Making predictions for the coming year is not easy. I cannot see it being a pleasant time for wine-drinkers although if revenues from wine consumption continue to fall the Minister for Finance may be forced to reduce excise duties. A reduction would certainly be welcome, but I cannot see it happening until the next budget, if at all.
That aside, one welcome trend that I can see continuing is the increase in availability of wines from Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. It has always puzzled me that we weren’t deluged with wines from countries such as Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary once the Iron Curtain fell. It has taken several decades for many producers to prepare themselves for the export market. Even now, the quality seems very variable, with a few stars amongst a mass of very ordinary wines.
I also expected to see Greek wine becoming far more popular as they joined the EU and modernized their agriculture industry. Yet very little appeared on the shelves of our wine shops. However the past 18 months has seen as steady trickle of wine from both sources. Dunnes Stores introduced a range of Slovenian wines, joining a few smaller importers who had pioneered these wines years ago. Marks & Spencer, which is certainly the most adventurous among the supermarkets now has wines from Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey, Lebanon and Greece. O’Briens offers several wines from Gaia, one of the most respected Greek producers, and late last year On the Grapevine began importing the promising wines of Kir-Yianni in northern Greece.
Greece has fascinated me since I tasted an amazing range of wines 10 years ago. Yet mention Greek wine to most people and they will turn up their nose and make some derogatory comment about Retsina. However, this is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world, with a wealth of fascinating unique grapes. The vine was introduced to Crete and mainland Greece in 2500 BC. Wine was an essential part of everyday life, consumed by heroes in Greek literature, whereas barbarians drank beer and the gods drank nectar. Wine was drunk at symposia, drinking parties where those present debated philosophical issues of the day and vied with each other in poetry, rhetoric and wit. This may sound like a typical Irish dinner party, but the wine was always diluted with water.
Modern Greek producers face the same choice as their counterparts in Portugal; should they stick with their own indigenous grape varieties or plant the better-known international grapes? For the moment the answer appears to be a bit of both.
You will certainly find Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah and Chardonnay in Greece, but many of the better producers are increasingly looking to their own local varieties. There certainly isn’t a shortage to choose from. The Oxford Wine Companion has more than 300 indigenous varieties, although many are of local interest only.
The best-known white grape is Assyrtiko. Grown on the island of Santorini this variety can produce bracing mineral-laden dry wines. Other white varieties of interest include Rhoditis and Malagouzia, both used to make the Kir-Yianni Petra below. The two best-known red varieties are Agiorgitiko, which produces soft, powerful fruity wines and the more acidic Xinomavro. Both of these are frequently blended with Syrah, Cabernet or Merlot to create a wine that would be more familiar to our palates.
Wine is made in virtually every part of Greece, often on small family-owned plots. Because of the summer heat, the best vineyards tend to be in cooler maritime climates or at higher altitudes.
There are some 20-odd designated wine producing areas of Greece, 40 sub-regions with appellation status and plenty more that fall under the broader umbrella of country wines. Some of the names would be familiar to those who studied Classics or holidayed in Greece, but few would have connected them to wine.
What intrigued me a decade ago was the range of flavours I came across in the various wines. All of them were fascinating and mostly very enjoyable. Since then I have made sure to visit the Greek section of every wine fair I attend. The white wines I have tasted have nearly all been light, fresh and dry, despite the warm climate. The reds vary from rich and rounded to light, piquant and fragrant. Tasting them again for this article, they were good on their own, but seemed even better when drunk with food.
