Greece has been producing wine for at least 5000 years. In the Golden Age, between 500-300 BCE, the greeks documented their knowledge of Terrior, varietal-to-terroir- matching and other advanced wine making techniques. Preservation was an issue so many of the early Greek wines had additives for flavor that also extended the drinking window.
Greece and their wine culture survived many wars but Phylloxera nearly decimated the industry. Building off of their culture, they leaned on the Retsina style - an inexpensive wine with resin added to it - and slowly replanted. It was not until the 1990's that quality winemaking became a real focus in Greece and most of their wines remain domestically consumed. The overall climate is mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers. Much of the mountainous regions can see more continental climate where spring frosts can be an issue. Greece is located between the 34th and 42 parallel and many vineyards are located at altitude to moderate temperature. Ripening can be an issue in some years and many Greek wines can suffer from vintage variation. Assyrtiko is the most well-known white grape and varietal wine of Greece. In general, the wine is produced from small and hand worked vineyards on the Island of Santorini. While it is grown in other areas of Greece, Santorini is the home of this unique wine and It is produced with a blend of tradition and modern viticulture and winemaking techniques and equipment. The climate of Santorini is very hot and windy and plays well with the use of traditional organic and biodynamic viticulture. There is low disease pressure and very low need for chemical intervention in wine growing. The tradition of Greek farming is closely aligned to modern organic and biodynamic methods and many have begun to pursue international certifications for what they have practiced for centuries. Phylloxera, a deadly louse that has killed or threatened vines all over the world, do not exist in the soils of Santorini and Assyrtiko remains planted on their original root stock. Unlike other affected areas of Greece, the Assyrtiko grape survived the phylloxera infestation without event. Greece is well known for innovation when faced with the unique challenges of weather and climate. Assyrtiko is grown and trained in a truly unique way. Using a basket shape in training the vine, the grapes are protected from the constant and severe winds that would otherwise damage the grapes. Wind can also negatively affect flowering and fruit-set, limiting the yield. The basket shape avoids these damages and also performs other important functions. The island was formed at the top of an ancient volcano that erupted in 1500 BCE, leaving a large caldera and a large ridge where Santorini is located. Small eruptions continue to this day but they have little effect on the are. These basket shaped training methods allow the grapes to grow underground in holes that are in the middle of the baskets. With little rain during the year, fog that rises from the Caldera every morning settles into the baskets, condenses and is trapped for vine nourishment. Each basket is created by training the vines around themselves for up to 20 years before they are trimmed back and started again. This is nothing in the life cycle of Assyrtiko wines as they are known to live for 250-400 years. This approach is very labor intensive but has evolved as the only known viticultural approach for this varietal. Some areas with less wind are experimenting with Vertical Shoot Placement (VSP) but it is rare. Assyrtiko maintains high acidity and has citrus based flavors and aromas of stone and tropical fruit with smoky, flinty minerality. In some areas, wood treatment is used in a fraction of the overall blend. Assyrtiko is typically deeply colored and is distinguished by high acid and a strong phenolic grip. Differentiating flavors include citrus, yellow apple, sea spray, smoke and herbal notes. It is considered to be one of the most characterful and structural white wines of the world with a powerful, square acid structure and phenolic bitterness that is felt on the gums. It is an aromatic and concentrated wine that is age worthy. The wine is intensely dry and does not focus much on the fruit - a major distinction from Albarino that has similar characteristics but shows abundant fruit on the palate. Assyrtiko's powerful herbs, smoke and salty minerality balances the lime zest and bitterness. Assyrtiko pairs extremely well with foods of the region and seafood and light salads.
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Rias Baixas is the most westernly DO wine region of Spain and sits in the upper Northwestern secton of the Iberian peninsula. Located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, this region is a maritime climate with low continentality (the difference between coldest and warmest months) and has significant and consistent rainfall during the year. This area is distinctly maritime with temperatures moderated from the ocean, warm summers and mild winters. The rain can be an issue with late season disease pressure and fruit dilution at harvest. Fungal diseases such as Odium and Peronospora can be an issue. Many of the vines are trained in traditional pergola fashion to maximize airflow and protect for sunburn. 90% of the wine made in this region is white and it is the birthplace (Val do Salines) of Albarino.
Albarino is a relatively think skinned grape with a high skin to pulp ratio. This helps protect against other fungal diseases such as gray rot and is well conditioned for the wetter climate. The soils are well-draining sand over granite bedrock and they are generally a early to mid-season ripening varietal. This allows the Albarino to fully ripen, especially in the warmer climates due to climate change. The wine has inherently high acid and primary flavors of apple, lemon, grapefruit and peach with floral notes and a very distinctive phenolic tone (especially on the finish). Much of this comes from the ordinary pre-fermentation maceration of a few hours to a few days. This skin contact allows for more contact with the flavorful skins and increases the aromatics, complexity and structure of the finished wine. The reference wine that I used in this writing is a 2018 Columna Albarino from the subregion of Condado do Tea. The reference wine had a half-day of pre-fermentation maceration and exhibited more of a orange blossom and lime pith flavor profile, a strong and well integrated structure, high acid (more on that in a minute), medium body and the stereotypical phenolic finish. This wine is similar in profile and structure to Asyrtiko and those are two of the most structured wine wines in the major market. When I discuss acid structure in white wines and tannin structure in reds, I refer to the best blind-tasting book that I have read so far, “Beyound Flavour”, Nick Jackson MW. An Albarino can be confused with other wines with the flavor profile but it has a unique acid type and shape. BF talks about level, shape and type. The acid in an albarino hits the palate as a block, touching the whole mouth as if the acid has a cube shape. The acid quickly moves up and down and then to the back to rejoin the wine on the finish. The level is almost always high and the shape is the defining differentiator for Albarino. There is nothing particularly electric or energetic of the acid but it is consistent and well-behaved. The reference wine and other Albarino’s are not overly complex, has a fruit driven and fresh delivery and a long finish. Most Albarino wines of Rias Baixas are 100% varietal wines but some years bring minor blending partners with the early ripening and medium acid Louviero grape, the mid-ripening and low acid Treixadura grape of the late ripening and high acid Caino Blanco. The reference wine was 100% Albarino. The majority of vineyards are on slopes or steep terraces and are hand harvested. There is an increasing focus on technology in the vineyard and winery especially with fermentation vessels and control. Many, if not most, Albarino wines are fermented with natural, ambient yeast at controlled temperatures and they avoid malolactic conversion and lees contact to maintain the fresh and aromatic fruit character of the wine. Recent experimentation with oak maturation have been pursued, using French, American and local Galician oak. Galician oak seems to infuse flavors that are a cross of French and American oak. This is true with both red and white wines but most Albarino wines do not follow this treatment. The wines are fermented to dryness and the reference wine was dry and showed clear indication of protective/reductive winemaking. The wine matured in stainless steel and was fined and filtered. The wine is zesty with crunchy phenolics and a lot of aromatic quality. |
Wine Up and DownDennis Smith, IWP, AWE, WSET 3, NPWE Archives
October 2021
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