Santorini Assyrtiko 2008

The latest addition to the BrandAction Team's account is the Santo Wines from Santorini.  SantoWines is a 2,500 member cooperative dating back to 1947 and is the largest wine producer on the Greek island.   Myth has it that Santorini was made from a handful of dust dropped into the Aegean Sea. Santorini wines date back to the 3rd millennium B.C. as evidenced from vines and grape drawings that have been exhumed by archaeologist.  This wine is made from 100% assyrtiko grapes, which is a new varietal for us, so I had to do a little research.  The grapes are golden yellow with lots of acidity.  80% of the grapes grown in Santorini are assyrtiko.  Many get blended with other grapes, as well as used for dessert wines.  The vines are grown and pruned in a low circular format just above ground level, which is known as kouloura, instead of the higher trellises normally seen. This helps prevent the vines from being damaged from the high winds off the sea.  Also, the vines are planted in a very lava rich soil which, unfortunately, seemed to give the wine a unusual stony aftertaste.  The nose on this wine is of slightly fragrant flowers with some honey and herbs.  On the palate, there were plenty of citrus flavors that reminded me a bit of a French Sauternes, but the flavors were extremely short lived and then you are hit with the aftertaste I mentioned.  Overall, for our tastes, this was an interesting wine to try but we probably would not go out of our way to find it.  We served is with tilapia which was a good pairing for this wine.  I would probably serve it with some shell fish or a mild white fish.  Thanks Constance for the opportunity to try this Greek wine.  The Santorini Assyrtiko 2008 retails for about $15.

Domaine Mercouri 2005

A few weeks ago, while staying at my brother's ski house, I had a Greek wine that I can actually say I liked this time.  If you remember, I posted another greek wine that was terrible, so I didn't know what to expect this time.  The bottle had been opened the night before we arrived so it had a little extra time to breathe.  The 2005 Vin De Pays des Letrinon is made from a blend of Refosco, an Italian grape, and Mavrodaphne, a Greek grape.  The winery was founded in 1864 by Theodoros Mercouri in southern Greece where he planted Refosco vines that he had carried over from Friuli, Italy.  Following his death in 1897, his son Leonidas built the area's first modern winemaking facility which remained in operation until 1955.  Between 1955 and 1989, the grapes from this estate were sold by Leonidas's daughters (Maria and Kate) to other winemakers.  In 1990, under the new management of Kate's two sons Vassilis and Christos Kanellakopoulos, the entire facility was rebuilt.  In 1992, part of the vines were also replanted. Today, instead of selling their grapes, they are making some nice wines.  This 2005 vintage has a nice aroma of dried cherries and plums along with some leather and spices.  On the palate, the medium bodied wine had a dark cherry and black raspberry flavor along with a mild white pepper and a hint of vanilla.  This relatively dry wine had medium acidity but the flavors were relatively short lived.  The tannins were very mild.  Overall, it was an enjoyable every-day type red wine that could be paired with white meats or a pasta dish.  If you are looking for something out of the normal grape varieties, give this one a try.  I believe it retails for about $20. 

Retsina Malamatina

A few weeks ago, I was coming back from a meeting with some business partners and we stopped at a Greek restaurant for lunch. One partner, who is Greek, said I had to try their specialty. The bottle cap on top should have given me a good idea what I was about to taste. This dry white, or should I say deep yellow, wine dates back nearly 2000 years ago. Back then, without the equipment and bottling we have today, pine resin was added to the wine to keep it from spoiling. Unfortunately, when they started using barrels, they did not remove this ingredient as it was now what they expected from this wine. It has the distinct aroma of pine needles, varnish and some citrus. We had a cleaning detergent that smelled like this as a kid. They claim you should also taste the pine resin, but it tasted just like what shoe polish smells like. I think I would prefer the shoe polish next time. Retsina is the name for a Greek wine that has been flavored with sandarac, a resin obtained from a Calitis tree. Who needs oak when you have pine resin. There is a minimal 11% alcohol content. It retails for about $4-$5. This has to be one of the most unusual wines I have ever tasted. Additionally, this is NOT a wine to pair with foods. No offense Peter but this is a big pass!!!