper component was designed for the front side of the bottle. The collectable number of each bottle was hand-punched on a sterling silver disk on the back. Natural Cypriot beeswax is used as a capsule and cotton is wrapped around the neck of the bottle. This is a major branding effort.

Finest Roots Premium Spirits

Manos Smyrlakis is an entrepreneur: Despite the current Greek crisis, he gave up his paid job at the start of 2013 to devote himself fulltime to Finest Roots Spirits. He now marks the fourth generation of distillers, who started their work from a now 160 year old distillery, based in Southern Greece. The product line could not be more essential Greek: Rakomelo, Mastiha, Tentura and Herb Spirit are being crafted with only 100% natural extracts, without any flavour essence or artificial additives.

The bottles are being imported from France, and are silk-screened on the front and right side in Greece, as is the wooden cap. The design is eye-catching, the ROOTS brand always spelled in the same order, but contained by a different geometrical shape on each product. It is no surprise that Roots has become the new darling for Athens’ professional bartenders in no time (the line was only launched in February this year).

Terroir by Alexandra Manousakis

Alexandra Manousakis is foremost the face, heart and brain of Nostos Wines (Manousakis Winery), which is located in Chania, on the island of Crete. She is also a gifted artist and painter. Never really capable of simply sitting back and relax, she is constantly working on additional projects where she can make use of her talents. A couple of weeks ago she announced a new initiative to support the local Cretan economy, while also aiding a local school for children with disabilities.

The first local products that went on sale as part of the new “Terroir” line are organic and unfiltered olive oil, and wild sea salt. The bottles are made by a local ceramist; a percentage of the profit of each product is donated to the aforementioned school.

The design incorporates a handmade, high quality, authentic, personal and local feel, while being very clean and modern. The white background and the simple black lettering convey a message in a classical way.

What is your personal favourite?

One of the best and perhaps also most surprising categories to experience this diversity are Greece’s sweet wines. It is here that the top tier winemakers deliver quality on steroids. Greek Muscat, Mavrodaphne, and Santorini’s unique VinSanto all have a rich history and are widely known, if only by name. They are relatively easy to find within Greece, even most supermarkets often offer a handful of choices.

Yet there are many more fascinating sweet wines available, made from varieties like Agiorgitiko, Liatiko, Vradiano, Gewurztraminer, Malagousia, Malvasia and others. Compared to many other sweet wines from around the world, the Greek versions are never as rich. They do have concentrated aromas and taste, but retain acidity. One simply does not find the cloying, sticky character that can make sweet wines hard to enjoy. On the contrary, their “built in” light-footedness makes them an ideal food partner. Importantly, the food choices are in no way limited to desserts. A variety of Asian dishes, but also poultry, game, roasted meat and of course selected cheeses can be surprisingly well paired.

In terms of quality/price, the finest Greek sweet wines are one of the great bargains that exist today. Sweet wines are sadly not very fashionable in today’s wine world. Until demand and prices rise, I will happily continue indulging myself with the wonderful diversity of Greece’s liquid sweet spot.

This guest article has nothing to do with wine, although in a wider sense with Greek roots. My long term readers know how passionate my wife is about running. She ran the Boston Marathon exactly one month ago. This is her recount.

“In 2008 I ran my first ever marathon in Athens out of curiosity about myself. The sport got to me and six more followed whilst I kept pursuing two goals ever since:

1. To run a marathon in less than 3 1/2 hours.

2. To participate in the most historic marathon event in the world: Boston.

The first goal required hard training and discipline. The second required a demanding qualifying time which meant achieving the first one!

October 2011: I ran my fourth marathon in Istanbul and managed to break the 3 1/2 hours mark after two failed attempts. I finished in 03:27:12. I was over the moon. Goal achieved and qualifying time too!

September 2012: I applied for the Boston Marathon within the first 10 seconds of registrations opening, and managed to get an entry! I was actually going to be one of 27.000 runners of this marvelous event.

