Greece: a WINE country whose time has come

Jamie Goode is your guide to one of the world’s most exciting sources of wines in a range of styles

The narrative plot behind most wine articles seems to be that everything is getting slightly better. A wine journalist travels to a region, visits a range of producers, and comes back and pens 2,000 words telling the world that there have been improvements, the wine scene is progressing, and there are some new producers emerging. But the thing about Greek wine is that this narrative doesn’t work: things have got a lot better, for sure, but they have got better fast, not gradually. It’s a wine country whose time has come, and the noise that’s being made about Greek wines in the UK market is justified. There’s a lot to be excited about.

A diverse landscape

One of Greece’s strengths is its diverse viticultural landscape. As well as the many mainland areas, there are the islands, and together this makes for quite a patchwork quilt of wine regions, with altitude and proximity to the sea proving excellent ways to moderate what otherwise is quite a warm climate. Currently there are 33 PDOs (protected designation of origin regions) and 120 PGIs (protected geographical indication regions). Of the islands, Santorini is currently the one in the spotlight, partly because it has become a top tourist destination. The popularity of the wines, made from grapes grown in volcanic soils in a rather extreme form of viticulture, has led to significant price increases, both in the wines and the grapes – especially for Assyrtiko. But the real reason behind the Santorini surge is that the wines are just so good, and so consistently good. Crete is a large island making a lot of interesting wines with numerous indigenous grapes, and Cephalonia is also home to several good producers, although the wines are less well known internationally. Samos is famous for its sweet wines, but some producers are now making smart dry wines too.

Then in the mainland, we have two main areas. Down south is the Peloponnese, with several notable regions, including Patras, Slopes of Aegialia, Nemea and Mantinia. Then in the north we have the regions of Macedonia: Naoussa, Amyndeon (aka Amynteo), Epanomi, Goumenissa and Drama. There’s also central Greece, which is garnering more attention.

Local grape varieties

One of the great appeals of the modern Greek wine scene is that it’s largely about Greece’s indigenous varieties. That’s not to say that international imports don’t do very well in Greece when they are intelligently chosen and planted in the right areas. After all, it’s often part of the development of a wine country that’s beginning to look beyond its own borders. Winemakers love to work with famous varieties, and show their ability (and the ability of their terroirs) in producing creditable examples of the famous varieties that are qualitative peers of the wines that are made in more famous wine countries. They prove themselves with foreign grapes, and then have the confidence to re-visit their own country’s varieties and do something interesting with them. The international market also begins to have confidence in Greek wines when it sees that the winemakers there have skill that can be demonstrated in this way. Export markets like the UK seem to have a special love for wine countries that do well with varieties unique to that country. We don’t really want another Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, but we are thrilled by local grapes.

Of these, Assyrtiko has taken central stage, and this has expanded from its home in Santorini to be a major player across many Greek wine regions. It is a variety that offers focus, freshness and good acidity, but also plenty of flavour. It isn’t fazed by warm conditions, and the name is relatively easy to pronounce. It’s also one of the Greek varieties that has excited international attention for its ability to fight ever-warming climate conditions. Assyrtiko has truly helped put Greece on the map, and it deserves all its plaudits.

Following hot on the heels of Assyrtiko is the red grape Xinomavro. This is often likened to Nebbiolo, with its talent for making wines that are lighter in colour but which pack a good tannic punch, as well as maintaining acidity.

Another star red is Agiorgitiko, which finds its home in Nemea, in the Peloponnese. This makes a fruity red with some structure. Moschofilero is a pink-skinned variety usually used to make white wines, and is native to the Peloponnese. It’s really appealing. Roditis is another pink-skinned variety also native to the Peloponnese, although the berries are less pink than Moschofilero, and only tend to be fully pink when they see direct sun. Malagousia is an ancient variety that almost became extinct before being rescued by Evangelos Gerovassiliou in the late 1980s. It’s a terpenic variety that makes full flavoured whites and it’s a great success, grown widely all around Greece.

Vidiano is the flagship variety of Crete, with good acidity, often minerality and promising ageing potential. It produces many different styles from fresh stainless steel to oak-aged to sparkling.

Savatiano is noteworthy as the main grape of Attica, in the southwest of the mainland. It’s currently undergoing a revival, and as well as making lovely dry whites, it’s also famous as the main grape of retsina, a resin-flavoured wine that is being modernised by some to good effect. Robola is a very promising grape from the Ionian island of Cephalonia, producing complex wines with crisp acidity and mineral notes.

This is just a snapshot of the diverse viticultural landscape of Greece, and a critical mass of qualityminded, export-focused producers now exists to make this a happy hunting ground for merchants and buyers.

• See our Greek winery directory overleaf.