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This is
an exciting time for wine lovers visiting the land of Dionysus.
Never before in their long and fabled history have Greek vineyards
yielded such a varied and interesting choice of wines. Over
the past five years, Greek wine has improved immeasurably, winning
praise from wine critics and prestigious awards in international
competition. Many new producers have entered the market; the
product range has broadened to include new tastes as foreign
grape varieties such as merlot, chardonnay and sauvignon have
been successfully introduced alongside indigenous favourites
such as the xinomavro, the assyrtiko, and the muscat.
Even the packaging of Greek wine no longer looks dowdy in
the shadow of its flashy French and Italian counterparts.
Still confusing to the non-Greek consumer, however, are all
those strange and hard-to-pronounce names ( "did
you say Agiorgitico?" ) that grace the majority
of labels. There are about a dozen wineries in Greece that
systematically export their produce and which have adopted
English-language labels, but only for the wines they export.
So buying wine in Greece does entail solving a few riddles.
But the pursuit, if a little frustrating, is certainly not
a trivial one. Be bold. There are many delights in store for
the persevering, and discerning, palate.
The Store
In Greece, the big and well-established producers have their
own distribution network. You can find their products countrywide
- sometimes in the most unlikely places, such as the street
corner kiosks, or peripteros. Smaller growers tend to work
with specialised distributors that place their wines in restaurants,
liquor stores, and some supermarkets. Of the latter, the big
three (AB Vassilopoulos, Continent, and Sklavenitis) have
a reasonable range of quality Greek wines - and there should
be one in an area near you. These stores also have a good
turnover, meaning that you have a better chance of buying
a bottle that has not gone off. Beware of dusty bottles that
have been basking in the sun on the shelves of small stores
such as bakeries, or even some speciality liquor shops. In
Athens, the Cellier chain has a number of downtown outlets
at which you can find a good selection of fine Greek wines
(Syntagma branch: 1 Kriezetou St.,01 361.0040).
If you are travelling outside Athens, ask around to find
the best cava (liquor store). In all of the major islands
and cities there is at least one store that stocks quality
Greek wines - it just takes some detective work to locate
it. The selection on offer at the Duty Free stores at Athens's
main airport terminals is generally disappointing. True, there
are a couple of good wines from the larger producers such
as Boutari and Tsantalis, but even these companies seem to
reserve their best products for the cavas and supermarkets.
One hopes that the new airport at Spata, being readied for
2001, will provide a much better showcase for the recent achievements
of Greek viticulture.
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