The wines of North Greece

The North Greece wine region has a highly favorable environment for growing high quality grapes and producing similarly endowed wines but may be offsetting these advantages through the sheer number of different wines produced.

The 11 wineries we visited during our tour of the region produce approximately 118 different wines, an average of 10.7 wines/producer. Kir-Yianni is top of the heap with 22 wines and Kitvrs the smallest with four wines. The distribution of wines by type is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Wine production by type

Style	Number of Wines
White	40
Red	59
Rosé	8
Sparkling	3
Sweet	3

The chart below shows the appellation system guiding wine production and labeling in Greece. Directly below the chart, Table 2 documents the appellation zones under which the North Greece wines encountered fall.

Table 2. Wine production by appellation zone

PDO Zone	Number of Wines	PGI Zone	Number of Wines	Appellation by Tradition	Number of Wines	Other	Number of Wines
Naoussa	11	Macedonia (R)	16	Retsina	3	Other	2
Amyndeon	5	Pangeon (A)	11
Slopes of Meliton	5	Epanomi (A)	10
Rapsani	3	Imathia (D)	10
Goumenissa	2	Halkidiki (D)	7
		Drama (D)	7
		Mount Athos (A)	5
		Sithonia (A)	4
		Pieria (D)	4
		Metsovo (A)	3

The PGI wines in the table are differentiated by the letters R (regional classification), D (district classification -- grapes must be grown in the district and vinified in the district or a neighboring district), and A (area classification -- designated geographic area within a district or contiguous area of two districts with specific variety and wine production requirements). In the event that a producer cannot meet the area or district PGI requirements, the PGI Macedonia designation is available as a fallback. As shown in the table, this is the most frequently utilized of the available appellation options.

The distribution of wines by type is shown in Table 3 below. The table shows that, for both the white and red wines, almost as many blends are produced as are single-variety wines. And, as Table 4 below shows, there is very little agreement among the winemakers of the region as to the most appropriate blends. As a matter of fact, and as pointed out by Stellios Boutaris of Kir-Yianni, this is very much a brand-driven market environment; the focus, therefore would be more on differentiation than on regional profile.

Two other observations made by Stellios Boutaris (and borne out by my observations) were that (i) Greeks love Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc blends and (ii) the North Greece white wines are much better than the reds. As regards the former, and if we assume that wine production reflects market demand, four of the wines encountered were 100% Sauvignon Blancs, five were Assyrtiko/Sauvignon Blanc blends, and three were Sauvignon Blanc/Roditis blends. The latter point was supported by the multitude of wines that we tasted.

A final point about the data in Tables 3 and 4. In terms of the whites, Table 3 shows 17 blends while Table 4 shows a total of eight wines with similar blends. This means that there are an additional eight unique white blends in the data set. Again, brand-driven rather than region-driven winemaking.

Table 3. Distribution of wines by variety/blend

White	Number of Wines	Red	Number of Wines	Rosé	Number of Wines	Sparkling	Number of Wines	Sweet	Number of Wines
Malagouzia	6	Xinomavro	21	Syrah	1	Debina	1	Gewurtz	1
Assyrtiko	4	Syrah	5	Xinomavro	1	Blend	1	Blend	1
Sauvignon Blanc	4	Cabernet Sauvignon	4	Blends	2
Chardonnay	3	Merlot	3
Atheri	1	Pinot Noir	2
Roditis	1	Tannat	1
Verdicchio	1	Negro Amaro	1
Viognier	1	Limnio	1
Blends	17	Traminer	1
		Aglianico	1
		Blends	29

Table 4. Frequency of blends with incidence greater than one

White Blends	Number of Wines	Red Blends	Number of Wines
Assyrtiko/Sauvignon Blanc	5	Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Agiorgitiko	3
Sauvignon Blanc/Roditis	3	Limnio/Cabernet Sauvignon	3
		Syrah/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Xinomavro	3
		Xinomavro/Krassato/Stavroto	3
		Syrah/Xinomavro	2
		Xinomavro/Negoska	2

White Wines
In terms of the white wines, I was most impressed by the Malagouzias, the Assyrtikos, and the Retsinas. The Malagouzias from Alpha Estate, Geravassiliou, Wine Art Estate, and Kitvrs were redolent with white flowers, white fruits, and spice. In addition, the Geravassiliou wine had citrus notes, a green savoriness, and a drying finish. I had an additional opportunity to experience the Alpha Estate Malagouzia at a tasting I helmed in Orlando upon my return and the wine maintained its allure.

The Assyrtikos encountered in North Greece were fruitier and had less mineral and acidity characteristics than their Santorini counterparts. I think that this variety, under the proper conditions, and with the proper winemaking, can be a winner for the region. I tasted tank- and barrel fermented samples at Wine Art Estate and found the former to have complex tropical notes, riper fruit, and less minerality than the wines of Santorini while the latter had toast notes and a harmonic combination of fruit and oak. I was more tolerant of oak in the North Greece Assyrtiko than I am with it in a Santorini Assyrtiko.

