Orlando tasting of selected Greek wines: The sparkling and whites

Switching from absorption to evangelizing, I recently held a tasting of selected Greek wines for Sommeliers, retailers, and collectors here in Orlando. The tasting was held at Capital Grille (International Drive) on May 25th and included the following wines:

Sparkling: Karanika Brut Cuvee Speciale, Karanika Brut Cuvee Prestige, Karanika Brut Rose
White: Ktima Gerovassiliou Malagousia 2014, Boutari Malagousia 2015, Domaine Zafeirakis Malagousia 2015, Domaine Costa Lazaridis Semillon 2014
Red: Domaine Economou Sitia (2006, 1999), Domaine Porto Carras Chateau Porto Carras (2006, 1990, 1993, 1989, 2001, 1994, 1985, 1981).

All of the wines were sourced from the author's private collection.

This post will cover the sparkling and white wines with the reds being covered in a subsequent post. I solicited the perspectives of attendees post the event and use their voices herein.

Sparkling Flight

I have previously recounted my initial exposure to this wine as well as its growing conditions and production process.

John Siudut (Proprietor, Vintage Vino): "Sparkling is always a great way to begin any tasting and I was glad to share a toast at the beginning (Prior to the actual tasting, I had opened a few bottles of Chartogne-Taillet to serve as ice-breakers).  The first three wines in the sparkling lineup were all outstanding, but my favorite was the Rosé which held me riveted with its complex, fresh red fruit flavors and its beautiful length."

Jill Kathryn Davis (former Head Sommelier at Capa Grill at the Four Seasons and Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse): "I have only ever tasted Xinamavro as a red still wine. Karanika’s Brut surprised me. Who knew anyone was even making sparkling wine in Greece, let alone méthode traditionelle with organic Xinamavro grapes in Amyndeon." She thought that the Karanika wines "showed incredibly well" and that "the relatively new project has lots of potential."

Juan Valencia (Assistant General Manager and Sommelier, Norman's at the Ritz Grande Lakes) saw the Karanika Brut Cuvee Speciale as "dense and creamy" with "large gluttonous bubbles"and a "dried red fruit component." He felt that bright acidity was the driving force for this wine. For Andres Montoya (Proprietor, The Wine Barn) this wine was medium-bodied, with a light mineral quality, good acid, and a long, powdery finish. He found it to be a very nice introduction to Xinomavro.

Juan saw the Karanika Brut Cuvee Prestige as much more tropical than the Cuvee Speciale with bubbles that seemed a little finer. "On the palate, focused and angular. Reminiscent of dried apricots and green strawberries. Clean finish as was the case for the Speciale. For Andrew, this wine had a "fuller style, intense mouthfeel, poached pear, mineral and lightly yeasty character. High acid and salinity on the finish."

There was a lack of unanimity as regards the Karanika Brut Rose. As we saw above, it was John's favorite. Juan, however, described it as "tootie fruity" with slight residual sugar. To him it "seemed geared to the poolside consumer rather than serious wine drinkers" and had "lots of room for improvement." Andres described it thusly: dark pink color; intense nose of watermelon and red cherry; rich mousse; residual sugar is very evident. Finishes flat. Low acid.

All participants were amazed at the price point of these wines and clearly saw them, especially the Cuvees, as extremely good value for money.

White Flight
This flight consisted of three Malagousias and one Semillon, the latter of which had been gifted to me by Yiannis Karakasis on my most recent trip to Athens. I have covered the potential origins of Malagousia as well as the Ktima Gerovassiliou operations in prior posts.

John thought that this flight was pleasant but a slight step down in quality from the Sparkling wines. According to John, "I enjoyed the diverse profiles of all the wines and, although none of them reached outstanding, all three were in the good to very good range. I enjoyed the Domaine Zafeirakis Malagousia 2015 a great deal and was impressed by the balanced acidity. I would love to try it with some white fish to see how well it would pair with food. The Semillon was a hard read at first, but the richness and the fruit flavors opened up in the glass.

Malagousia is not a varietal with which Jill was very familiar. She felt that the selection of versions from different producers and regions allows one to see the varietal for itself. She found the varietal  aromatic and not overly acidic. Her personal favorite of the flight was the Domaine Zafeirakis.

Juan saw the Gerovassiliou Malagouzia 2014 as having "pretty white floral aromas, dried muscat, dried peach, nectarine flesh" and being refreshing on the palate. Andres concurred with that characterization: "floral, dry-muscat like, with orange blossom, honeydew and honeysuckle aromas. Reminds me of the dry muscats produced in Malaga by Victoria Ordonez (Botani)."

The Boutari Malagouzia 2015 had "Jasmine and artificial jasmine on the nose, almost like dish soap lavender. On the palate, the wine had an awkward steely character that fell flat. Somewhat awkward" (Juan). Andrew saw it as simple and clean with a light finish.

