Wine From Dionysus: 8 Greek Wines

Recently I went to a Greek wine tasting.  Although we normally think of France and Italy when we think of European wine, if we remember the Greek God of wine Dionysus, we realize that Greece probably made and enjoyed wine first.  In this spirit, I decided to try some Greek wines, and share my experience with you.  We went from light whites to strong reds.

1) Mountain Sun White from Semeli
The wine has Moschofiler and Roditis white grapes, and some people tasted lemon and melon flavors.  When I tasted it, my impression was that it had very light flavor, and was neither sweet nor dry.  Other tasters described it as a good "summery porch wine".  This wine might go well with fish, vegetables, white meat, sushi, or pasta with seafood.  My impression was that I wouldn't spend the money on this wine.  It didn't have enough flavor to survive a slice of cheese!

2) Kallisto White Blend from Dom. Mercouri
This white was pleasant and moderately sweet, reminiscent of a good Riesling.  On a summer day, this is the wine I'd have on a summer porch, roof, or front stoop.  Just enough flavor to manage summer foods.

3) Argyros Atlantic White
The most interesting of the whites, this wine is floral, sweet, and dry -- balancing the three in a way that invites you to drink more.  It is a wine from Santorini, and is supposed to go well with white meats or seafood.

4) Agioritiko "Red Stag" from Spiropoulos
My first reaction to this wine is that its a red for white drinkers.  Usually white wine drinkers don't like the strong flavors of red wines ... this red has no strong flavor at all.  It is very light and it should be paired with lighter flavored foods, such as chicken prepared simply.


5) Paranga Red, Kir Yianni
This red wine is grown in the Macedonia region of Greece, and is a blend of Greek Merlot and Syrah.  Some people tasted notes of cinnamon, red fruit, and pepper on the finish.  Other tasters were put off by a very powerful "ick", "barn", or "rotten vegetable" smell of the wine.  The wine itself had a medium body but did not strike me as anything special.  As a Syrah fan, my guess was that there was mostly Merlot in the wine!

6) Xinomavro, Dio Fili Estate
This red wine struck me as soft and subtle, and it was dry with potent tannins.  It was listed as a wine that could age for several years.  Some other tasters thought they'd prefer to let this wine age before opening another bottle.  I liked it as-is.

7) Thema, Ktima Pavlidis
I really liked this red wine.  This red is a blend of reds and has a dark color and strong flavor.  My only comment on this wine was "yum".  Its also among the most expensive of the wines I tried!

8) Thimiopoulos Young Vines Xinomavro
An interesting red wine grown on older vines, I enjoyed this wine too.  Strong and subtle, it has Kirsch-like cherry aromas and delicate tannins.

A lot of local wine stores don't carry Greek wines, but when they do, I'll go looking for a few of these wines.  In the meantime, I'll try some new wines and continue buying Malbec and Syrah!