How Greek wines got so good

, The Times

Greek wines are on a roll. Everyone from Aldi to The Wine Society and Waitrose has fallen head over heels for the Greeks. The Wine Society sells more Greek wine than Argentine. Yet if you had told me in the late Eighties that Greece would turn into one of the world’s most exciting wine producers I’d have laughed. Back then, it had a handful of promising wines but was better known for turpentine-stinky retsina.

Fast forward and the country’s many natural advantages are clear. Despite the heat, Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, so cooler, higher altitude vineyards abound. Sea-breezy islands and coastal vineyards, with prized limestone and volcanic soil, give its wines a thrilling, salty, mineral tang. To cap it all, Greece has hundreds of ancient indigenous grapes, with unique, wild, assertive, herbal flavours of their own. As climate change forces the world’s winemakers to chase refreshing acidity to balance over-ripe grapes, it’s worth noting that Greek wines have this food-friendly quality in spades.

From the get-go, Greece was fortunate not to have big co-operatives and wine producers. Instead, there are lots of small boutique wineries, led by determined, talented winemakers who want to bring out the best in their ancient soils and grapes. Back in the Eighties, there were as few as 45 producers; today there are well over 1,000. Greek wines are still a quirky sip, but quality is rising every year and the duds are dwindling.

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Given that 70 per cent of Greek wine is white, it makes sense to start here, and assyrtiko, the country’s flagship grape, makes the wine to buy. Aldi’s delightfully cheap Athlon (see star buys) displays much of the new Greek era’s charms, but for more intense exhilarating flavours, and to experience Santorini’s volcanic soil at its most seductive, trade up to Gaia’s gorgeous, steely, preserved lemon of a 2022 Thalassitis Assyrtiko (nywines.co.uk, £33.95).

Increasingly, assyrtiko’s zingy acidity peps up lots of Greek blends. Try the terrific, juicy, herby 2022 Chosen by Majestic Greek White (£11.29, or six for £9.99 each), a clever, mostly floral, peachy malagousia and orchard-fruited roditis mix with a perky ten per cent dash of assyrtiko. Or plump for a less adventurous choice, the well-crafted 2022 Filos Estate Greek Chardonnay from a northwest region, Amyndeon, with tasty red apple and stone fruit spice (Aldi, £8.99). Xinomavro is the flagship red grape and with its thin skin, high acidity and lots of tannin, plus something of a fierce, untamed style, it’s a bit like nebbiolo, and takes some getting used to. Take your pick from the easy-over Atma star buy or the more demanding Akrathos from Halkidiki.

From left: 2021 Atma Xinomavro; 2022 G&L Moschofilero-Roditis-Agiorgitiko Rosé; 2017 Akrathos Xinomavro; 2022 Athlon Assyrtiko

Recommended Greek wines

2021 Atma Xinomavro
13 per cent, Waitrose, £9.99, down from £12.49
Vibrant, red-fruited, unoaked, stainless steel-aged xinomavro from a genius winemaker, Apostolos Thymiopoulos.

2022 G&L Moschofilero-Roditis-Agiorgitiko Rosé
12.5 per cent, thewinesociety.com, £7.95, down from £8.95
Pretty pink with light but lively, leafy berry fruit.

2017 Akrathos Xinomavro
14 per cent, winelibrary.co.uk, £29.49
Excellent earthy, coffee bean-scented mature xinomavro with a little of nebbiolo and Barolo’s beauty.

2022 Athlon Assyrtiko
12 per cent, Aldi, £6.99
Delicious steely, basil-scented and lemon zest-edged bargain buy chablis-esque charmer. Perfect with fish and chips.

From left: 2022 Marsolay Chardonnay, France; 2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Cave de Lugny, France; 2022 Insieme Orange Santa Tresa, Sicily, Italy; 2021 Classics No 38 New Zealand Pinot Noir

This week’s star buys

2022 Marsolay Chardonnay, France
13.5 per cent, waitrosecellar.com, £9.49, or six for £7.12 each
Bold, buttered burnt toast of a Languedoc-Roussillon chardonnay from 40-year-old vines.

2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Cave de Lugny, France
12.5 per cent, Majestic, £16.99, or six for £14.99 each
Glorious gamey red burgundy with lots of bright, juicy, red plum fruit.

2022 Insieme Orange Santa Tresa, Sicily, Italy
13 per cent, vintageroots.co.uk, £14.75
Quirky but terrific tangy, peach, citrus peel and tea leaf-spiked vegan-approved biodynamic orange wine.

2021 Classics No 38 New Zealand Pinot Noir
12.5 per cent, Marks & Spencer, £12.50
A canny French and American oak-chipped, vibrant, warm, spicy, smoky machine-harvested pinot noir.