Edible
Skinny was lucky enough to recently attend an exploratory trade tasting for the
Wines of Northern Greece at the super trendy Republique (seriously, you need to
call for month out reservations at the bar…).
There’s
so many jokes that could be made about how the wines of Greece are “all Greek”
to most Americans, but we here at Edible Skinny are going to display some
restraint on this other than to say it’s absolutely true! There are 333 indigenous grapes to Greek wines,
none of which you could probably name off the top of your head… Fortunately in the name of broadening
horizons, these ancient varietals are experiencing a Renaissance for their
unusualness, fine quality, and reasonable price tag.
Enter
Domaine Porto
Carras, one of the event’s featured wineries where we were able to
experience a multitude of these exotic varietals. Located on the western coast of the Sithonia
peninsula in Halkidiki, Domaine Porto Carras is Greece’s largest vineyard at a
total area of 4750 acres.
The
wines of Domaine Porto Carras began in the late 1960s when they began
organically growing 28 select varietals on the property. The microclimates of Halkidiki and eastern Macedonia make
the region ideal for vineyards (many grown in intriguing looking “grape
baskets”). These
conditions allow whites such as Asyrtiko, Athiri, Malagouzia, and Rhoditis (now you get what I mean about not having
heard of any of those 333 indigenous varietals…) and reds such as Limnio,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah (okay, maybe you’ve heard
of a couple of those…).
White or red,
all of Domaine Porto Carras grapes are hand picked.
Greek
white wines are notorious for being sweet and very much fruit forward. While at Republique, I checked out Domaine
Porto Carras’ myriad of white varietals including: Athiri ($19.45), with its
expanding pear and peach palate; Assyyrithiko ($19.56), apples and citrus
bubble on the tongue: and Malagounzia ($25.47).
My American palate favored the Malagounzia, mainly for the unusualness
of it. This wine was like nothing I had
ever tried before; one sip was like drinking a summer salad with notes of
peach, apricot, and mint.
Domaine
Porto Carras whites were charming, but I definitely loved exploring their reds
more. First up was their Limnio
($20.81). Limnio is an ancient varietal
mentioned in works by the great philosopher Aristotle and poet Hesiod. This is the only wine on the market that is
100% Limnio (usually it is used more as a blending grape). The wine was ruby red colored with a nose of
pepper, currant, and cinnamon. A medium
body wine that was light on the palate, but swarmed your mouth with ripe black
berries.
Next
was there Magnus Baccata ($27.48), Silver Medal Winner at Concours Mondial de
Bruxelles 2012, a cuveé wine of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was very California friendly with
aromas of chocolate and baking spice and an elegant background of black pepper
and balanced tannins. It is normally
served slightly chilled, 10 minutes on ice is ideal.
The
last red (my favorite!) was the Chateau Porto Carras ($34.15). An award winning cuveé of Cabernet Sauvignon,
Cabernet Franc, Limnio, Merlot. Known as
the Best Bordeaux outside of Bordeaux (without the Bordeaux price tag…) this
wine was a Silver Medal Winner ISWC 2012.
This was a delicious rich full body wine with a deep eggplant color. The nose was dominated by blackberries and
vanilla; the palate that was delicate, smooth, and smoky with a long velvety
finish.
So
if you’re looking for the taste of something exotic perhaps you should check
out one of the 333 choices that Greece has to offer!
Trio
encourages its patrons to sample freely; morsels of bread dot the end of each shelf. But you must save room to fully experience
Trio, as there were at least fifty bottles to discover throughout the sleek
modern space. 