I have written previously about my love affair with the Stelios Kechris Retsinas.

In terms of international-variety whites, I was impressed by the 2014 Viognier (excellent minted Viognier, according to my notes), the Verdicchio from Kitvrs (every offering from this winery hit it out of the park in my view), and the Chardonnay from Wine Art Estate. The latter had the stuffing and fundamentals to be a world-class Chardonnay but the oak levels diminished its potential (As a matter of fact that was the case for many of the fine wines in this portfolio and I did mention my observations directly to the winemaker.).

Red Wines
There is an ongoing concerted attempt to present Xinomavro as the face of North Greece red wines and it took a little while for me to get it. At 2014 DWCC, Ted Lelekas and Luiz Alberto presented a seminar on the wines of North Greece and I left the session not feeling the urge to add the wines to my collection. And it was nothing that the guys did. The wine just did not appeal to me. The tomato vegetal character and hint of a mid-palate were somewhat off-putting.

That feeling persisted on this tour until I tasted the 2005 Ramnista at Kir-Yianni and the 2008 Ramnista and the 2007 Boutari 1879 Legacy at the Wine Commanders Master Class at the Plovdiv DWCC. The 2008 Ramnista exhibited ripe fruit, truffles and a kerosene character. Red fruit on the palate with a mid-palate that raised its hand. According to the Wine Commanders, Kir-Yianni use clones that allow greater ripening of fruit (less vegetal character).

According to the Wine Commanders, the year 2007 was a "ripe vintage year" and the the 1879 Legacy reflected this with rich, ripe cherry fruit along with tar, licorice, earth, truffles and spice. And a mid-palate.

What this told me is that Xinomavro, like Barolo and Pinot Noir, for example, shows best after it has had an opportunity to evolve in the bottle. The problem with that is that the trend today is towards wines that are more approachable. One of the ways in which Brunello di Montalcino has solved this problem is by releasing a Rosso early and then holding the Brunello back for a later release. I do not know if Greek vintners have the wherewithal to embark on such a strategy, or some other strategy with a similar outcome, but some mechanism has to be devised where wine drinkers get more exposure to earlier vintages of this wine.

One of my favorite red wines on the trip was the Chateau Porto Carras from Domaine Porto Carras. I was fortunate enough to get a few bottles of this wine to bring back to the states and I offered it at the Orlando tasting I mentioned previously and my fellow tasters were similarly impressed. I am currently in the process of buying a case of selected library vintages of this wine which will be shipped from Domaine Porto Carras to Seabrook in London for trans-shipment to me here in the US.

The international red varieties from Wine Art Estate and Kitvrs were notable. Kitvrs' Syrah and Aglianico were both eye-openers even though tasted at the end of a long day while, but for the oak, I would be placing Wine Art Estate offerings even higher on my list of wines to acquire. The Nebbiolo in the portfolio exhibits all the classic characters of the variety along with a perfumed cassis, nutmeg and a stemminess. The attack left a bit to be desired but yielded to an excellent mid-palate and a long, elegant finish.

I started out by saying that there are too many different wines produced in North Greece. And I will end on that note. For a regional profile to emerge, winemakers will have to focus on fewer things and get really good at the things that they are focusing on. This is not to say that excellent wines are not being made in North Greece. What I am saying is that more of the product coming out of the region will be of uniformly higher quality if a smaller number of varieties became mainstays and production techniques and approaches were honed, standardized, and shared. A regional character would begin to emerge. Rising regions lift all members.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Hipster wine tasting: Perspectives of selected participants

Participants in the recent Hipster wine tasting (curated and hosted by Ron Siegel and held at the International Drive Capital Grille, Orlando) were very pleased and excited to be part of the tasting team and to have tasted these wines which are not readily available on the Orlando market. I gained some insight into the views of three of those participants  -- Andrew Montoya (The Wine Barn), Adam Crane (Prato), and Steve Alcorn (wine competition judge and collector) -- and present them herein. Fundamentally I sought to understand what types of wines they normally drink and how do the wines in the tasting stack up against those.

Champagnes
As it relates to Champagnes, Andrew prefers Blanc de Blancs. "I really enjoy razor sharp, high acid styles the most but it is equally compelling to taste slightly earthy styles such as the Georges Laval's Rosé, which, I thought, had a peculiar nuttiness and funk, reminiscent of Selosse. I really enjoyed the Bereche Brut Nature. It was very complex. This was the first time I had ever heard of this producer."

Steve's favorite Champagne in that price range is Louis Roederer and he did not feel that any of the Champagnes at the tasting were as good.

Adam owned up to a love of Champagne. "I wouldn’t say there is a particular style that moves me more so than another. It’s completely dependent upon the situation, mainly food. Out of all categories of wine in the world, I’m probably the most open-minded when it comes to enjoying anything from the region (assuming it hits a standard quality level). Maybe I have just never had a Champagne that I really hated ... the great Champagnes are legendary for a reason. I have had mind blowing experiences with Jacques Selosse. Nobody would say the same about Cliquot Yellow, Piper Red, or the many other readily available house Champagnes made on a large scale."