April 2013: I completed the 2013 Boston Marathon. My finishing time was 03:37:21.

Indeed I was fortunate enough to complete the race. The news about the bombing went around the world in seconds. Luckily I was already past the real danger zone, albeit I was standing just 100 meters away facing the finish line and witnessing what was happening.

There is little to be added to the numerous recounts of the events, questions posed, frustrations uttered. However I feel that what was not emphasized merely enough, was how incredibly efficiently this crisis was handled by all organizations involved, including security teams, the volunteers, the BAA (Boston Athletic Association), which is the marathon organization committee, and all runners and participants. In the evening of the same day, when I was sitting in a round of runners in the hotel, everyone’s stories emitted the amazement about it.

After the first bomb went off, immediate action was taken to stop the marathon. By the time the second bomb went off 10 seconds later, fellow runners reported to have seen snipers on the roofs. It was the first time ever in marathon history that a marathon event was stopped cold, and this was executed within seconds and in complete alignment by everyone. Security had been totally prepared for such an unlikely eventuality.

Once the race was stopped, there were runners stranded in the cold for the foregoing 15 – 20 km before the finish line, who needed to be collected and united with their bags (during running events, runners check in their personal belongings for safekeeping before the race starts and pick them up again at the finish line).

There was havoc in the whole city, however within a few hours, buses had been organized to pick up thousands of runners and take them to a park, where all belongings had been transported to.  All runners were patient and cooperative, awaited their turn, gave way to the people who seemed most needy, tired, and restless and felt united by the fact that they were all part of this sad event.

When the panic broke out after the finish line and we were screamed at to start running away from the bomb site, there were people around me who could barely move, let alone run, because they were exhausted from the race. They all received help from volunteers and fellow runners. None were abandoned.

Boston excelled in these extraordinary circumstances and its aftermath!

The Athens Marathon is the original, the ‘classic’ as they call it. However, the Boston Marathon is the most historic marathon EVENT, as it has been going on for 117 years. It started out with 18 participants back in 1896.

The event is so unique because a whole city is living it. It is not just a race, on a Monday (they call it Marathon Monday). It is an event celebrated like a national holiday with a series of happenings over four days, culminating with the marathon race.

The marathon expo is a huge fair. Every company or product even remotely related to marathon running is being represented. Presentations, lectures, autograph sessions by celebrities, experts, athletes are ongoing and open to the public. Movies about the history of the race and the course itself are being shown all day.

On the day before Marathon Monday, various kids’ races as well as the ‘elite-mile’ take place right around the finishing area. There are joggers everywhere running their last miles in preparation and everyone in the streets is dressed in Boston Marathon gear.

On the day of the race the organization of getting to the start, hosting runners at the marathon village and getting them to the right corals before the start was flawless.

I had ‘ran’ the course in my mind very often accompanying the recounts of George Sheehan when reading his books. He often wrote about Boston Marathon instances as this race was his ‘super bowl’ every year. And I finally walked in his footsteps: the downhill start stiffening the legs, heartbreak hill (once you run it, you know why it’s got that name), the last miles rolling into town.

The race is 42 km of entertainment. On the course, volunteers, sponsors and the crowd were providing runners with everything one could possibly think of from the most obvious things, water, drinks, fruit, to the most unusual items such as vaseline, pizza, food off a grill.

The signs made by the crowd for the runners are enormously entertaining. The one that had me in tears was: ‘Smile if you are not wearing any underwear’ (yep, I smiled!). Second best was ‘Worst parade ever!’ There were music and bands almost all along the way, and hundreds of children waiting patiently for runners to high-five them.

Half way down the race, the famous Wellesly Girls are waiting for the runners. Women from Wellesley College have made it a tradition to cheer on Boston Marathoners who race past campus. Thousands of women line about a quarter mile of the course, motivating runners with hoots, hollers, high-fives … even kisses – LOTS of kisses. The so-called Wellesley Scream Tunnel is so loud that runners say they can hear it from a mile away.

