A few weeks ago I reported on the effects the ongoing financial crises in Greece is having on the local wine industry. Greek consumers are clearly spending much less money on wines, and as a direct result, a lot of stock remains unsold. AB is one of the largest supermarket chains in Greece, and they continue heavily discounted promotions. The most aggressive campaigns target top appellation regions.

This morning the latest bargain sale started, this time the Nemea region is advertised. The Cooperative of Nemea is a very important organisation in Greece. Thanks to the remarkable talent of its head winemaker, they are able to offer a good and solid portfolio of Agiorgitiko wines. Never too high in alcohol, the wines are fresh, uncomplicated and fruit driven. Given the fact that very large volumes are being produced, and that grapes from all the growers must be accepted, this is an achievement. The prices for the wines have always been extremely competitive. The “Nemea Special” wine sits right in the middle of the portfolio in terms of quality.

The “Nemea Special” is now offered at a discount of 40% and comes in at a shocking 1,99 € per bottle. As the Cooperative itself relies heavily on the Nemea image, the AB supermarket only needs to make sure that the discount and price are dominantly displayed on the advertising boards. The shoppers will likely not notice the fact that it is not a wine from a single grower. The reputation of another great Greek wine growing region is being hit. The vast majority of Nemea wines can hardly be called expensive (although some exceptions do exist), but to portray the Nemea name with prices that usually are only reserved for mass produced, low quality wines will do the region no favour. I sincerely hope that this will be a temporary initiative limited to the local market. As for the wine itself, I have certainly bought and enjoyed it before without the heavy discount.

Last week I had the chance to attend a wine tasting featuring their wines. The event was hosted by the Winebank Pavlidis and took place in the south of Athens, by the sea. Thanks go out to Kostas Katsoulieris, who alerted me to attend the tasting. Kostas is an active commentator on this blog, and I was looking forward to finally meet him in real life.

I arrived a little late, as the traffic was really bad, but made it just in time for the first wine to be poured. The first thing that hit me was that the location was packed. I guess that at least 40 people were attending. The owner of Gaia Wines, Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, presented a superb range of his wines. He talked about every wine in great detail, covering the work in the vineyards and the winery, giving very useful information about the vines, soil structure, harvest time, etc.  This was no marketing talk; instead it was one of the most educational conversations I have ever encountered at a wine tasting. There were many questions from the crowd and a high level of engagement. I  reported last year that the wine culture in Greece is changing. By now it becomes more evident than ever that consumers are eager to educate themselves about fine wines, and I have little doubt that this will have a positive and lasting impact on the Greek wine industry.

Santorini wines tasted, all 100% Assyrtiko:

Thalassitis 2009: A great vintage for Santorini – lots of ripe Citrus aromas, this is a serious wine with a lovely kick from the acidity, bone dry with a salty and very long finish.

Wild Ferment 2008: Only the natural wild yeasts are used for the fermentation. Half the wine is matured for 4 months in 80% new oak barrels. Dense and rich aromas of citrus, minerals and pan-fried butter. Full bodied with great level of acidity, very round, its structure reminds me of a great Montrachet. Very long finish. AVIN3193961754611

Thalassitis 2008: Lots of mineral, lemon and butter aromas, full-bodied, extremely dry, this screams for food, one can nearly taste the salt from the sea, very long.

Nemea wines tasted, apart from Gaia S all 100% Agiorgitiko:

Agiorgitiko 2008: Aged in old barrels, the wine has intense cherry aromas, supple and elegant on the palate with soft tannins.

Gaia S 2007: A blend of 70% Agiorgitiko and 30% Syrah, it shows intense spicy cherry aromas, bundled with an earthy character. Meaty on the palate, elegant with a well integrated tannin structure and a very long finish.

Gaia Estate 2006: Aged for 14 months in 60% new barrels. Nose of ripe black cherries and dark chocolate, powerful palate, concentrated dark fruit, smooth and balanced, finishes long.

Gaia Estate 2004: More spicy than the 2006 vintage, morello cherries, vanilla and roasted almonds, very powerful on the palate, tannins are quite evident, no shortage of acidity, full with a very long finish.

