Mama Mia! I wish I was on a beach in Greece sipping on some of the wines I tried this month! There is just something about tasting wine from Greece that is so exciting to me. Many of the grapes grown are completely unique to Greece. There are over 200 native varieties that have adapted to the unique climate and are hard to find in vineyards throughout the rest of the world.

The Regions

There are many wine regions in Greece with a variety of climates, but most of them are HOT. In the north near Macedonia is Naoussa, which has more of a continental climate. Xinomavro, a red grape, thrives in this region and is said to be comparable to the Nebbiolo variety from Italy.

Nemea is on the Peloponnese peninsula, has a hot climate and is known for producing flavorful, unique, red wine from the Agiorgitiko grape. Agiorgitiko comes in a variety of styles, ranging from rosé to a full bodied red.

Next is Santorini, yes, the dreamy volcanic island with sweeping white buildings and beautiful blue rooftops that dot the steep cliffside. Here, the grape vines must be trained to grow close to the ground so that the strong winds do not destroy the fruit. They form little baskets that look like bird nests! The most popular grape here is Assyrtiko, a native grape with characteristics similar to Sauvignon Blanc.

A lesser known region worth noting is Keratea, a small area on the Mediterranean just outside of Athens. This region is known for producing wine from the white Savatiano grape. Traditionally, the wine grown in this region was put in amphorae, sealed with pine resin and transported to Athens to sell in the taverns. The pine resin helped to preserve the integrity of the wine during transportation so that air would not spoil the wine. The pine resin became an integral part of the flavor profile of Savatiano and is traditionally called "retsina." However, today, you can find Savatiano without pine resin flavor profiles.

Retsina from Keratea

The color of this wine was a striking medium gold and had a bit of weight on the palate, which I suspected from the color. On the nose, the unique aromas were pine, straw and mint in addition to stone fruit. The acid was on the higher side of medium, the body and alcohol were also medium in their respective categories. There was a pleasant creamy, round texture to this wine that I admired! I would pair this with heavier fish dishes and hearty appetizers (ie - stuffed grape leaves!).

A few side notes - This wine was actually fermented with pine resin! That explains the pine resin aroma. For this challenge, I have been semi-blindly tasting the wine after doing minimal research about the regions to ensure I'm sampling different areas of the featured country. I was so shocked to smell and taste pine resin when tasting this wine! But it all makes sense now.

Also, about straw aroma - according to the manufactures website, the wine was left to ferment "on the lees" for 3 months before bottling. Lees are basically the byproduct of yeast self destruction and are known to add straw, nutty, creamy or bread aromas to the wine during aging. It can also add the round, creamy textures and make the wine seem "heavier" on our tongue.

My Rating 4 / 5 - I loved the unique pine resin profile on the nose and palate! However, I'm taking a point off because the flavors did not last throughout the finish.

The Details
Sweetness: Dry
Vintage: NV
Alcohol: 12.5%
Label: Retsina Traditional Appellation
Producer: Mylonas
Region: Keratea, Greece
Varietals: 100% Savatiano
Price: $14

Flowers Agiorgitiko from Nema

The color of this wine was a luscious deep garnet and had an inviting bouquet to explore. There were notes of smoke, dark red fruits and spice. The acid, alcohol, body and tannin were all a very mild medium. On the palate, many of the red fruit flavors carried through onto the long finish. Try this if you like Merlot or Malbec!

My Rating 4.25 / 5 - This wine is excellent for the price and I will be picking it up again!

The Details
Sweetness: Dry
Vintage: 2019
Alcohol: 13.5%
Label: Flowers Agiorgitiko
Producer: Greek Wine Cellars
Region: Nema. Greece
Varietals: 100% Agiorgitiko
Price: $15

The wines I tasted this month are completely unique from the other regions of the world I have tasted so far in this challenge (and honestly, my wine career - click here to see what I had to say about Greece in 2020!). I appreciate the fact that the grapes grew in the same soil where all of the Greek Gods and Philosophers are from. This is one of the things I love the most about wine, it makes me feel so connected to different cultures and even different time periods.

I enjoyed tasting and learning about the wines that come from Greece. It is a region I can't wait to continue exploring in my glass. Hope to hear from you next month to taste wine from AUSTRALIA! :)