Our Big Fat Greek Wine Faves

The charter of a private luxurious 110 foot yacht didn't hurt, but the recent Wine-Knows trip to the Greek Islands yielded some nice surprises for wine and food.  Below are the stars of the Hellenic show that are available in the USA and are inexpensively to moderately priced:

• Island of Paros:   Produced by Moratis winery, this 2012 white was made from 2 grapes not known outside of Greece.  Great for your next summer Toga party!  Also, Moratis made a knock-out 2009 Paros Red...complex and worth seeking out.

• Island of Santorini: 3 vintners on this stunning island made wines that would have pleased both Socrates & Plato:    

         1.  Boutari:  2007 Grand Reserve Naossa (from Boutari's 

              winery on the mainland) was chocked full of 

              plums & violet with hints of chocolate.  I really liked this 

              wine.  Another one that was very well crafted was their 

              2009 Kotsifali Syrah from the island of Crete, aged 1 year 

              in American Oak.

         2.  Sigalas:  The 2011 single vineyard Kavalieros had a great 

              finish.  The producer's Vin Santo (dessert wine) was an 

              excellent fig bomb.

        3.  Gaia:  If you like Riesling you would love their 2009 

             Thalassitis which evoked the mineral nuances often 

             associated with Riesling.

The next Greek yacht charter (2015) SOLD OUT the first day it was marketed to those who were on this year's waiting list. Stay tuned as we may be doing another one in 2017.