Gaia Estate 2000: Some maturity on rim, aromas of cherry jam, tea and roasted almonds. On the palate it is very feminine and soft in style, yet full of life. The tannins are soft and fully integrated, the finish silky. Perfect to drink now, a great example that well made Agiorgitiko has ageing potential.

Anatolikos 2001: A sweet wine from sun dried grapes, aged in 5-year old barrels. Nose of sweet cherries, prunes and honey, almost port-like. It is fairly full-bodied on the palate, yet elegant with an almost rich sweetness.

The icing of the cake for me came in the form of a Gaia Estate Magnum 2004, signed by Yiannis Paraskevopoulos. Every participant of the tasting event wrote his or her name on a piece of paper and a random winner was picked. The stars must have aligned for me that evening, as my name was pulled out. This treasure now has a special place in my wine cellar.

My friend Yiannis Liberopoulos invited me to join a group of wine enthusiasts for a presentation by the father and son team of the Papaioannou winery from Nemea. The event was due to start at 9:00 pm, and being German I arrived 20 minutes early, expecting to be one of the very first guests to arrive. To my surprise nearly all seats were already occupied by a great number of people, and more chairs had to be brought in. I estimate that a total of 50 wine friends were present by the time the tasting started. This I find to be very impressive indeed, I simply did not expect so many people to come to such an event on a Thursday night, but as the presentation proceeded, I could see why:

Thanassis Papaioannou is a passionate man; he is one of the pioneers in Nemea and started a small estate in 1984. He has the reputation of being extremely talented in the vineyard – which is an accomplishment, as he is a completely self-taught winemaker. I guess he is well into his seventies, and I wish I would have some of his energy when I get there. His softly spoken son Georgos holds a winemaking degree and does a lot of work in the cellar. For 3 hours, they presented their wines, the father being very entertaining and energetic with strong held opinions, the son adding balance by relaying facts about the different wines shown.

To me, it was very interesting to gain more insights into the Greek point of view. Out of the 10 wines shown, 6 were made from international varieties. This startled me, as Nemea is usually synonymous with Agiorgitiko. Thanassis Papaioannou believes that it is easier for Greek wineries to win awards at international wine competitions with varieties that are not indigenous.

The range of wines was very well made, however it was missing what I personally love about the Greek wines, which is exactly that fact that they are distinct and unusual. So I could not well relate to a Greek enthusiastic participant who proudly exclaimed, that the wine just tasted was not a mere Chardonnay, but a Chardonnay from Nemea!

The real buzzes for me were indeed two premium offerings of Agiorgitiko. It was then that I was able to taste the sense of the place these wines come from – their terroir. In my opinion, these are exactly the wines needed to win the hearts of the wine lovers abroad, if offered at the right price.

The evening was a real treat, I love the fact that winegrowers make the effort to travel to Athens and engage with the public for some hours. The participants asked a lot of questions, and the Papaioannou team not only answered them, they engaged with their audience. This is great marketing that bears fruits for both, grower and wine lover alike.

I just returned from Nemea, where I once again visited Ktima Palivou. I spend about two hours with Georgos Palivos, and time just flew by. He took me to his vineyards that start at about 320 m above sealevel and go all the way up to 520 m. The soil is extremly stony and rocky, the vines certainly struggle to dig their roots deep down. Georgos told me that they had to split lots of large rocks with heavy machinery before any vines could be planted. One can see the terroir and the different coloured soil structures just by looking down the slopes. These are the perfect soil conditions for Agiorgitiko. The top part of the plot is used only for the premium wine. Georgos has also used a small plot at the lower end to create a “vine museum”. He has planted up to 60 extremly rare vine varieties, including the white Xinisteri. After we went back to his estate, he presented me with a barrel sample of an experimental wine – only 3 barrels exist. It is two thirds Agiorgitiko, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The nose was very open and bursting with fruit aromas, spices and vanilla. It was full bodied and dense, the finish went on and on – a great wine in the making. He also let me presented me with another barrel sample – again only 3 barrels produced – of a 1999 sweet red wine. 10 years and still in barrel! This was even more complex, with a very open nose of red fruits and raisins, great on the palate, again full bodied, but also with a very elegant signature. The finish was extremly long and it was hard resisting to empty the glass (but it was just midday). Two great wines!