Opa!

Welcome to my Big Fat Greek Wine Post. Last month I promised white, and white you shall have…wine that is, not snow. I think many of us have had quite enough of the latter, and maybe not enough of the former...

Ok, down to business. I’ve been wanting to do this one for a while. This will push the envelope for many of you, but that’s what this humble site is all about. Just doin’ my job.

Today we are going to Greece (don’t you wish??). The Greeks have been making wine for thousands of years, yet they don’t get the broader recognition they deserve. The country has a very diverse climate, producing many interesting and generally impossible to pronounce wines. Let’s borrow a map from Queen Madeline of Wine Folly to see where we are:

We are going to Southern Greece, that pink peninsula called Peloponnese

Our wine is Greece’s flagship white, called Assyrtiko. Don’t panic, its easier to pronounce than you think: “Ah-seer-tee-ko”. Say it with me now. It originated on the volcanic island of Santorini, in the middle of the Aegean on the map above. When you think of Greek islands, you probably imagine something that looks like Santorini:

I wish I could say we have a Santorini Assyrtiko to sample, but depending on where you buy your wine, it may be harder to find. The grape has made its way to Nemea in Peloponnese (back to the map please), where it is being produced by one of the largest family owned wineries there, Zacharias. More on them in a minute.

Assyrtiko from Santorini is very lean, bone dry, with a noticeable minerality, some even say a slight saltiness. I know that may not sound appealing, but trust me, it has its place in the world of wine.

What is surprising about Assyrtiko is the high levels of acidity it maintains despite growing in these warmer climates. Loyal readers will know from your Doctor’s book, Wine Made Easy: Wine 101 for Everyone, how important acidity is to your enjoyment of wine. You also know that higher acidity wines tend to come from cooler climates. Assyrtiko is that rare white wine that possesses noticeable acidity despite its warm home climate (Note: Assyrtiko is almost unheard of outside of Greece).

To put this lesser-known grape in context for you, think of it like Sauvignon Blanc: citrusy with solid acidity. The British wine writer Joanna Simon broadened that comparison to include another white from a prior Wine MD post: “Assyrtiko is to Greece what Albariño is to Spain and Grüner Veltliner (a future post) is to Austria”.

Let’s do this!

Our Wine: Zacharias Assyrtiko from Nemea, Greece. I buy this wine regularly from a little Greek supermarket called Athens (of course) about 20-30 minutes from my home. The good news for all of you, if you can find the Zacharias, is it retails for about $14. The importer is Stellar Importing Co, LLC, Whitestone, NY.

The Zacharias family has been growing grapes and making wine in Nemea since 1960. The family took full control of the current winery in the late ‘90s and has made significant investments and upgrades to the facilities. Today the Zacharias vineyards are home to 13 different varietals.

Tasting:

In the glass, our Assyrtiko is a pale yellow color, consistent with the Albariño and Grüner comparisons. On the nose, at first I got this citrusy, lemon zest hit, which opened up over time to more of a tree fruit/melon aroma.

On the palate, more of those tropical fruits, like passion fruit, came through. This was followed by a “rounding” or softening quality on what is called the mid-palate, sometimes described as “beeswax”. I know. Beeswax?? Just try it. If you taste something different, don’t worry, you’re not wrong. That rounder sensation actually makes this wine more approachable than the Santorini Assyrtikos which can be a little leaner.

As the wine finishes, you get a strong frame of acidity, coupled with a little bit of that famous minerality/salinity (all in balance though). It lingers nicely.

Note: For my first taste the wine was not cool enough and a very slight bitter note came through. This disappeared when I let the bottle chill a little longer. Make sure you do the same.

Food:

Assyrtiko is a great example of that classic wine & food pairing rule: “what grows together goes together”. In this case, we are talking seafood. Grilled fish, as well as shellfish, are what you want. More specifically, here are two perfect Assyrtiko matches I want you to try: Grilled Branzino (essentially Mediterranean Sea Bass); Grilled Octopus.

Oh my God. Both are very Greek and very delicious, even more so when accompanied by an Assyrtiko!

The Bottom Line:

There is a lot to like here: a wine that can be enjoyed on its own, with appetizers or with a main course. It is versatile and affordable. I try not to use the winery’s own descriptions, but they are perfect here: “delicious, fruity, clean and unadorned”. I should add, again out of character, that The Wine Spectator recently included the Zacharias Assyrtiko (‘18 vintage) in its annual Top 100 Value Wines.

It may not be easy to find an Assyrtiko, but I think it will reward your effort. Whether it is from Santorini or the mainland, particularly paired with some great seafood, it may just have you breaking some dishes…Opa!

Until next time,

Cheers

Merlot Masquerade

Your Majesty