Greek Wine

Most of us think immediately of Retsina when Greek wines are mentioned but Greece has a lot more to offer than that. The wine industry is expanding and Greek wines are winning distinguished awards. Small wineries dedicated to quality are springing up where a combination of unique viticulture methods and the famous Greek sunlight merge to produce distinctive wines. Greek vineyards are scattered across the high mountain slopes, through fertile plains and down to the shores of the islands at sea level.

The Greek landscape is ideal for unique microclimatic conditions favouring the cultivation of local grape varieties. The combination of a mild climate, a lot of sunshine and low rainfall makes soils of moderate fertility and small crops of excellent quality.

There are over 400 indigenous grape varieties and Greece has 28 appellations of origin that were defined in the 1970s. The vineyards are small, the average size is less than one hectare (about 2.4 acres.) Wine has been made in Greece for thousands of years. Greek wines were the toast of the Mediterranean world, and Greek grapevines were planted as far away as Massilia (which is now known as Marseille).

In Santorini, where the strong volcanic soil seems to deliver a faint smoky taste to the local wines, grapevines are planted in small pits and encouraged to twine around in a basket shape. This preserves the scant moisture and protects the vines from the omnipresent winds.

Many of the grapes grown in the Pelopponese and on Crete are still ungrafted varieties. In some cases, wineries have sprung up around natural old-patch vines. Most vineyards are in the mountains, or, in the case of Santorini, on top of the volcanic cliffs.

One of the most famous of the Santorini vineyards, Gaia, offers a number of delicious wines, including Thalassitis, a wine inspired by the ancient Greek wines that were mixed with a little seawater.

The Greek language is difficult to read, let alone pronounce, but here are some Greek wines to look out for:

Whites - Moschofiler, Assyrtiko, Roditis, Athiri, Robola, Savatiano, Vilana and Malagousia.

Reds - Agiorghitiko, Xinomavro, Mandelaria, Kotsifali, Vertzami, Mavrotragano, Limnio

Dessert Wines - Mavrodaphne, Samos, Vin Santo, Commandaria.

Vin Santo is used as a communion wine in Greek churches and Commandaria was once a favourite of the Knights Templar posted in Rhodes.

Mavrodaphne is a rich, dark dessert wine, similar to a port. It has a story attached to it; apparently a German winemaker owned some vineyards in Greece, where the crop was primarily the Mavro variety of grapes. He fell in love with one of the grape pickers he employed, a beautiful Greek maiden named Daphne. Before he could make up his mind to tell her of his love, the girl sickened and died. Heartbroken, the vintner named his wine after the two things he most loved - the Mavro grapes, and the maiden Daphne.

Retsina has become synonymous with Greece and there have been many explanations as to why Retsina tastes the way it does. There is the myth that during the Second World War the Greeks put the resin into the wine so the Germans would think it was turpentine and not drink it. That was a romantic theory but not a good one. But according to Vassilis Kourtakis, who makes the most popular of the bottled Retsina, the ancient Greeks knew that the air was the enemy of wine and used pine resin to seal the tops of the amphora and even added it to the wine itself.

We have had a glut of aubergines and tomatoes this year and Sue suggested making Moussaka. This is a classic Greek dish. I have included the recipe below. Sue also told me a few interesting culinary facts about Greece:

The first cookbook was written by the Greek food gourmet, Archestratos, in 330 B.C.

Modern chefs owe the tradition of their tall, white chef's hat to the Greeks. In the middle ages, monastic brothers who prepared food in the Greek Orthodox monasteries wore tall white hats to distinguish them in their work from the regular monks, who wore large black hats.

Moussaka

A Moussaka is constructed out of three parts that need prior preparation: fried eggplant (aubergine), a white sauce and a tomato meat sauce, and also bread crumbs and cheese.

The Aubergine

3 Medium aubergines, peel, slice, salt and let drain for 1/2 hour while you prepare the white sauce and start the red sauce. Then dry the aubergines and shake in a bag with flour and a good grind of black pepper. Brown in a bit of hot olive oil. Be careful with the amount of oil, and use only enough to brown a few slices at a time. The aubergine will absorb an amazing amount of oil if you let it, and things can become very greasy indeed. Drain the aubergine and reserve.

White Sauce

In a saucepan over medium heat mix together:

• 6 tbl spoons of Butter
• 6 tbl spoons of flour

Whisk for a couple minutes until well blended, add:

• 3 cups milk

Gently bring to a boil, stirring, and simmer couple minutes. Whisk a cup or so of this mixture into:

• 3 eggs, well beaten

Whisk the egg mixture back into the white sauce and bring up to a gentle simmer, whisking until thick. Do not boil, or sauce will scramble. Add:

• Good grating of nutmeg
• dash Tabasco Sauce

Let White Sauce cool. It should be quite thick. Note that the white sauce can be prepared a day ahead of time and refrigerated.

Red Sauce

Brown well together in heavy frying pan:

• 2 tbl spoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb minced lamb.

Drain grease. Add:

• large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

Saute around until onion limp. Add:

• 8 oz. can tomato sauce – or as in our case you can make your own puree if you have a bumper crop!

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• tsp dried leaf oregano
• chopped parsley
• chopped mint
• bit of salt and pepper

Simmer gently until quite thick. The red sauce can be prepared well ahead of time, and keeps well refrigerated.

To assemble the Moussaka

The parts of the Moussaka are:

• Aubergine
• White Sauce
• Red Sauce
• 1 cup coarse dry bread crumbs
• 2 cups Mozzarella or other white cooking cheese

Use a good sized casserole with a cover. Put about 1/3 of the aubergine on the bottom in a solid layer. Trim aubergine to fit. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture on top. Spread 1/3 of white sauce over meat. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese, 1/3 cup of crumbs. Repeat this set of layers. Then put in a layer of the rest of the aubergine, the rest of the white sauce and cover with the rest of the crumbs. Garnish top with a sprinkle of red chilly or paprika and a small handful of chopped parsley. Cover, and bake at 350 degrees for an hour, uncover and bake until browned on top and bubbly.

Serve with a green salad, good bread and a bottle of light red wine. Our Spanish Brissonet would go very nicely with this lovely dish or a Pinot Noir or why not try our Rose the Lamonthe Vincent . Mmm….I am getting hungry writing this. And if you are up for it try the Greek Retsina wine! It is an acquired taste, but is quite wonderful with this tasty Greek traditional dish-enjoy!