The consensus winner among the Malagousias was the Zafeirakis. Juan saw it as having "vibrant lavender and citrus oil on the nose. Bright acidity leading the way for ripe stone fruit on the palate. Winner of the lineup for Malagouzia." Andres struck the only discordant note finding it to be refreshing but less aromatic than the Gerovassiliou and having a simple finish.

The Costa Lazaridi Semillon was universally liked. Andres: "powerful, intense aromatics, poached pear, tangerine, vanilla bean, creamy mouthfeel. Reminds me of a Napa Chardonnay made in a full style but still showing good fruit, oak, and not overdone. Juan was equally poetic: "simply delicious. Exotic tropical fruit on the nose like guava flesh, overripe red mango, and golden pineapple. Meaty and brooding tropical fruit on the palate. Beautifully lifted finish. Like an echo that slowly fades.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Evangelos Gerovassiliou (Ktima Gerovassiliou) fleshes out the history of the resurgence of Malagousia

On March 21st, I received an email titled "about Malagousia" from Evangelos Gerovassiliou, owner of Ktima Gerovassiliou, co-owner of Ktima Biblia Chora (along with Vassilis Tsaktsarlis), former oenologist at Domaine Porto Carras, and (as described by #Winelover Ted Lelekas in a recent Lavina Kharkwal article on Vangelis and his wines" "... one of Greece's most respected winemakers."

Vangelis Gerovassiliou (center) at Ktima Gerovassiliou

In the concluding paragraph of my recent post on the Malagousia story, I had raised questions as to whether Stavroula Kourakou-Dragona (the author of the source for my piece) had established the primacy of Evangelos in the resurgence of the variety and whether the variety was still flourishing when the first grapes went to Porto Carras from the Wine Institute. In his email, Evangelos indicated that he had read my piece but waited to respond until after he had done the appropriate background research which included conversations with Mr. Nikoloudis (agronomist and a member of the team at Porto Carras that "revived Malagousia") and Mr. Stavrakas (Professor of viticulture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), both of whom helped in the research that backed up this email. Vangelis expressed regret that, due to his passing, Vassilis Logothetis, Professor of Ampelography at the aforementioned University, and creator of an experimental vineyard at Domaine Porto Carras, could not be consulted for input.

In comparing Evangelos' missive and Kourakou-Dragona's article, they both agree on the fact that Malagousia was first mentioned in Rousopoulos Oenologics and expanded upon in Krimbas' three-volume Greek Ampelography written beginning in 1943. But from there, their stories diverge markedly. Kourakou-Dragona (her primary source is Charalambos Kotinis) tells of the Wine Institute wanting to include Malagousia in its collection and soliciting Kotinis who provided some cuttings which he had obtained from a grapegrower in Mesologgi named Pantelas Valandreas. And, according to Kourakou-Dragona, some of these same vines were sent on to Domaine Porto Carras.

Evangelos does not subscribe to this version of history. According to him, there were a few Malagousia vines at the School of Agricultural Sciences in Patras. Further, Logothetis had started an experimental vineyard at Porto Carras and was traveling around the country looking for rare and extinct varieties with which to seed the vineyard. One such rare variety that he had secured was Malagousia which he planted in the vineyard in 1969.

Kourakou-Dragona indicated that the first vinification of Malagousia occurred in 1974. Evangelos informs that after tasting the Malagousia grape in 1975, he decided to do the first micro-vinifications at Porto Carras and over the next 4 to 5 years the land devoted to the variety increased to 4 ha.

In 1980, his team sent some Malagousia rootstocks to the Institute of Vine and Wine in Likovrisi, Athens, where Mr Kotinis was employed at that time. Further, in 1982, the Institute asked for some Malagousia grapes and the Porto Carras team responded to that request by sending along two crates of the variety. Mr Kotinis published his book Atlas of Greek Ampelography in 1985.

In concluding, Evangelos said they had looked through the files of the Institute and could find no research on the Malagousia variety prior to 1982. (I read this to say that any research done at the Institute would have been based on the material supplied by Domaine Porto Carras.). Further, the team cannot be sure if Vassilis Logothetis got the initial samples from Mr. Kotinis or whether he found it on a pergola in Nafpatkos.

So the source of the initial Malagousia vines that today populate the North Greece vineyards remains shrouded in the mists of history. Not so the role of Evangelos and his team in the resurgence of the variety. I concur with Kourakou-Dragona in her statement as regards Malagousia where she crowns Gerovassiliou as the "one that placed the pump on her foot and named her Queen of the dance."

UPDATE (3/30/16): In a follow-up email, Evangelos indicated that, after reading the above post, he had a lengthy conversation with Mrs Kourakou and "after taking into consideration all the facts, we have concluded that it was most probably the Institute of Vine and Wine in Likovrisi, Athens that gave the root-stocks of Malagousia to Porto Carras in 1969."

This is beautiful and is the conclusion that I had arrived at overnight. It binds the stories together nicely, providing primacy to the relevant players in their respective spheres of influence.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

The Malagouzia story and selected picks of the wines in North Greece and Eastern Attica

My introduction to the Malagouzia variety coincided with my recent visit to North Greece. The first location visited on that trip was Domaine Porto Carras and it was there that I first tasted Malagouzia and was first exposed to the legend of its re-discovery and rehabilitation by Vangelis Gerovassiliou while in the employ of the selfsame estate.

