I’m one of those people that love/hate Christmas. I love the fact that I spend time with friends and family, I love the atmosphere, I love the decorations, I love the lights, I love the cards (I still exchange cards with friends!!), I love the time off, I love the food, I love the sweets, I love the champagnes…..I hate the food, I hate the sweets, I hate the champagnes….. I’m not crazy. Yet, that is. It’s just… I woefully watch my indisputably round ‘figure’ grow rounder and rounder as we go from lunch to dinner, to brunch and over again. And there’s always a feast awaiting, with wine that has been waiting in the cabinet for this very day and which is an utter sin to refuse. And we absolutely enjoy ourselves, and then go home and promise ourselves we will not indulge in treats of the sort again. Full stop. Till tomorrow, usually. Oh dear!
Can you honestly tell me you would refuse a Matarocchio 2011 or a Clos Des Lambrays Grand Cru 2014? An Assyrtiko de Mylos 2014 [1]? An Economou Assyrtiko 2012? Let me try and take it from the beginning. My ‘wine friends’, as I call them, because we met when we were taking our WSET courses, are definitely the hardest to refuse, when it comes to tasting wines. We have a kind of informal agreement that I hold a pre-Christmas dinner for the gang. This year we had pre-Christmas, pre-New Years, New Year’s Eve (it gets worse by the year) at my home, a friend’s restaurant and another friend’s home. These dinners were besides the traditional family dinner of Christmas Eve, lunch on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day (sigh!).
During these holidays I tasted numerous good wines at our lunches and dinners. Far too many to write about, but I thought it could be fun to compare some of the Greek wines to their more famous counterparts from around the world.
I will start off with bubblies, as they feature at this time of the year. A sparkling wine from the northern part of Greece, Karanika Brut Cuvée Prestige [2]and Champagne J-M Seleque, Cuvée Solessence Brut Nature. The first is made of Assyrtiko and Xinomavro (so in a way it retains the backbone of champagne which combines a high acid, rich white with a fragrant red), the second is made of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier, 10% Pinot Noir. The Karanika spends 24 months on the lees, whereas the Seleque spends 48 months on the lees. The Karanika was lighter, elegant, refreshing, with aromas reminiscent of biscuits, lime, pear, and displayed a nutty finish. The Solessence was more intense, with aromas of toasted nuts and bread which is baking in the oven. Slightly floral, with citrus notes, structured and savoury. The Karanika had more of an edge to it, whereas the Solessence was more balanced. For the Karanika I would definitely need a bite to eat, the Solessence I would enjoy both with and without food.
Assyrtiko de Mylos 2014, by the late Charidimos Hatzidakis, was drunk against a Blanck Schlossberg Grand Crus Riesling 2014. In a blind tasting I might well have thought this Assyrtiko to be a Riesling. Bold, full, complex, amazingly mineral with aromas reminiscent of petrol and flint, lemon and green apple, invigorating acidity, and never-ending length. Not a wine for the faint-hearted. The Blank Riesling was more floral and fruity than the Assyrtiko, with the petrol and flint definitely present, and lovely acidity. Complex, with an amazing finish. This was a battle of the giants. Both were drunk too young, but thoroughly enjoyed, and struck quite a lively conversation about the potential of Greek wines.