Hello Feastlings.
When one spends years and years in the wine biz, it’s easy to forget how mystical it all was when you first encountered it all: the varietals, the appellations- heck, even the words varietal and appellation– were no better than gibberish, and gradually, we incorporate some nomenclature into our lexicon. We know what Pinot Noir is, for example, and that Bourgogne is its home, and that the Côte d’Or is a little spot within Bourgogne where they grow and vint Pinot Noir.
As Americans, though, unless we live in a city with a substantial Greek population, the places and grapes take us back to the first time we looked at a wine list with fear and trepidation, hoping we wouldn’t humiliate ourselves when we ordered.
We get sold nonsense as consumers- that Retsina, the Greek wine flavored with pine resin, is reflective of Greek wine in general, and that it doesn’t merit our attention- but the ancient Greeks were the ones who brought viticulture to what became ancient Rome, and from there it spread northward, so if you think the Greeks don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to wine, you’ve been sadly misinformed.
This Saturday, October 3, our friend Rob joins us with four Greek wines that will disabuse you of the notion that the only wine you can get from Greece is Retsina, and I dare say you’ll walk away from the tasting feeling not only educated, but charmed by what Greece has to offer. Like most of our other tastings, this one costs $20 plus tax and tip, and you’ll get a discount on whichever of the wines win your heart. The tasting begins at 2:00 pm, and you’ll want to make a reservation for it by calling us (I know, so very analog) at (520) 326-9363 and letting us know you’ll be here. We’ll be here too.
Greek to me
You can see the tasting order and pricing here.
2025 Sarris Rebola, Panochori, Fagias
2025 Alpha Estate “Turtles Vineyard” Malagouzia, Florina
2022 Haritatos Vineyard “Mademoiselle” Mavrodaphne Kefalonias, Aenos
2021 Douloufakis Liatiko, Crete, Dafines