Crowds never thinned out all along the course. I ran the kilometers without noticing them. I was not doing a run; I was participating in a big fiesta – the ultimate party for runners!

In that festive and light atmosphere, the event honors with great elegance and nobility the roots of the sport. At the start of the marathon there is a statue called ‘The spirit of the Marathon’ of Spyros Louis showing Stelios Kyriakides the way to the finish line. The greatest marathon in the world starts with two Greek symbols. I felt immense pride, that these sportsmen are being so prominently honored, still, so far from our home country.

There is no amount of bombs that can eliminate such a deeply rooted part of this city’s very own unique tradition and culture. Boston, I look forward to returning!”

Lime and stones, crisp acidity, sharp and focused. If I would stop with the wine descriptors here, one might think of Assyrtiko. But there is more to add: Aromatic, perfumed, with layers of rose petals. Enter a unique Moschofilero from Mantinia, the cool climate PDO appellation, which is deservedly famed for this variety.

The Bosinakis family has a long winemaking tradition, yet the 2012 Mantinia Moschofilero is only their fourth vintage of this wine. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 650 metres/2150 feet; the soils are dominated by clay. The harvest took place in the first week of October; the wine was released in February this year. The production amounted to just 12500 bottles.

This is one of the most captivating expressions of a Moschofilero that I have come across in some time. The aromatics are slightly restrained, giving the wine plenty of opportunity to show off its distinctive mineral character. Its weight is on the lighter side, yet there is focus and precision. The alcohol level is 13%. The wine retails between 8 and 9 Euros (around $13).

Returning to Assyrtiko, this Moschofilero – at least at this stage -achieves a similar level of complexity. It will be interesting to see how it will develop over time.

Rarely has a wine book captivated me as much as the truly fascinating “Divine Vintage – following the wine trail from Genesis to the modern age”. I met the authors Randall Heskett, a biblical scholar, and Joel Butler MW, last year in Greece, where they visited as part of their ongoing research. At the time, I merely thought that the subject of the book was quite interesting.  

The book was released in November last year. After reading it for the first time, I was left not only richer in knowledge, but more importantly, the richness of the added context has profoundly impacted my relationship with wine. Terroir is a notion most of us are familiar with, but I am intrigued by the re-emergence of wine industries in places where the roots of vines can be traced back for several millennia.

 I count myself extremely privileged being able to taste so many Greek wines that are not easy to find, especially abroad. Yet after I finished reading Divine Vintages, I was yearning for an opportunity to try some of the wines from other countries that form part of the “biblical wine trail”.

Last Friday, my dream became reality: Joel Butler MW, led a master class based on the book he co-authored. Eighteen wines from Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Israel, Georgia, and Jordan were presented in conjunction with Konstantinos Lazarakis MW, at the Athens based WSPC. This was the first time that such a presentation took place in Europe.

All wines were extremely well made, the first eleven dominated by finesse and elegance, the following five being less refined, favouring weight instead. This might not be surprising, given that the latter wines were all made from classic French varieties. The last two sweet wines were a special treat indeed, and Joel Butler believes that the Romans might have well been making wines in a similar, oxidized style.

It is hard to pick a single favourite wine from the line-up; stylistically I very much enjoyed the wines from the Turkish variety Kalecik Karasi. They were earthy, spicy, vibrant, elegant and delicate, with a lovely, slightly bitter, finish.

I opted to introduce short descriptions of the wineries, rather than reproducing my tasting notes below. The name of each winery is followed by the name of the wine with vintage, the alcohol level, the grape variety, and lastly, area and country. You can click through the image gallery above to see the labels.

Vinkara Doruk 2012, 14% alcohol, Narince, Ankara Province/Turkey

Vinkara’s venture into viticulture began in 2003, with the cultivation of their vineyards. The first experimental vintage took place three years later. Their main focus lies on the native grapes of Anatolia.

Doluca DLC 2011, 12.5% alcohol, Narince, Tokat Province/Turkey

Doluce is one of the two largest and oldest wineries in Turkey. Founded in 1926, annual production now totals almost 700000 cases.