Adam's perspective on the individual Champagnes are as follows:

Chartogne-Taillet - Favorite of the flight. Loved the oxidative notes that gave it a richness and full bodied appeal. Layered and complex.

George Laval - Exotic. Blood, iron and a gaminess that I rarely see in Champagne. I totally understand why NYC somms are wild about this. It is a unique style that instigates deep thought. I would love to try the full line up from Laval. 

Bereche - An enjoyable Champagne but not sure it did a whole lot for me outside of the norm. Maybe it was just overshadowed by the other two in the flight for me. More crisp and something I would enjoy with a cold shellfish appetizer. 

White Wines
In terms of whites, Andrew is focusing mostly on Etna. "I really think there is magic in those volcanic soils ...  I also am loving the whites from Jura, especially the Savagnin examples, both oxidative and not in style." His standouts in this area were:

Ganevat Chardonnay (Jura) - waxy, nutty, star anise, chamomile, like spring water: invigorating 

Arena Grotte di Sole (Corsica) - metallic in mouth (flinty?), powdered (crushed) stones, Chablis-like.

Stephane Cossais Montlouis sur Loire Chenin  - stone fruits, intense, high acid, very, very complex. Great finish, like a Meursault!

Steve's wife "drinks mostly California style Chardonnay when we are at home. However she would like the Vementinu, as it was luscious and oaky."

Some of Adam's white wine favorites were:

Arena Patrimonio Vermentino - Really like this varietal for its minerality more so than the subtle fruit qualities. I get a petrol character that reminds of Mosel Riesling. The wine is clearly very well made and I think that the fact that it comes from Corsica adds to the hipster appeal! Beats any Vermentino I have had from Tuscany.

Cossais Montlouis - This guy studied under Clos Rougeard, so of course all the NYC somms are going nuts for this! But really….what a great wine. Orchard fruit, white peach, and a stunning balance between texture and acid. This will age gracefully and can’t wait to try it when it does!

Red Wines

Andrew is drinking and focusing mainly on Etna Rosso but is also really enjoying Northern Rhone reds, especially cool-climate, no-oak style wines from Cornas, Crozes Hermitage, Hermitage, St. Joseph, and, to a lesser degree, Cote-Rotie. And the cooler climate Nebbiolos from Valtellina along with amphorae-aged whites and reds (Corsica, South Spain, Languedoc). 

Steve likes "complex wines, and at home drinks mostly Rhone-styled wines from France, California, and Australia. His favorites are old Burgundies and Bordeauxs, but those are not every day wines."

The reds tasted at the session are shown in the pictures below and the favorites of these three gentlemen follow.

Flight 1. Courtesy Steve Alcorn

Flight 2. Courtesy Steve Alcorn

Flight 3. Courtesy Steve Alcorn

Andrew's favorites:

Pierre Gonon St Joseph - Wow. Mind-blowing quality here! Extremely eye opening...This is what amazing Syrah is about!

Benetiere Cote Rotie Cordeloux 2012 - Fresh game (blood), orange rind, elegant and refined finish.

Thierry Allemand Chaillot Cornas - Packed with layers of earth, game, spice, olive and fresh herbs. Very polished, very tight. 

Adam's favorites:

Bénetière Cote Rotie- Beautiful. I hope this producer stays under the radar because I could definitely see these wines doubling in price in the near future. I loved the finesse for a region that typically commands aging to be accessible. Jet black minerals, black olive, and dark brooding fruit yet it came with a snap and brightness I wasn’t expecting. This guy only owns 2.5ha, if I come across it, I will buy it!

Jean Michele Stefan Cote Rotie - This particular producer is really hitting it for me! This is the third vintage I have had and all have been very consistent. Top 3 wine of the day for me. Will be purchasing more for my myself, no doubt. This showed a tremendous amount of true Cote Rotie terroir. 

Pierre Gonon St. Joseph - The epitome of hipster juice! I’ve seen this skyrocket in attention on Delectable and other forums. Somebody figured it out and prices are already on the rise. I put this alongside Jamet Cote-Rotie with its hipster upbringing. 

Closing Thoughts
Andrew thought this was "a masterful event! Absolutely one of my favorite tastings ever and very educational too! Wow, did I learn a lot."

Steve: "When we go to restaurants that offer tasting menus we generally have their wine pairings. I felt these wines were representative of what you'd find in those pairings, and I would have been happy with any of them as part of a pairing. Very few of them were wines I would intentionally order, although I did purchase a case of Benetiere Cordeloux 2012 as a result of the event. The other wine that impressed me was the Vermentinu."

Adam: "To sum it up…The reason why these wines are being recognized and popularized is because of the way the wine market has evolved over the last decade or so. Sommeliers studying 20 years ago could afford to taste the benchmarks in a specific region. A bottle of Batard-Montrachet could have been purchased for an evening's pay, today that bottle would be close to a week's pay for me. What do you do to keep interest? Go next door to the Jura and drink Ganevat!"

©Wine -- Mise en abyme