Greece

• Santorini

This is a white wine from Western MAcedonia in Northern Greece.  This is a white wine, golden with some green hues in color, clear and bright.  The nose has limes, some floral notes and a hint of lychee.  Slightly oily in texture.  A hint of sweetness.  Nice acidity.  Spry energy.  On the palate, the limes come thru a bit, but also a bit of Honeydew melon. Certainly not the same old, same old.  It drinks nicely on its own and would work with lighter foods.  Just a guess, but probably best to drink in the next year or two.  

This a really interesting white that is a great value.  Moschofilero is the name of the grape.  Silvery in color with green and gold hues.  The nose is really interesting with plums, tropical fruits, and some floral qualities.  Nice, slightly oily texture.  On the palate it has a tart but candied quality.  Tropical fruits.  Nice crispness.  Long finish.  Good finish.  This should very very food friendly and go well with all kinds of sea foods.  Oysters would be perfect.  Drink over the next couple of  years.  

If you don't know this grape and/or this producer, you should.

Although summer has passed for this year, my wine of the summer was Assyrtiko from Santorini.  There are many different producers and I didn't have a bad one.  Very pale silvery gold in color.  Light bodied.  A slightly oily texture.  This has a bit of lemon/lime citrus but its really more about the smoke and minerality.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This has some depth to it.  I have no idea if these can age or not, but the energy and brightness are not likely to last, so I would drink in the next year or two. This will go well with sea food and salads and even lighter fowl dishes.  

Assyrtiko is quickly becoming one of my favorite white grapes.  Light golden in color.  The nose is mostly about minerals and salinity but there are some pears as well.  The pears are a bit stronger on the palate, but the underlying minerality and saline finish are still present.  This is light bodied but very energetic.  Moderate acidity.  Medium finish.  Of course, this is made for seafood or lighter Mediterranean cuisine, but it drinks nice on its own.  I really have no idea if this will age but I would think it is better in its first couple of years.   

Greek whites and Assyrtiko specifically are fate becoming some of my favorite summer white wines.  At $17, this is fairly priced and drinking well right now.  Light silvery gold in color.  The nose is creamy vanilla with some lemons.  Also plenty of smokiness.  It is a big nose and while I presume this saw no oak, it sure has some of those characteristics.  From volcanic soil?  Stems?  More to learn.  On the palate, this has nice lemon notes with some charred lemon peel.  Lots of energy.  Good acidity.  More about the minerality on the palate though.  Drink now to enjoy that energy.  It wil

Greece is making some really good wines these days, both red and white.  It seems the whites are finding more shelf space in wine stores though.  This white, made from the Assyrtiko grape is very good.  It is a higher end version and like many lovely whites, I question the need for a "serious" wine instead of just having a more "simple" wine.  This wine is fermented in oak barrels for 12 months and then left to age another 12 months in bottle before release.  The result is that this wine has more body and complexity but it loses the crispness and freshness that makes Santorini wines so enjo

100% Limnio.  Ruby/purple in color.  The nose has cherries and a minty note.  On the palate, firm tannins.  Cherries with an underlying char.  A bit of raisined grapes.  This will work with serious meat dishes and some medium weight foods.  It should make good drinking for the next five years at least.  Retails for $25 which is a fair price.  

What an interesting wine.  Made from the Agiorgitiko grape.  This retail for $24 which is a fair price.  It is unclear how it will age but it seems as though it should be drunk in the next few years.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is lovely with sour cherries.  A bit of anise on the back of the nose.  On the palate, the sour cherries come thru along with some forest floor and some bell pepper.  A bit like a cooler climate Cabernet Franc combined with Barbera.  Firm tannins and good acidity.  This really begs for some food.  A fun wine.  

100% Xinomavro.  Light ruby in color.  This looks like it will be a lighter wine, then boom.  The nose has bitter sour cherries (in a good way) with some black olive and spice.  On the palate, this is light bodied but packs a lot of flavor on that thin frame.  Ripe cherries, firm tannins.  In the style of Nebbiolo but not.  Nice finish.  There is a nice backbone of acidity if not pronounced.  It should work well with a wide variety of foods, especially fowl.  13.5% Alc.  Retails for $20 which is a great deal for a very good wine and also something a bit different.