Following the Footsteps of Dionysus ... or the past 365 days I let my thirsty tongue float around the Eastern Mediterranean

Like the not so overly concise headline sufficiently implies: in the past year I laid my vinophile concentration on the lands the ancient Greeks use to swirl around. The voyages of my tongue stretched from Sicily in the West to the Levant in the East, Macedonia and Albania in the North and unfortunately not to Egypt in the South. I tried to get a wine from the outskirts of Alexandria, but well … you know I think my tongue wasn't ready enough for a 15 year old Syrah straight our of the Nile delta. One of those sweet ancient classics from the Sinai or a Cru des Ptolémées would have been nice! Anyway, I digress … like so many times. Speaking of lengthy proliferations: No worries, I've decided not to introduce each wine with an overboarding and tiring introduction about soils, production methods, origins or even worse mostly useless analytical values. I've done my homework before tastings. So can you, if you wish to have a little bit of input about one or the other wine. Plain tasting notes! That's what the stuff that follows is all about. At least I hope so! So just shut up and give it a go ...

Alpha Estate Pinot Noir 2010, Amynteon

Vernünftige Menschen, zu denen ich leider nicht gehöre, dürften sich bei der folgenden Post fragen warum um Himmels Willen jemand aus einem so reichhaltigen und voll mit Überraschungspotential aufgeladenem Weinland wie Griechenland ausgerechnet einen Pinot Noir öffentlich trinken muss!? Tja, was soll ich sagen? Ich kann wohl nicht aus meiner explorationsgetriebenen Haut raus, nehme ich an!? Einer „muss“ es einfach wagen um die angestrebte nicht ansatzweise gesamtabdeckenden „Pinot weit weg“ Dokumentation zu erlangen. Wie dem auch sein ... Mein heutiger „Pinot weit weg“ stammt aus dem griechischen Teil Makedoniens im Norden des Landes. Um genauer zu sein im nordwestlichen Makedoniens in der Weinregion Amyntheon (Florina). Auf der Höhe zwischen 620 bis 710 m über dem Meeresspiegel hat das Weingut Alpha Estate vor einigen Jahren tatsächlich damit begonnen Pinot Noir Klone anzupflanzen. International bekannt wurde das 1997 von dem erfahrenen Winzer Makis Mavridis und dem Önologen Angelos Iatridis gegründete Weingut für seine modern anmutenden Weine aus der regionalen Rebsorte Xinomavro und ihrem je nach Jahrgang etwas anders zusammengesetzten Spitzencuvée Alpha One. Doch auch den Pinot Noir gibt es mittlerweile seit einigen Jahrgängen. Nach der Ernte wurden die Pinot Noir entrappt und ohne angequetscht zu werden einer Kaltmazeration unterzogen. Nach der Fermentation wurde der Wein für ca. 12 Monate in Allier Barrique Fässern ausgebaut um anschließend in gewaltig schweren Flaschen abgefüllt zu werden.

Happening Now Tasting 30: Domaine Zacharioudakis Vidiano 2013, Κρήτη

With the following post I'd like to approach the versatile cosmos of autochthonous Greek grape varieties. Like in my previous hyper-auto' “Happening Now Tasting” posts I need to limit myself to just one "pure" varietal. Unfortunately! This time I found it really difficult to choose One from such a rich "national" bounty. Well, anyway … my selection fell on a varietal with rich body, transfixing creamy taste, a diva-like attitude (in the vineyard - mostly), robust juiciness and of course as originally intended minuscule quantities. A varietal often considered as Greece’s version of Viogner. Its name? Vidiano!? Ohh yeeaass, I admit it! Prior to my challenging choice I have not even heard of it (either) …! Vidiano is grown in small scale (apparently just about 70 hectares) on the island of Crete. Especially around the area of Rethymnon and Heraklion. My Vidiano from 2013 derives from rocky, calciferous as well as sloping highland grounds in the area of the Messara Plain south of Heraklion. It's producer? The locally well known and impressively established (check the website) Domaine Zacharioudakis. The grapes for this Vidiano where organically cultivated and underwent an apparently unusual – at least for wines from Vidiano – five months ageing in French oak barrels. Let's check it out ...

Καλησπέρα Ελλάδα: Kir-Yianni Estate Ramnista 2006, Naoussa

It might get a little bit embarrassing on this self-referentially described “adventurous” wine blog. Yeah, right ...! Again I felt the urge to get inspired by a wine which was presented on Hendrik Thoma’s “Wein am Limit” a little while ago. Sometimes I like to get persuaded to give varietals or specific wine styles once and maybe for all another try. Another try for wines which did not impress me all too much in the past. You may feel free to interpret this description in a more straight forward sense: as wines which tremendously pissed me off. Thanks to “Wein am Limit” I gave Xinomavro, the classic varietal from Naoussa, another chance to conquer my palate. So far I had a few Xinomavro based wines and I always been “reserved” about these expiriences. Probably due to their bitchin acid, violent tannin structure and questionable concentration. However, the Kir-Yianni Ramnista 2006 (100% Xinomavro, from selected blocks in Yianakohori vineyard, aged for 14 months in French and American oak and partly fermented in open-top tanks) presented itself to me as a very decent, very balanced (although still a bit young), almost uniquely tasting and enjoyable representative for a Xinomavro based wine!

Olympic Spirit: Gaia Estate Assyrtico Wild Ferment 2010, Santorini and some Chardonnay Medal Candidates

After a short “creative (or sluggishness)” break, I’ll try to convey some Olympic Spirit to you guys out there! In the limelight it got to be wine from Greece! What else?! It is the Gaia Estate Assyrtico Wild Ferment 2010 from Santorini and two late nominations from Burgundy and Pfalz.

Together vs. the Crisis: Ktima Vourvoukeli Avdiros White 2010, Avdira Thrace and a hand from the Pfalz

Due to the frustrating situation and the coming crucial week I decided to have a Greek-German-White-Wine-Tasting. In keeping with the motto: Together with wine versus the crises!