Gaia Estate Thalassitis 2007, 13.5% alcohol, Assyrtiko, Santorini/Greece

Gaia Estate was established in 1994. They have succeeded in becoming one of the true icons in two of the most important wine regions in Greece: Nemea in the Peloponnese is home to the Agiorgitiko grape, while the island of Santorini is famous for its Assyrtiko wines.

Vinkara Doruk 2011, 13.5% alcohol, Kalecik Karasi, Ankara Province/Turkey

Vinkara Mahzen 2010, 14% alcohol, Kalecik Karasi, Ankara Province/Turkey

Clos St Thomas Les Gourmets Rouge 2010, 13.5% alcohol, Carignan/Cinsault/Syrah, Beka’a Valley/Lebanon

Although the Touma family has been making wine since 1952, they became serious about it after the Lebanese civil war ended in 1990. The winery is located in the Bekaa valley, where the Romans chose to build one of the greatest jewels of Lebanon – the temple of Bacchus.

Vitkin Carignan 2009, 13.5% alcohol, Carignan, Shomron Region/Israel

The family run boutique winery Vitkin was established in 2001. They decided early on to focus on Mediterranean varieties, as well as on old Israeli standards. Current annual production is around 5000 cases of kosher wine.

Kayra Buzbag Reserve 2008, 14.5% alcohol, Öküzgozü, Elazig/Turkey

This old winery remained under state control until 2005, when it was sold to private investors and christened Kayra. It is one of the largest wine producers in Turkey, and is led by the American winemaker Dan O’Donnell.

Kavaklidere Pendore 2010, 14% alcohol, Öküzgozü, Western Anatolia Manissa/Turkey

Founded in 1929, Kavaklidere is not only Turkeys first private sector wine producer, it also the country’s largest one. They are credited for introducing Turkey’s indigenous wines to the world; the company’s principle is “Anatolian wine from Anatolian grapes”.

Kayra Vintage 2009, 15% alcohol, Bogazkere, Diyarbakir/Turkey

Vinoterra Saperavi Selection 2009, 13% alcohol, Saperavi, Kakheti/Georgia

Georgi Dakishvili was the third generation in his family to become a winemaker. His father taught him the skills of traditional Georgian winemaking. This particular wine was fermented in Qvevri (Amphorae that are buried up to the rim), an ancient tradition that the Georgians have maintained for thousands of years.

Binyamina The Chosen Diamond 2009, 14% alcohol, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon from Golan Heights and Upper Galilee, 20% Merlot from Upper Galilee, 10% Syrah from Upper Galilee, 10% Petit Verdot from Judean Hills, Binyamina/Israel

Binyamana Winery was established in 1952. Although always privately owned, the winery passed through several hands over the years. In 1996 a group of movie production executives gained full control. They transformed Binyamina into the fourth largest winery in Israel; the annual production now amounts to 2.8 million bottles. In 2008, ownership changed hands once again, this time to a group of private investors.

The high-end series “The Chosen” includes six wines, each named for one of the Hoshen Stones (the biblical term for the carefully chosen stones set in the breastplate of the High Priest).

Zumot Winery Saint George Shiraz Winemaker’s Selection 2009, 15.2% alcohol, Shiraz, Sama/Jordan

Jordan can certainly claim biblical origins for wine, but until recently, it was nowhere on the modern world wine map. Although the Zumot family started to make and sell their own wines in 1954, it was not until 1996 that the Zumot winery was established. They now work organically in three viticulture areas.

Chateau Belle-Vue La Renaissance 2006, 14% alcohol, Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon, Bhamdoun/Lebanon

Lebanon has an ancient history of wine. Sadly, the modern wine industry was nearly ruined by the civil war. Bhamdoun, in the mountains east of Beirut, is a famous wine growing region. The population was decimated by the Israel-Lebanon conflict in the early 1980s. Naji Boutros grew up in Bhamdoun, but left at age seventeen. He returned in 1999 and started to replant vineyards the following year. The first harvest at Chateau Belle-Vue took place in 2003.

