In my last post we ended at a point in history marking a
nadir in Greek wine-making, following wars and mass emigration. So, let’s quickly move on from there!
The good news is that there has
been serious investment in the wine
industry in recent years – both in a new generation of Greek wine-makers
who have been educated at home and abroad as well as in wine-making
technology. Greek wines, consequently,
have gained international acclaim in competitions throughout the world – and
among those who appreciate good wines. Certainly Greece’s low average rainfall,
plentiful sunshine and fertile soil play an important part in the quality of
the wine produced. But a unique ingredient is clearly the grape itself. There
are more than 300 indigenous varieties, some of which date back to the ancient
times. Some to look out for are:
Aghiorghitiko - a velvety red with black-cherry flavours
from Nemea in the Peloponnese
Xinomavro – a fruity red with firm tannins
from Naoussa
Mavroudi – a rarer old strain from Thrace, a deep red with a sweet,
rich taste and ‘hefty’ tannins
Assyrtiko – with its homeland of Santorini, this dry white wine has
a distinctive citrus-edged, mineral flavour
Moschofilero – from the Peloponnese, this white has rich perfumes of
rose petal and citrus blossom
Malagousia - a
melony-jasmine scented white, brought back from near-extinction by Vangelis Gerovassiliou in the early 1980s.
Well-known international grape varieties are also grown and
blended with local varieties which means there is a huge range of wine-types
available.
On our way back from Halkidiki we
were lucky enough to be able to visit the Gerovassiliou
winery. It is located in Epanomi,
a coastal area 25 kilometres south-east of Thessaloniki, where its temperate
climate and gentle sloping hills are ideal for vines. In fact, archaeological
finds show that this area was producing wine as far back as 1,500 years ago.
The Gerovassiliou Ktima, or Estate, extends over 56 hectares, surrounded
by sea on three sides. A private concern, it was developed from the original
vineyard family of 2.5 hectares by Vangelis Gerovassiliou. Here we are enjoying
that beautiful vista, with vines coming into leaf.
Vangelis is one of our new generation of wine-makers : he studied
Agriculture at the Aristotle University of Greece before going on to study
wine-making in Bordeaux, then developing his vineyard later.
The winery consists of two buildings:
The first houses the pneumatic
press where the hand-picked grapes are delivered immediately on harvesting,
stainless steel fermentation tanks and oak fermentation vats. Here, too, in the
underground area, in carefully controlled conditions of temperature and
humidity, wines are aged in 225 litre French oak barrels.
In the more modern second building, after being processed in
the state-of-the-art bottling system, the wines rest again in carefully
monitored conditions until their final journey out into the market.
For me the most interesting place by far was the museum where Vangelis’ vast collection
of wine-making equipment and wine-related items are stored. All the pictures
from my previous post are from there, as are those featured below.
Here H has a turn on the old wooden press, highly polished
with age and use, while Marina and John admire just a few of his unique
collection of bottle-opening devices, numbering over 2,600 items.
Some chandeliers can be over-ornate and a bit over-the-top
but this one is unique – it’s made from wine-bottle glass. Glad I don’t have to dust that on a regular
basis!
Behind my sister and me are some of the many awards and distinctions conferred on
the Gerovassiliou wines, and we are ready to sample their produce.
It really was a wonderful experience: learning about the wine-making process,
sampling various types, and later standing outside enjoying the sunshine and
the environment. The gardens were
immaculate, beautifully arranged and maintained - with an interesting little
herb patch as well. Cheery staff encouraged us to try more wine samples, while
accompanying savoury nibbles of cheese and pie were served. We really were made
to feel welcome and left sated from our rich experience.
But I don’t hold with this wine-spitting-out business- you
glug it all down for full enjoyment.
As a parting shot I took a couple of pictures
of the winery entrance.
a) You can have upright and blurred or
b) You can have in-focus but askew
You want upright in focus? Poly zitash ……..… or ……….You’re ashking too much – hic!
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