Wine with Leslie: Seek out Greek wines — and this Aussie Cab Sav for under €9
Greek wine is doing well after a difficult year.
Last week I wrote about the difficult year French winemakers have had and they are not alone as the weather all across Europe’s vineyards in 2021 has been unpredictable and unforgiving. For example, in recent weeks Greece has had wildfires and record heat with no rain in some regions since April.
We tend to imagine Greece as a hot dry country but, in fact, there are lots of mountains and cooler regions perfect for growing richly textured reds and crisp whites. You probably know Greece’s most famous variety, Assyrtiko, which is most renowned from the pretty island of Santorini but is now grown in most wine regions — I adore its texture, citrus and herbal scents, and its brisk acidity.
Malagouzia is another white variety you should know about which will, I suspect, become more important in Greece as it is very resistant to drought. Malgousia is not the easiest grape to grow in cooler regions in dry regions such as Attica it can be excellent. I recommend an excellent example below from Domaine Papagiannakos in Attica along with a Moschofilero (blended with Roditis) from M&S, both grapes I’d like to explore further. Even the much-maligned Savatiano grape which was mainly used for dilute simple whites and Retsina has had a bit of a revival Papagiannakos makes a fine example.
In reds you are most likely to find Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro but there are lots of other interesting red varietals and I’d love to see more importers take a risk on Greece. There are fragrant dessert wines which rarely appear on Irish shelves — such as Muscat of Samos (Lidl bring one in for their Greek promotion most years). Oddbins, when they were here a few decades ago, had a delicious fortified port-like wine called Mavrodaphne that would be perfect Christmas wine as would the famed Vinsanto of Santorini made from dried grapes not unlike Sherry’s Pedro Ximinez.
Selections this week are four good value wines from Greece plus two new Aldi wines. If you want to explore Greece further you should try the Kamara Estate range from Wines Direct — I’ve featured their Pet-Nat Rosé and Assyrtiko here in the past. Also worth seeking out is the Lyrarakis range from Crete (Bradleys, Mortons, Whelehans). The Lyrarakis 'Vóila' Assyrtiko (€18) is one of the best I’ve found, and they also make some wines from native Cretan grapes such as Kotsifali and rare varieties such as Dafni.
M&S Found Series ‘Moschofilero-Roditis’, Peloponnese, Greece — €12.50
Made by Leonidas Nassiakos of the Semeli Winery in Nemea — a winemaker renowned for his aromatic Moschofilero wines. Here it is blended with pink-skinned Roditis to add acidity and freshness. Aromas of lychees and rose petals reminiscent of Gewurztraminer: ripe and fruity with creamy honey notes and a crisp salty finish making it perfect for with mussels, scallops or prawns or perhaps with a creamy pasta dish.
Specially Selected Lebanese Red, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon — €10.95
Lebanon is another Mediterranean wine producer we often forget about and almost always interesting (e.g. Ch. Ksara and Ch. Musar). A blend of Cabernet, Syrah, Cinsault, and Carignan (not unlike the blend used for Musar); this has soft mature fruit aromas with a hit of cedar and spice — savoury red and black fruits on the palate, good elegance and poise, and all for a bargain price.
Specially Selected Kooliburra Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia €8.99
Another wine I like in the Aldi winter selection, this multi-region blend is packed with black fruits and chocolate and mint notes with good weight and ripeness. Also watch for the Chianti Riserva 2018 (€10) which has sweet red cherry aromas, ripe red fruits and cherry jam touches. And the Specially Selected Fitou (€8) is my pick of their new Languedoc wines.
Dom. Papagiannakos ‘Erythros’ Agiorgitiko-Cab-Sauv, 2018, Attika, Greece — €17.99
From Attika in Central Greece this is 70% Agiorgitiko (St George’s Grape) with a dollop of Cabernet mainly to add heft and some colour as the floral blackberry aromas of Greece’s most widely planted grape dominate the wine. Ripe bramble and dark cherry aromas and flavours with pleasing soft dark fruits on the palate combined with acidity, freshness and texture
Dom. Papagiannakos ‘Kalogeri’ Malagouzia 2019, Attika, Greece — €19.99
Malagouzia has a high-quality reputation but is a grape I’d only read about until I tasted this gorgeous wine. Fragrant and ripe on the nose with tropical fruits mixed with lime zest and a touch of anise and basil, textured and full-flavoured with light honey touches on the palate but with a textured and crisp dry finish.
Gaia Agiorgitiko, Nemea, Greece — €18.95
Gaia was founded in the 1990s and quickly established itself as one of the best producers in Nemea. This is vibrant and rich with violet and blackberry aromas, darker fruits on the palate and fine boned structure. The Gaia ‘S’ (€25) is also worth trying (blended with Syrah), with a healthy dose of French oak, it is polished and complex — I like it but I think I prefer the purity of the standard Agiorgitiko.
Method and Madness Rye and Malt Whiskey, 46% ABV, 70cl — €95
This brand new Method & Madness whiskey launches on September 20 and will likely sell out as it is a limited edition with just over 2,500 bottles produced. This is the first whiskey from the experimental micro distillery and was created by distillers Eva O’Doherty and Katherine Condon.
Made from 60% Rye and 40% malt and aged in first and second fill Bourbon casks, this has classic rye aromas of hay loft and red fruits with a touch of rosehip, spice, lemongrass and pepper with a creamy mouthfeel on first sip that finishes prickly and crisp — a fascinating and complex whiskey.