Clos St Thomas Chateau St Thomas 2006, 14% alcohol, Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Syrah, Beka’a Valley/Lebanon

Chateau Kefraya Comte de M 2006, 14% alcohol, Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah/Carignan/Mourvedre, Beka’a Valley/Lebanon

The Beka’a Valley is the cradle of wine making; its history goes back thousands of years. The original castle for Chateau Kefraya was built in 1946; the first vineyards were planted in 1951. In the early 1980s the Chateau got caught up in the turmoil of the civil war. The Israel army occupied the region, and shortly thereafter the Chateau. Despite the extreme difficulties, Chateau Kefraya never stopped their activities. Today, the winery is the second largest in Lebanon, 40% of the production is exported.

Domaine Economou Sitia Late Harvest 2000, 15% alcohol, Liatiko, Sitia/Greece

Yiannis Economou is one of the most talented winemakers in Greece. He has an oenology degree from Alba, years of cellar work experience in Germany, Bordeaux (at Chateau Margaux) and Piedmont (under the guidance of Ceretto and Scavini). In 1994, he returned to Crete and resurrected the family wine business.

Cooperative of Samos Samos Grand Cru 1980, alcohol info n/a, Muscat, Samos/Greece

This important Cooperative was founded in 1934 and is one of the oldest Cooperatives in Greece. It boasts around 4000 members who contribute fruit, representing twenty six vine growing villages.

It is very satisfying to see these entrepreneurial businesses thrive, but they form only a part of the much larger picture. Greece is awash with unsold stock of bottled wine, and many are regularly discounted. Usually, high quality wines for little money are desirable for the consumer – that is, as long he or she has enough disposable income to seize the bargain. This is clearly not the case in Greece, where the discount strategy employed by the large supermarkets seems to have had little effect to accelerate sales.

I was alerted by a reader from Belgium that Delhaize, a Belgian supermarket chain, is making deep discounts on their Greek wines. It is worth noting that Delhaize is the owner of one of Greece’s largest supermarket chains, AB Vassilopoulos. In fact AB has been employing the strategy of rotating, temporary discounts on Greek wine for more than two years.

Delhaize offers a 40 percent price discount when ordering either six or twelve bottles of the same wine. The details can be found here via their online shop. There seems to be some confusion as to the availability of the wines, also the number of wines offered keeps decreasing. They started out with 21 wines, currently only 16 are shown. It might be that the now missing wines are sold out, or that the delivery of them was delayed.

Most of the Greek wineries that are included in this offer are well known, medium to large sized estates; all are active in the export markets: Alpha Estate, Argyros, Hatzimichalis, Nico Lazaridi, Skouras, Strofilia, and Tselepos. There are some really lovely wines included, and one can only hope that the Belgian consumer will also be educated about them.

It is interesting to note that quite a few of the wines, especially the whites, are not from the latest (current) vintage. Delhaize has in the past regularly sold selections of AB products on its Belgian shelves, so the logistics are in place. Are they now selling off stock accumulated by AB to the Belgian market? Or is this a sign of the immense pressure for the Greek wineries to unload inventory? Whatever the answer might be, the price erosion that started locally is now swapping over into the European export markets.

Update: I have now been informed that the wines are sold from Canette in Belgium. Indeed the idea was to offer quality Greek wines at low prices. Those wines that sell well online are planned to be offered at the supermarket shelves as well. Since the start of this promotion at the beginning of this month, sales have been very successful.

Area grown: Serres, Macedonia, in the far north of Greece, close to the Bulgarian border. Currently Domaine Nerantzi is the only producer of a varietal Koniaros.

History: Koniaros is an ancient variety that had been left behind due to low yields. Nerantzi Mitropoulos came across vines in 1998. He had them DNA tested, registered Koniaros with the authorities, preserved and cultivates it.