Our second winery visit was to Ktima Gerovassiliou -- founded and owned by Vangelis -- where the legend was reinforced. On the estate website, the description of its Malagouzia wine emphasizes the importance of Vangelis in the restoration of the variety.

Vangelis Geravassiliou of Domaine Geravassiliou
(center) and Wine Bloggers (left) during a tour of
his estate in October 2015

In material sent to me by Alexandra Anthidou of Wines of North Greece, she cites a passage from Wine Grapes (Robinson, Harding, Vouillamoz) which indicates that the variety had been found in Western Greece by Professor Logothetis of the Agricultural University of Thessaloniki and made its way to Vangelis who worked to realize its full potential during the 1980s and 1990s while at Domaine Porto Carras (A similar story is told in a recent Greece-is article on the topic).

So this was the story I was hearkening back to as I tasted the Malagouzia of Domaine Papagiannakos with Vassilis Papagiannakos during the #winelover visit and tasting with the producers of the Wines of Athens. He told me that my story was not accurate. After staring at him for a bit, I ran off to get Lidia Rizzo. I wanted her to hear this as we had been talking about this topic just previously.

While I am off getting Lidia, let me take a moment to contextualize Malagouzia as a variety. Malagouzia is an aromatic Greek white variety whose stone fruit and white blossom aromas are reminiscent of a less-weighty Viognier. The scion is vigorous and drought-resistant but is also susceptible to botrytis and mildew. It is believed to have originated in Central Greece but was brought back to life in Northern Greece and is now a fixture in vineyards all across the country. The vigor of the scion dictates that the vigneron make the right decisions in terms of site and rootstock selection and manage the canopy effectively. For example, Kitrvs subjects its Malagouzia vines to both green and "purple" harvests to "ensure optimal ripeness and harnessing of the excess vine vigor." In addition, the Kitrvs canopy is managed such as to provide a sufficiency of sun protection during the summer.

Malagouzia. Source: estatewines.com.au

Now let us get back to the Vassilis story.  According to Vassilis, Malagouzia was rediscovered by a Mr. Cotinis who had been the Director of Viticulture in the Ministry of Agriculture. He re-discovered the Malagouzia variety in Orini Nafpatkia. According to Vassilis, Mr. Cotinis was the first person to have published an Atlas of Greek wine and is still alive today.

According to Vassilis, the first person to plant the newly found Malagouzia was a Mideramas Babaer in the 1980s. According to Vassilis, he had received samples from Cotinis along with the folks at Porto Carras and Roxani Matsa.

This story does not dispute the role of Gerovassiliou in bringing the variety to prominence but instead attempts to show that there were many other players involved in the foundling period. I would appreciate any additional light that could be shone into this space.

Vassilis Papagiannakos and daughter sharing their
wines during a #Winelover tasting of the Wines
of Athens in February 2016

As it relates to his estate, Vassilis said that he had been trying to plant Malagouzia between 2002 and 2009 but ran into a lot of botrytis. It was not until he began pruning the canopy that he was able to get smaller fruit. His first vintage was 2012. Vassilis further mentioned that when Reidel was tasting Malagouzias in preparation for developing a glass for the variety, they told him that his and the Gerovassiliou wines represented two separate Malagouzia typicities.

I consulted with a Greek Malagouiza expert to discuss the differences between North Greece and Attica Malagouzias (In North Greece I had tasted Malagouzias from Porto Carras, Kitrvs, Gerovassiliou, Alpha Estate, and Wine Art Estate. In Attica I had tasted Malagouzias from Pappagiannakos and Mylonas.). In both areas the wines are PGI. The climate in Eastern Attica is uniformly Mediterranean, with little rainfall, and the soil has a high clay content. The environment in North Greece is a mix of continental and Mediterranean with higher rain levels and altitude and a high sand content. The winemaking practices do not differ materially between the two regions with each seeking skin contact and leaving the wines on the lees for a period after fermentation in, primarily, stainless steel tanks.

I indicated to the expert that I thought that the wines of Attica were more robust than those of North Greece. The fruit seemed to be riper and the stressed conditions should result in smaller grapes and more concentrated flavors. The expert informed me that Attica has a tradition with Savatiano but, to some extent, its experience with Malagouzia is still in the experimental stage. Further, the expert continued, a fine Malagouzia should have both masculine and feminine elements; it should not be one-dimensional. Of the Malagouzias in the two regions, the expert points to Gerovassiliou, Kitrvs, and Matsa as the best representations of the wine.

In my exploration of Greek wines I have been favorably disposed to the Gerovassiliou, Kitrvs, and Wine Art Estate Malagouzias. I have not had the opportunity to taste the Matsa. If anyone has additional information on the early days of Malagouzia I would be grateful for same. To Malagouzia.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme