Greek wine transports me back to my trips to Greece’s many beautiful spots from Athens to the Islands. I think that’s why I love them! So it’s very exciting to see Greek wine showing up in wine stores and restaurants more and more.

Planet Wine, my local wine shop in Alexandria, is putting a full Greek section together as Tim, the manager, is a big Greek wine fan. This Wine Wednesday tasting he shared seven wines…

  • Tselepos Amalia Brut
  • Tselepos Moschofilero 2011, $11: Dry white wine made from the Moschofilero grape, it has a white floral aroma and crisp taste.
  • Gavalas Santorini 2011
  • Tetramythos Roditis 2011, $11: This Roditis grape variety produces a full body white wine with green apple notes.
  • Tselepos Agiorgitiko 2011, $11: This is a nice simple red wine made from the Agiorgitiko grape.
  • Foundi Naoussaia, $15: Xinomavro is the grape variety making a wine similar to Pinot Noir. From Northwest Greece.
  • Aivalis Family Vineyards Nemea, $19: Also made with 100% Agiorgitiko, this wine was more complex with smokey,  herbal and strawberry notes.

It’s crazy the number of unique grape varieties found in Greece. It was neat to taste whites and reds together…all acidic in different levels and different bodies. I liked all the wines but here were the two standouts…

  • Variety: 95% Assyrtiko, 5% Aidani
  • Aroma: Citrus and pear
  • Taste: Crisp pear and lemon
  • Price: $16
  • My thoughts: I loved discovering Santorini wines when we visited the island. The grapes are grown in the unique cylindrical bushes close to the ground. The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard considered to be the oldest in Greece, it has never been affected by the Phylloxera disease, and the grapes are grown on original stock. Most Santorini Assyrtiko wines I’ve had are very minerally from the volcanic soil but this had more crisp acidity.

Tselepos Amalia Brut

  • Variety: 100% Moschofilero
  • Aroma: Honey and brioche
  • Taste: Crisp citrus and honey
  • Price: $24
  • My thoughts: This was my first time having a Greek sparkling wine. Very nice! It’s made in the traditional Champagne method.

I’ve made great Greek wine discoveries in the last month with more coming at the Wine Bloggers Conference in August brought by New Wines of Greece. They are a great resource for more information.

Order a glass or pick up a bottle and let me know what you think.

Yamas!