Grapes: Large, thick skinned berries. Koniaros is a late ripening variety; harvest typically takes place in the last week of September.

Nose/Bouquet: Blackberries, cocoa, coffee, spicy. Medium plus bodied, firm tannins with matching acidity, extracted fruit; smooth and elegant, alcohol level is 13%.

Greece is one of the most mountainous countries of Europe. Perhaps it should not come as a surprise that it also hosts some high altitude vineyards, which count amongst the highest in Europe.

Elevation affects temperature. For every 100 metres (330 feet) gain in altitude, the temperature drops by 0.6˚C (1.1˚F). The difference between the day and night temperature also increases with higher altitude, as does the sunlight intensity. These factors result in a delayed maturation of the grapes, an elevated natural acidity, intensified aromas, and a higher concentration of total tannins. The resulting wines tend to naturally balance ripeness and freshness. For a detailed analysis of the influence of altitude, I highly recommend reading this article by Jamie Goode.

The following three Greek wines all come from vineyard sites that are located at altitudes around the 1000 metre (3280 feet) mark. Although they are stylistically very different, they do share very fine acidity levels, with both reds having ripe and round tannins.

Skouras Grande Cuvée Nemea 2007, 13.5% alcohol, Nemea, Peloponnese: The fruit for this 100% Agiorgitiko wine comes from 20+ year old vines that grow at an altitude of 950 metres (3120 feet); the soil is mainly red clay. The wine is matured for 12 months in new French barriques, 4 of these on its lees. There are quite forthcoming aromas of cherries and roasted almonds with hints of earthiness. On the palate, it is medium to full bodied and quite densely structured. The acidity is notable, ripe tannins are prominent, but well integrated. The mid palate is dominated by roasted flavours rather than fruit, the spicy finish is long and complex. Personally I feel that the new oak treatment is too visible, it masks the pure Agiorgitiko fruit, adding unnecessary weight that diminishes the elegance. Nevertheless, this is a serious wine that will please those who prefer density over purity.

Katogi Averoff Rossiu di munte Giniets 2007, 13.5% alcohol, Metsovo, Epirus:  A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine, the grapes are from vines that were planted between 1959 and 1963 at an altitude of 1000 metres (3280 feet) at the slopes of Mount Pindus. The soil composition is made up of sandy clay loam, schist and gravel. The wine is matured for 14 months in 300 L French oak barrels, at least for 2 months on its lees. The open aromas are dominated by black currants, violets and bell peppers and there is also a distinct earthiness. Full bodied on the palate, with dense acidity and round yet gripping tannins. The dark fruit is very persistent and explosive on the mid palate. This is a savoury wine with a solid structure, yet it does not feel heavy. The acidity works beautifully and enhances the ripeness of the fruit. The finish is long and rewardingly bitter, with a strong tobacco sensation.

Tetramythos Miliá 2011, 13.5% alcohol, Achaia, Peleponnese: This is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc wine. The vines were planted in 1999; the organic 0.8 ha single north facing vineyard site is located at an altitude of 1050 metres (3450 feet), the soil type is limestone. Further up is the location of a hugely popular Greek ski resort. One can enjoy the snow, then drive down all the way to the foot of the mountain and go for a swim in the Gulf of Corinth.

The wine is matured for 4 months on its lees in new light and medium toasted French barrels. Some of these barrels have received special treatment like tannin removal. One whiff is enough to bring out aromas of citrus, grapefruit, lychee and a hint of vanilla. The wine is medium bodied, with a strikingly high level of acidity. The texture is on the lighter side, but the liveliness makes up for this. It has intense and concentrated grapefruit flavours that cover the whole palate. The finish is smooth and long. This wine is all about freshness and purity of the fruit. Total acidity is 7.35 g/l, residual sugar 3.4 g/l, and ph 2.98.

Greece has a rich winemaking history and is blessed by a treasure chest of indigenous grape varieties. Many of these have been revived during the last years. Winemakers are literally going back to their roots.

