Agiorgitiko: Modern Greek wine from an ancient land (#WinePW)

Is Greek winemaking ancient? Is it new? If you answered “both,” you’d be correct.

Greek winemaking dates back at least 4,000 years and left its mark throughout the Mediterranean world during ancient times. Greek wine was especially prized in Italy under the Roman Empire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_wine).

In the Middle Ages, however, Ottoman rulers placed heavy taxes on Greek wine exports – crippling the industry for centuries. Well into the late 20^th century, Greek winemaking was stuck in ancient history and old perceptions. The only Greek wine known to many consumers was retsina, a wine flavored with pine resin as a preservative to prevent oxidation.

Entry into the European Union changed all that by allowing Greece to modernize its wine industry. Today, Greek winemakers use the latest techniques to produce clean, modern wines. Yet, they maintain continuity with the past by vinifying native grapes (as well as many international varieties).

This month, Nicole at Somm’s Table invited Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers to select a wine from the ancient world – Georgia, Lebanon, Iran, Greece, and Sicily. Since reading Jason Wilson’s book, Godforsaken Grapes: A Slightly Tipsy Journey Through the World of Strange, Obscure, and Unappreciated Wine, I’ve been smitten by wine from lesser-known grapes. So I decided to explore Agiorgitiko, a grape native to the Peloponnese peninsula of southern Greece.

We’ll be chatting about wines from the ancient world on Saturday, April 11, starting at 11 am ET. If reading this post in time, please join us by following the #WinePW hashtag.

The region and grape

During classical antiquity, the Peloponnese was at the heart of Greek events. In 776 BC, the first Olympic Games were held at Olympia, in the western Peloponnese. The peninsula was home to some of its most powerful city-states in all of Greece – Sparta, Corinth, Argos, Megalopolis – and was the site of some of its bloodiest battles.

As of 2014, the Peloponnese accounted for 31% of total Greek wine production and listed 182 wineries with almost 50,000 acres under cultivation. In the Peloponnese, 91% of grapes are planted to indigenous varieties: Roditis, Moschofilero, Agiorgitiko, and Mavroudi.

Some of the highest vineyards in all of Greece are located in the Peloponnese, at altitudes of up to 3,000 feet. Though lower elevations are hot and dry, a more continental climate is found at these heights. Wines from this altitude taste as if they were grown in a cool climate, comparable to the Alsace region of France.

An ancient site in the northeastern corner of the Peloponnese peninsula, Nemea is considered one of the country’s most important red wine regions. A wide range of styles is made from Agiorgitiko (also spelled “Aghiorghitiko”), a fragrant, light-ripening red variety native to the Peloponnese and the sole variety permitted in the Nemea Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The name means “St George’s Grape,” and is probably named for a chapel near Nemea. The best wine derives from grapes grown in thin, gravelly soils on higher-altitude vineyards. Grapes in these semi-mountainous vineyards develop enough acidity and structure to keep the wine balanced.

Nemean wines are steeped in legend and lore. In Greek mythology, the half-god Heracles was sent to Nemea to slay the Nemean lion. An ancient wine called Fliasion was known as the “blood of Heracles,” a nickname still associated with Nemean wines today.

The Skouras winery

George Skouras is a native son of the Peloponnese who exemplifies the modern approach to Greek winemaking.

Born in Argos, Skouras left in 1980 to study at the University of Dijon in Burgundy, France. There, he became enamored with the Burgundian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The region’s famous local grape growers “put a spell on him.” After graduating with a degree in enology (winemaking), Skouras gained experience in some of the major wine-producing regions of France, Italy, and Greece.

In 1986, he realized a long-held dream when he created a small winemaking facility in Pyrgela, a village on the outskirts of Argos. The “next logical step” was to create a boutique winery in the village of Gimno, where “countless hours of manual work on an extremely small scale became an invaluable study on the Agiorgitiko variety and the Nemea denomination.”

The final Skouras winery, in Malandreni, also in Nemea, was established in 2004. The new facility increased capacity and technical capabilities, but not for creating more technical wines (emphasis mine). For the Skouras team,

“… technology is all about control and observation, allowing for minimal intervention on the wines, if and when it is needed – and only to the requisite extent.”

The wine – 2017 Skouras Saint George “Aghiorghitiko” Nemea DOP

Sourced from mountain vineyards with volcanic clay soils at 2,400 feet. Grapes fermented and macerated in stainless steel vats for 12 days. Full malolactic fermentation (to convert harsh malic to soft lactic acid) in second-hand French barriques for 12 months. The wine matures in bottle for at least two months more.

My tasting notes: Bright ruby in color (like a Pinot Noir). Flowery, herbal nose redolent of rosemary, thyme, anisette, and ripe black cherries. Medium+ acidity hits the palate immediately, followed by cinnamon, cloves, and more black cherry. Peppery, with a splash of vanilla on a medium+ finish. Rounded mouthfeel with medium weight and finely ground tannins. Can age a few years or drink now. Alcohol: 13.5% (but drinks like a higher alcohol wine). Price: $18.99.

The pairing – Basque lamb stew

Can’t go wrong pairing lamb with a dry Greek red wine, right? Lamb is traditional for spring, and I had a hankering for the Basque lamb stew I paired with a Rasteau (France) red some months back. This time, I substituted potatoes for the tomatoes. That was a mistake. This high-acid Saint George craves a matching acidity level to truly shine. Learned my lesson!

Check out the ancient wines our bloggers are opening this month. Hope you can join us for the Twitter chat!

• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be sharing “History on the Table – A Dish from the Hundred Years War Meets Wine from the Land of the Bible: Cassoulet + Tabor Adama Shiraz 2013”
• Wendy of A Day on the Life on the Farm will be enjoying “Clams Tossed in Herbs and Spaghetti with a Santo Assyrtiko”
• Terri of Our Good Life is taken with “Old World Charm: Tifosi Vino Bianco with Olives and Citrus”
• Andrea of The Quirky Cork is sharing “#WinePW and The Ancient Wine Culture of Antioch”
• David of Cooking Chat is “Tasting and Pairing Ancient World Wines“
• Pinny of Chinese Food & Wine Pairings is making the case to “Drink Ancient Saperavi and Eat Modern Family Meals from Chinese Takeouts”
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass discovers “Agiorgitiko: Modern Greek Wine from an Ancient Land”
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator shares an “Ancient Wine for Modern Times: Slovenia’s Jarenincan and Calamari with Lemon Caper Sauce”
• Cindy of Grape Experiences looks at “Aglianico – An Ancient Variety That Ages Well”
• Susannah of Avvinare will be sipping an “Ancient Wine from Campania- Falerno del Massico”
• Nicole of Somm’s Table will be sharing “An Armenian Feast with Friends Paired with Armenian Wines”
• Jane of Always Ravenous is talking about “Food and Wine in Ancient Greece”.