We
know wine is an ancient product, but learning that the
cultivation and consumption of wine is more than 7,000
years old took me by surprise.
Recently,
I had the chance to do some up close and personal research
on the wines of Greece, a culture that once stored its
juice in airtight ceramic amphorae, clay jugs that functioned
much like certain wine bottle shapes today, to identify
their origin.
While
doing my research, I met Andreas Afxendiou, a man best
known in Central Florida for the wonderful Greek-style
chicken he sells at Athena
Roasted Chicken. Afxendiou has begun importing
wine and olive oil from the Mediterranean, and his enthusiasm
for Greek wine was both contagious and intoxicating: Literally
hours after first meeting him, I was busy tasting three
reds and two whites.
Candidly,
my impression of Greek wines until now has been dominated
by the sharp tang of retsina, perhaps the most widely
known Greek product. Seems the Greeks sealed the
amphorae with pine resin, with a few herbs added to spice
things up, and the resulting turpentine-like flavor just
doesn’t work for my palate.
In
the last two decades, however, Greece has began to improve
its production and quality of wines, most of them made
from grapes indigenous to the country and seldom used,
or heard of, in other places.
Like
other blooming wine regions – think South Africa,
Argentina and even Spain- new and different wines are
being sought out by American wine drinkers who want a
glass of wine instead of a ritual. In this case,
expect to spend about $20.00 for these wines.
First
up is the 2004 Spiropoulos Mantinia, a dry white wine with an interesting
grayish-yellow color and a pronounced floral nose.
The
Spiropoulos family has been making wine since 1870. Mantinia,
the appellation, is an area in the Peloponnese region.
This organic wine is made from Moschofilero grapes,
fermented in stainless steal with no malolactic fermentation
and bottled about two months later.
When
trying to describe unfamiliar wines, I find it helpful
to compare them to better-known varietals. The Mantinia
is most reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc, but with a touch
of Viogner’s floral qualities. It’s crispy,
with hints of apple and pear, and a lingering finish.
