Greek wine has been going through a renaissance over the last decade, and the wine world now realises that the country has something to offer other than mass-produced retsina and other cheap holiday wines to be found in the resorts.
Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing countries and has hundreds of unique grape varieties, a blessing but sometimes a curse as they are not always easy to pronounce or understand. Once you accept that Greek wines taste different you can start to enjoy and explore a whole new world of wine. Today I concentrate on the white wines.
The flagship grape variety is assyrtiko, a white variety that produces spectacular complex dry wines on the island of Santorini. It can be found in various other regions too. Other white varieties include the fleshy textured malagousia and the floral refreshing moschofilero. Vineyards tend to be small and distances great, so good Greek wine is rarely cheap (although the Athlon below is an exception).
As for retsina, that too is going through a revival. Forget about the hangover-inducing industrial retsina of holidays past. Some producers now use a high-quality base wine, and small quantities of genuine pine resin to create a wonderful refreshing wine such as the Mylonas below.
Most of the independents stock a few Greek wines — Blackrock Cellar, Redmonds in Ranelagh, Searsons, 64wine and Sweeney’s all have a good selection. O’Briens has the excellent Gaia wines, Marks & Spencer has the Found Moschofilero Roditis. Talking to importers we can expect more arrivals in the coming months.
Athlon Assyrtiko 2023, Macedonia
12%, €9.99
A nice introduction to Greek wine. Fresh lime zest and lightly textured pears. By itself or with mezedakia. From Aldi
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Ktima Zafeirakis Malagousia 2022 IGP Tirnavos
12.5%, €24
A delicious crowd-pleasing wine with concentrated stone fruits, good acidity and a crisp dry finish. Enjoy with barbecued white fish, grilled chicken and mixed herby salads. From Honest2Goodness,h2gwines.ie; Baggot Street Wines.
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Mylonas Retsina, Attica
13%, €24
A green-gold colour with intriguing flavours of mint, fennel, mango, lime and subtle notes of pine. There is a cleansing mineral acidity. Fried fish, seafood, sushi and dolmas. From Blackrock Cellar; Redmond’s D6.
Anhydrous Santorini Assyrtiko Athiri Aidani 2022
13%, €41.99
Steely and mineral with dusty lean pear fruits. Complex and captivating wine. Try it with grilled oily fish, squid or fried vegetables. From The Wine Centre, Kilkenny; Mannings, Ballylickey; Kelly’s, D3.
