The white wines of Greece

It has always seemed manifestly unfair that hot countries, where the sunny weather calls out for a glass of a chilled, mouth-watering light, dry white wine, have great difficulty producing convincing examples of that style. Cooler regions can make such wines with ease, but their inhabitants would probably prefer something rich and warming and red, to keep out the cold.

I recently came across one unlikely place where it seems possible to combine both wonderful weather and refreshing white wines. Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing countries responsible for the spread of the vine to most other parts of the Mediterranean. The country can boast more than 300 indigenous grape varieties, many of which are still being investigated – and it should make for some fascinating results over the next few years. Among the varieties already grown are a number of white grapes that have a rare ability to retain acidity even in very hot climates. At times they are further aided by being grown at higher (and therefore cooler) altitudes, or in the northern part of the country. Acidity is crucial to all white wines; too little and the wine will taste flabby and uninteresting. Producers in most hot climates routinely add tartaric or citric acid to help balance their wines.

The three most interesting local white grapes you are likely to come across from Greece are Assyrtiko, Moscophilero and Malagousia. Assyrtiko, when grown on the volcanic island of Santorini, produces the most amazing light, crisp, mineral white wines. I don’t think any are currently available in Ireland, although some branches of O’Briens may still have the odd bottle of the Gaia Assyrtiko 2010; don’t be put off by the old vintage – Assyrtiko ages very well.

Of these three varieties, Assyrtiko also seems the best able to retain the acidity in hot climates. It is increasingly being planted in other parts of Greece (with excellent results), both on its own and blended with other grapes, including Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon, as with two of this week’s bottles of the week wines, below.

Malagousia produces nicely aromatic and elegant wines with plump, mouthwatering fruit. An ancient variety that was recently rediscovered; it shows some great promise. Moscophilero is similarly aromatic, with a slightly lighter, but appealing pear fruits. As the skins are a deep pink, it is also used to make some rosé wines. Strangely, Greek consumers appear to prefer the international grapes, and the rest of the world wants wines made from their indigenous varieties. Producers are caught in something of a bind trying to service both markets. As a result, many white wines are blend of the two.

I suspect that Greece may, in the short term, have more of a challenge selling us its red wines, not because they aren’t good enough but because some of them may be a little too different from what we are used to drinking. Two red grape varieties worth looking out for are Aghiorghitiko and Xinomavro. Aghiorghitiko, which is easier to drink than to pronounce, is sometimes seen as the Merlot of Greece, with soft fruits and low tannins.

If so, Xinomavro must be the Greek Nebbiolo, producing wine that can have fairly high acidity and tannin. Given the right hands, though, it can make wonderful wine.

Forget about Retsina and the cheap white wines you may have bought on holiday in Greece. Over the past 10 years much of the Greek wine industry has changed out of all recognition, with new estates springing up all over the country.

Some of these make superb wines, but come at a price. The four big producers – Tsantalis, Boutari, Kourtakis and Achaia Clauss – can usually be relied on to make decent wines, but even they are frustrated by the quality of wine offered to tourists in the island resorts. The next time you land up in Greece for your summer holiday, why not seek out something a little better?

The BB below is a blend of our favourite grape variety, Sauvignon Blanc, and Assyrtiko.

The Ovilos combines Assyrtiko with Semillon. The Kir Yanni is a blend of Roditis (another ancient white variety that retains acidity) and Malagouzia. The Lefkes is 100 per cent Moscophilero. Together these represent a good snapshot of Greek white wines, well worth trying out over the summer, even if you can’t make it to the island beaches.