At Domaine Nerantzi, which is located close to the border with Bulgaria, the oak used for barrel ageing is Balkan. Domaine Karanika uses the ancient Xinomavro variety to produce the only Greek sparkling Xinomavro wine made by the methode champenoise. These are just two out of many examples where innovation and tradition go hand in hand.

Retsina is certainly an integral part of Greece’s heritage, wine with resin has been produced for more than 2500 years. Only a handful of winemakers have been brave enough to attempt and produce a more refined, elegant and modern style of this wine. The Tetramythos winery can now be added to the names of these visionaries.

The resin is collected from pine trees that grow in the vineyard. The grape variety is Roditis, the vines are 24 years old.  The single vineyard site is located at an altitude of 650 metres (2130 feet). And now it is getting interesting: Only wild yeasts are used for the fermentation, no sulphur is added. 40% is fermented in clay jars (amphora), the remainder in stainless steel tanks. The fermentation last for more than two months, with skins (sur lie). It finishes somewhat earlier in the clay jars due to the higher oxygen presence. The wine was bottled last month, at which point a very small sulphur addition took place. This was just one third of the limit allowed for organic wines.  This is the first time that a minimal intervention Retsina wine has been created in Greece.

Notes: Delicate aromas of flowers and lemon with mineral notes, only a hint of resin. Medium bodied with a crispy acidity, smooth and elegant, the mid palate dominated by citrus fruit. The resin is beautifully integrated and does not dominate at all; it is most present on the excellent finish. A very intriguing wine indeed, the alcohol level is 13%. This will pair great with Greek mezedes, a number of grilled fish dishes, and also slightly spicy cuisine.

Having just returned from my three week business trip to the Americas, it seems like a good point in time to reflect. Winemaker Christos Zafeirakis accompanied me during the first two weeks. We split up most of the time in order to see more customers and expose more of the respective sales reps to work with us.

We spent six very busy days with my partner WineWise in California, not only seeing customers, but also having a number of consumer events. We visited San Francisco, the Bay Area, Marin County, Orange County and Los Angeles. The Greek portfolio in CA is a joy to present! All wines that are included are stylistically elegant, and more importantly, every wine fits in harmoniously. To quote Aristotle, ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’ This is also true for storytelling purposes.

Over the last 18 months or so we have slowly increased the number of producers to now eight. Importantly, a solid number of wines retail between $10 and $15. Greek grape varieties dominate, Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Preknadi, Roditis and Savatiano for the whites, Agiorgitiko, Black of Kalavryta, Limniona and a special focus on Xinomavro for the reds. Sales have been increasing steadily, and on this occasion nearly twice as much Greek wine was delivered than on my first visit a year ago.

In terms of branding, we work with hand tied bottle tags that emphasize the close relationship with WineWise, please read here for more details or click the arrow in the image above to see both sides of the tags.

Our second week in New York was also very productive. Frederick Wildman started to work with direct imports from Greece one year ago. Currently four out of eight producers are sourced through me, including a number of high end wines. Dionysi Grevenetis is Wildman’s Greek portfolio manager, and the driving force behind the sales team for Greek wines.

In New York, the majority of Greek wines are traditionally sold to the Greek restaurant scene. Given the large number of sales people that Frederick Wildman employs, the potential to grow sales outside this existing customer segment is very real. I went out on consecutive days with talented and enthusiastic sales people, and the feedback and orders we received especially on the high end wines was more than encouraging. Danielle and Dave, it was a real pleasure to work with you!

I spent the last five days in Panama City to present Greek wines to local wine influencers and also make contact with potential importers. The wine influencers there are amongst the most enthusiastic wine folks I have met in my entire life.

I presented twelve Greek wines from my CA portfolio. I can sum up the experience in one sentence: Not only have I made new friends, but also gained important supporters at the same time.

I also met with a couple of interested importers. Whatever the result of these meetings might be, one thing is already sure: This was only my first visit to Panama, I will be back. A huge thank you goes out to the person who convinced me to come. You know who you are!