Since then, I had a chance to taste some new wines and new vintages from Oinos, the specialist importer of Greek wines to Ireland who arrived on the scene last year. Its broad portfolio of wines testifies to the quality and diversity that Greek wines offer, and the value comparative to similar wines from better-established regions (such as Italy’s Piemonte, where Nebbiolo stars in top-dollar Barolo).
Aldi also recently introduced a very approachably priced red wine from the Peloponnese peninsula to its autumn/winter wine cellar. It replaces a regular star of its spring/summer wine cellar, its excellent value Assyrtiko, a white varietal wine whose increasing popularity is opening the market for more of Greece’s whopping roll call of 300 indigenous grape varieties.
Today, as autumn turns and winter looms, I’m returning to Greece but keeping things red and heading south to the wine region of Nemea in the Peloponnese (west of Athens) and beyond to the island of Crete.
The mountains and valleys around the small village of Nemea have been producing wine for at least two and a half millenia, and today are home to more than 40 wineries, some of them very slick and modern. King of the grapes here is the small, thick-skinned grape Agiorgitiko (St George), which produces a broad spectrum of red wine styles: some of it simple, plump and easy; some complex and spicy; some bright and fresh thanks to higher-altitude vineyards. Today’s two examples show what Agiorgitiko can offer at different price points; look too for the previously recommended bramble-rich Agiorgitiko by Gaia (O’Briens, reduced to €16.95 from €19.45 until October 28).
Also featured today are three red wines from Crete, better known for its white varietal wines such as the bay-scented Dafni from the second-generation winery of Lyrarakis. Cretan reds are less widely available but worth seeking out. Liatiko, in particular, is an elegant and age-worthy red (think Pinot meets Nebbiolo but with delicate tannins) while Mandilari is more full-bodied and tannic but still refreshing. Besides today’s examples, look for the robust Lyrarakis Mandilari Plakoura 2020 (€26.95, Blackrock Cellar, boxofwine.ie) with its Christmas-spiced forest fruit character and rustic tannins.
Wines of the week
Diamantakis Petali Liatiko 2019
Diamantakis Petali Liatiko 2019, Heraklion, PGI Crete, Greece, 13.2pc, €20
Liatiko is Crete’s pride of red grapes, and this is a well-balanced expression at a good price. Pale and delicate in appearance, drinking bright and juicy with ripe red cherry and subtle spice, light tannins and plenty of freshness yet decent weight, it makes a classy party red to pour with or without food, or a fun red pairing for fish, perhaps to follow its Liatiko-based Diamantopetra dry rosé (€22.70, 64 Wine) with its pretty late-summer red fruits. MacCurtain’s Wine Cellar, Clontarf Wines, Blackrock Cellar
Specially Selected Athlon Nemea 2019
Specially Selected Athlon Nemea 2019, Peloponnese, Greece, 13.5pc, €9.99
This nicely priced introduction to Greek red wines features Agiorgitiko, a workhorse grape that can produce very approachable, friendly wines such as this fruity five-year-old, with notes of dried cherries, plum jam and nut chocolate, and hints of balsamic that make a lovely match for late autumn fare. Aldi
Papaiannou Old Vine Agiorgitiko 2015
Papaiannou Old Vine Agiorgitiko 2015, Crete, Greece, 14.5pc, €36.95
If you want to see how age-worthy and complex Agiorgitiko can be, check out this big, bold nine-year-old with its velvety tannins, with a year in new oak layering cedar and liquorice spice onto ripe black fruits. A smart dinner party gift or to serve with duck. Sweeney’s D3, Pinto Wines, Redmonds, Blackrock Cellar, Searsons, 64 Wine
Lyrarakis Liatiko Aggelis 2019
Lyrarakis Liatiko Aggelis 2019, Heraklion, PGI Crete, Greece, 14pc, €27
From a 130-year-old, loam-soiled vineyard comes this low-intervention gem with Pinot-like umami character, Barolo-like freshness and smooth, light tannins. Super elegant yet enriched with autumnal notes of wild mushrooms laid over liquorice-spiced plum, strawberry and cherry. Pair with Greek-style grills. wineonline.ie
Gavalas Mandilari 2018
Gavalas Mandilari 2018, Heraklion, PGI Crete, Greece, 12.7pc, €24.95
For a more full-bodied red with firmer tannins, seek out the Mandalari grape such as from this modern, family-run winery. Ripe and soft black fruits are lifted by juicy acidity and some robust tannins that have mellowed with bottle age, and complex notes of mocha, toast and pepper spice persist on the long finish. Redmonds