Fear of a Greek Wine

Annals from the Greek Wine Wars

"There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary."

Brendan Behan
Irish author & dramatist (1923 - 1964)

 For Better or worse, the Greek debt crisis and its implications for the Euro zone and the European and world economies, has pushed Greece on to center stage.  Not since the Athens Olympics has Greece been so topical.  Everyone looking for something to talk about, from columnists to talk show hosts, is talking about Greece.  Since tourism is such a critical part of the Greek economy, travel and by extension Greek cuisine and culture is a large part of the conversation.  

That's great news for Greek wine.  Heralded by Lynn Rosetta Kasper as "a bright spot" for Greece on NPR's The Splendid Table, this is a momentous opportunity for the wines of Greece to do three things.  One; shake off the obscurity of unknown grapes and regions and emerge cloaked in the adventure and allure of exploring new grapes and regions.   Two;   Shake off the type casting of Retsina and carafes of watered down cooperative Roditis and emerge with a glass of organically grown, estate bottled Roditis from the likes of Tetramythos or other like minded modern, quality conscious Greek wineries in hand.  Three;  Grab hold of the imagination of the 20 somethings and 30 somethings who are ten times more likely to have a lack of bad experiences with Old School Greek wines coupled with an abundant knowledge and keen interest in fringe wines.  Not only are young people a savvier bunch of wine consumers than their parent's generation, they have an unprecedented number of high quality wines to choose from, at much more affordable prices.  

Wine, at least good quality wine, used to be considered elitist because it tended to be out of the budget of the average American, certainly the average college student or young professional.  Remember the old adage Champagne tastes on a beer budget?  College kids drank what they could afford, and often it meant drinking Boone's Farm or Lancer's.  They drank it because it was cheap, not because they thought it was great.  (By the way, if you want to liberate yourself from the notion that Americans today have much elevated taste when it comes to wine, just take a peek in your neighbor's grocery cart next time you're waiting at the checkout.  You may see some cool bottles, but you are just as likely to see a 3 liter of something really depressing rolling around next to the 4 pack of Mike's Hard lemonade.)  

Greek wines suffer from stereotyping, no doubt, but I think its important to remember that stereotypes, however unfair they may end up being if they are attached blindly and without revaluation, do not emerge in a vacuum.    If for thirty years every unknowing tourist to step foot into a Taverna or off a boat in the Aegean is greeted with a glass of Retsina, and if growers hit the grapes with a hose to increase their weight on the scale and the price they fetch at the local coop...well you can see where that gets you.  But you can't erase the past, and you can't invalidate people's experiences.  They were there...they tasted it with their own tongues!  It is always better to meet people where they are.  And for some long time wine drinkers, when it comes to Greek wine, that place is fear.  

It's time to redefine Greek wine. 
Confession-I didn't try Retsina until I had been selling Greek wine for about three years.   One of my early bosses and mentors introduced Greek wines to me as the ancestors of the Italian wines I loved so much.  Many of the Italian varieties are descended from Greek varieties and after all the Greek's brought vines, grapes and wine making to much of the Ancient world.  That argument stuck with me, and to this day I use an Italian reference to explain the general style differences between the wines of the Peloponnese and the wines of Macedonia(Tuscany and Piedmont respectively.)   

I am not a Retsina Basher.  I just think that it is better to experience it last, after you have allowed yourself to experience many other styles of Greek wines.  To me, it is much closer in style to a Gin and tonic, a brisk and herbal, lemony pine aperitif with around 11% alcohol that will cut right through oily, garlicky fare.  If you go into it thinking Sauvignon Blanc, you are in for a nasty surprise.  My main point about Retsina is this...it is an INFUSED WINE.   One distinct style of Pine resin infused wine that has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE REST OF GREEK WINE.  Making a quality judgement of Greek wine based on Retsina is like saying Barolo is crap because you tasted Barolo Chinato (an intensely flavored digestivo beloved by Italians)  Just take a look at this Chinato offer from K and L Wine Merchants...filled with warnings and disclaimers, "Pronounced key-knot-o. To begin with, this specialized wine product will not appeal to every wine drinker out there. But for those of us with mature palates, and those who appreciate the natural flavoring agent that gives tonic water its distinctive bite (quinine), a glass of Cocchi's Barolo chinato is not a vinous experience you're likely to soon forget! In addition to quinine bark, rhubarb, gentian and a final addition of somewhat secreted spices, including cardamom seed, are added to this pleasantly bitter tipple, which ranks up there with Fernet Branca as the world's best digestivo."

A visiting Portuguese importer and winemaker were recently riffing/lamenting on the great job Italy has done with their PR image..."They have the best everything...the best food, the best wine, the best olive oil."  The Italians are great marketers, and no way are they leading with a product like Chinato the way the Greeks have led with Retsina.  I'm guessing many of you out there have never even heard of Chinato.  But when you do hear of it, they'll make sure you know that you have to have a "mature palate to appreciate" this special wine.  There is no entertaining that the wine is bad.  It is 'the world's best digestivo."  If you don't like it, you're just not ready for it.  So I'm going to take a page from the Italian PR hand book and tell you that if you don't have a "mature palate" (or love of digestivos) to leave Retsina alone for a while.  Who knows, you may get there...eventually.

The good news 

The  quality of Greek wines today is at an all time high.  Since joining the European Union, wineries have been able to invest in their wineries, modernize equipment and improve vineyard practices.  Cooperatives changed the way they compensate growers from weight of the grapes to sugar levels, which eliminated the unfortunate practice of watering down grapes and encourages growers instead to focus on properly ripening grapes to boost their return.  And as their domestic markets collapse, more and more wineries are focusing on the export market which will mean more and likely more affordable wines as they compete with each other for a piece of the pie. 

 

There seems to be a real top down phenomenon in Greek wine appreciation, the sommeliers and wine experts have been on board for a while now.  It's easier to find a quality, innovative bottle of Greek wine at a wine bar or wine focused restaurant than at a retailer.  A lot of retailers, unless they are going to have someone like myself or a winemaker on hand to present the wine, still have cold feet.

 

As Tara Q. Thomas said on the splendid table,  

"Greece is a sommellier's dream.  They're really high quality wines made from little known grapes and entirely unique Grapes and they're also made with food in mind.  So its something that the sommelliers can offer their customers that no other country offers.  And they tend to be great values as well."

 

Now what's so scary about that?