“For wines that can truly surprise and excite in the glass, Greece really is the place to look.” Decanter wine magazine, July 2024. The 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards highlighted the ongoing ascendency of Greek wines, which were awarded a large number of medals.
In a cold January we got together for a tasting from a warmer climate of some of Greece’s quality wines.
Many wineries are family owned, including several of those whose wines we were trying. The latest generation contribute their expertise from travelling and wine education abroad, building on developments introduced since the 1990s, such as sustainability and low intervention.
The Wine Society’s Greek White 2023
The first wine was mainly of Moschofilero, grown widely in the Peloponnese: light bodied, with high acidity and low alcohol, showing aromatic and floral qualities. It is frequently, as here, blended with some Roditis, which has more fruit and fewer aromatic and floral aspects. This wine makes an inexpensive but good value aperitif.
The next two white wines were both from the 2021 vintage of the Assyrtiko grape, Greece’s most celebrated white variety, native to the island of Santorini, where the wines have a unique richness and weight. It has a reputation for producing some of the world’s top wines.
Assyrtiko thrives in Santorini’s volcanic soil, which accentuates minerality and salinity, and its bleak, arid climate, with strong winds and minimal rainfall.
The wines are from low yields, high in acid, high in alcohol, full bodied, textured, not aromatic and can be bone dry, yet full of flavour. The flavours include citrus, stone fruits and minerality when young, developing into apricot, beeswax, toast and lanolin. It is normally fermented in stainless steel and aged on the lees to add weight and texture (for both these wines). However, a few producers do use oak.
On the island the grapevines are often grown near the ground, trained to weave into basket-shaped “koulouras”, like nests. These protect the grapes which grow inside, covered by the vine’s foliage, from the brutal winds.
The Society’s Exhibition Santorini Assyrtiko 2021
All Wine Society’s “Exhibition” wines are made by top winemakers to be typical of the region they represent. This wine is 90% from 50-year old Assyrtiko grapes, with a contribution of a little Athiri (extensively planted throughout the Aegean) and Aidani (very rare). There were notes of citrus, stone fruit and apricot with salinity; and a good structure and finish.
Hatzidakis Skitali, Santorini 2021
Hatzidakis is one of the most renowned producers on Santorini, creating authentic artisan wines.
This wine was amazingly complex and rich, with aromas of citrus, beeswax and apricot, and a textured palate showing minerality. It has spent twelve months on its lees, giving it depth and texture. This wine cost over three times as much as the first Assyrtiko. The general view was that for value, the first was preferred.
Moving to red grapes, we compared two from Agiorgitiko, a versatile grape that can be produced in many styles. The best examples are fermented and aged in French oak. They are predominantly found in the Peloponnese, in Nemea.
Lafazanis Winery Geometria Agiorgitiko 2022
showed light and fruity, berry aromas and flavours.
Gaia Wines Agiorgitiko Nemea 2021
was more concentrated, with soft tannins.
Of the two, both well made, some of us preferred the first, others the second.
Douloufakis ‘Dafnios’ Liatiko 2019
This wine is from Crete, arguably Greece’s most exciting wine region and home to numerous indigenous varieties. It is 100% Liatiko, Crete’s finest red grape and one of its oldest, producing delicate, light to medium bodied wines in a variety of styles, mostly sweet, although increasingly dry (including this example).
It suffered a decline in popularity in the late 20th century. However, Nikos Douloufakis, a third-generation vintner, who trained in Piedmont, planted new Liatiko vineyards in the early 1990s and experimented with the grapes, cultivation and styles to facilitate a revived popularity.
This wine had concentrated aromas and flavours of red fruits, also touches of spices and herbs, good acidity and integrated tannins from careful maturing in oak. It would evolve.
We liked this wine.
Next we tried two wines from Xinomavro, Greece’s top red grape. It thrives in Naoussa in Northern Greece. It tends to be a pale colour, high in acidity, high alcohol, aromatic, many tannins and ageing potential. The wines may be made to be light and easy drinking or more structured; whether traditional high acid and tannin, savoury dried fruit and spice, or modern sweeter acidity and fruit. Both these wines would age well.
Xinomavro Single Vineyard ‘Hedgehog’, Alpha Estate 2020
This wine demonstrated the characteristics of Xinomavro, with a bouquet of strawberry, redcurrants and plum fruit carried through to the palate, unobtrusive oak, and a good finish.
Top of Form
Kir Yianni Diaporos Single Vineyard Xinomavro 2018
Xinomavro 87%, Syrah 13%.
This wine had aromas of ripe black fruit, plums, and also dark chocolate and spice. Its flavours were of ripe fruit, cherry, plum and tobacco, with a moderate tannic structure and a persistent finish.
Both wines, like all those shown, were from outstanding producers and showed well. The second was about twice the price of the first.
For our final wine, we returned to Santorini.
Santo Wines Mavrotragano 2020
Mavrotragano is Santorini’s signature red grape, an old rare native variety, produced only in small amounts. It has excellent ageing potential. The aroma is spicy and complex, ripe black fruit backed up by black pepper, juniper berries, and notes of vanilla and tobacco. The palate is intense, smooth and balanced: black fruit flavours, figs, and rounded tannins, with a long aftertaste. We appreciated this wine.
The wines tasted this evening illustrated indigenous grape varieties and diverse terroirs found nowhere else, from some of the best wine producers in Greece.
Rachel Burnett