• WINE-TOURIST IN NAXOS DISCOVERS HEAVENLY DIGESTIF!…

    par | Juil 31, 2009

    By TED LELEKAS

    The beautiful island of Naxos, where Citron of Naxosmy wife and I spent the early part of our Summer holidays, is a popular summer holiday destination for Greek and international tourists alike. It is a big island in the Cyclades that is surrounded by beautiful, crystal-blue beaches, and is best known for its top quality PDO cheese, its tasty meats and its world-famous potatoes.

    Naxos was one of the first islands in the Aegean to cultivate the vine and produce wine. However, due to post-war immigration and the commercial growth of the Naxos potato, the island’s vineyards have either been replaced by potato plantations, or completely abandoned.

    Being on holiday and not being able to engage in any form of wine tourism was very disappointing for me. I was, however, more than compensated by my discovery of a local distillate called « Citron of Naxos« : the highly aromatic, ultra-limited production eau-de-vie that’s being produced on the island in the same, traditional way since 1896. (suite…)

  • GREEK WINE SECTOR CELEBRATES (EVENTUAL) ROSÉ TRIUMPH

    par | Juin 12, 2009

    By TED LELEKAS

    The entire Greek wine sector is celebrating, after the recent U-turn by the European Union Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, who finally decided not to allow the blending of red and white wine in order to produce rrose_generalosé.  Despite the fact that rosé is perfectly suited for the Greek climate, cuisine and general way of life, it is only recently that Greek oenophiles have started taking rosé seriously, overcoming negative stereotypes of the past.
    This process has been significantly facilitated by a large number of established wine producers who made the commitment to create good quality rosé wines, and at the same time to take steps to educate the market on the merits of rosé wine.

    The majority of Greek wine producers were outraged by the Commissioner’s initial move to consider lifting the ban on blending, as they feared that this would seriously undermine their efforts at the same time as rapidly diminishing the level of quality of rosé wines available in the market. Shortly after the announcement that the EU has finally bowed to the pressure of the massive outcry (and lobbying) of winemakers and their associations, especially across Southern Europe, a group of leading Greek winemakers, who are also renowned champions of the rosé cause, come forward to share their views on what (almost) happened:

    Apostolos Mountrichas of Avantis Estate in Evia, commented, « Lifting the blending ban would have been a totally wrong move, both from the qualitative and from the commercial point of view. The key in the vinification of a quality rosé wine lies in balancing a multitude of factors, such as the phenolic ripeness of red grapes, the maximisation of acidity, and, of course the maceration of the grapes that can last up to 20 hours – in the case of rich rosé wines. To equalise all the above with the simple blending of unwanted stock in favour of large wine industries across Europe would have been simply despicable. » (suite…)

  • SHOCK DOWN UNDER: WILL THEY TURN INTO TERROIRISTS?

    par | Mar 7, 2009

    By LINCOLN SILIAKUS

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    Last year, the value of Australian wine exports fell by 18% in value, and 11% in volume.
    The fall in value to the UK was 18% and to the US 26%.

    It’s not just the crisis. Oversupply of grapes has held down prices, and quality was affected by heatwaves and drought.
    The Aussies are also suffering from their image as makers of easy drinking, predictable plummy varietal wines.
    Some are even talking up the glories of their soils. Having sneered at it for years, are they now going to use the dreaded “T” word?

    Meanwhile, I have been judging for the Wine Producers Association for the northern Greekvineyard in Thessaloniki…  

    (suite…)

  • A VERTICAL CLIMB IN ATHENS

    par | Fév 24, 2009

    By TED LELEKAS

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    GREECE may be one of the oldest wine-producing countries of the world, still modern bottled Greek wine is only a few decades old. As a result, few Greek wineries have the opportunity to demonstrate the ageability of their wines in extensive vertical tastings.

    Such a special occasion of a vertical climb… to the future was organized on Thursday 19 February by one of Greece’s leading wineries, Domaine GEROVASSILIOU. Hosted by the founder himself, Bordeaux-educated Evangelos Gerovassiliou, one of Greece’s most celebrated and honoured winemakers, the tasting featured six vintages (2008-2003) of white regional wine label Ovilos, and ten vintages (2003, 2000-1992) of flagship red regional label Domaine Gerovassiliou.

    Ovilos White is a 50-50 blend of Asyrtiko (indigenous Greek variety, originally hailing from the island of Santorini) and Sémillon. It is barrel-fermented and its alcohol by vol. stays constant around 13%.
    The 2008 which has not been released yet, is a fresh, almost new-world crisp white, dominated by the youthful aromas of both varieties. As tasting moves on to older vintages, aromas evolve into more sun-dried fruit scents, often with mineral and metallic influences. The explosive acidity which Asyrtiko is famous for, keeps the wine vibrant as it ages; indeed, Ovilos 2003 (by no means a fresh white wine) maintains a beautiful array of summer-fruit aromas and a lively acidity that render it a very pleasant companion to a variety of autumn dishes of traditional and modern Mediterranean cuisine. (suite…)