Although there is little doubt that the oldest wine-related archaeological finds are from Mesopotamia, it is equally right to consider Greece to be the cradle of wine culture as far as Central Europe is concerned. Venerable, but until recently without any highlights, which can in part be attributed to several centuries of Turkish occupation, during which time viticulture was permitted only to a limited extent. Just as the wine industry stagnated for a long time, it is catching up now with a high level of activity and innovation. That is not only a result of EU subsidies being invested, such funds are available to other regions too, but here one can sense a real excitement and determination to regain the country’s rightful historical place in the world of wine. It is now more than 40 years ago that Porto Carras (Chalkidiki) set up shop with highly qualified oenologists, thus initiating the renaissance of Greek viticulture, which continues unabated to this day.

Mount Olympos, „terroir of the gods“

For many years, the constantly increasing number of quality wine producers in northern Greece were typical individualists, until in 1993 a group of 13 wineries decided to found a non-profit organisation, thus were the „Wineroads of Macedonia“ born, including representatives from the Rapsani, Xanthi and Rhodopi regions, which are not located in Macedonia. When the Epirus region joined the fold recently, the name of the organisation was changed to „The wine roads of northern Greece“. Right from the outset it was clear to the members of the organisation that it made no sense to restrict membership exclusively to wine estates. Naturally, these form the backbone, but what is even the best wine worth without the food and culture of a region, and without an inviting place to stay overnight. In consequence, the „Wine roads of northern Greece“ organisation sees itself as a comprehensive guide and adviser for all who wish to experience the exceptionally diverse regions at first hand. The focus is on all that is regional and authentic, all the factors one can rightly describe as “terroir”. To ensure that this is guaranteed, each potential member, be it a winery, restaurant, hotel or food store is thoroughly investigated to determine whether it complies with the admission criteria for membership.

So much for the theory. What we can say at the outset is that all of the member operations we visited on this brief round trip easily fulfilled these high expectations.

As indicated in the title of this article, one of the reasons for taking a closer look at some of the regions was to investigate indigenous grape varieties. One should say a few, as Greece has a huge variety of such varieties on offer, reputedly more than 400 varieties.

Anestis Babatzimopoulos,© Sonja Graminski

The starting point of our trip was in Ossa (wine route of Thessaloniki), a small town some 60 km north of Thessaloniki. Not quite, as one turns of on to a gravel road leading to the Babatzim wine estate some distance before reaching the town. What sounds so exotic is derived from the owner’s realisation that even people who do not speak Greek should be able to pronounce the name of a winery – and that it should not all be Greek to them. Having said that, the personality of owner Anestis Babatzimopoulos is so complex and so sparkling that anybody who has visited the estate would also easily be able to remember the complete name. The company itself has a long tradition as a distillery, Anestis expanded into the wine business more than 30 years ago.

A good decision, as it turned out, as at an altitude of 650 metres above sea level the temperature differences between day and night are much greater than down on the plains. In addition, a variety of soils based on slate, chalk and gravel or clay are simply an invitation to plant vines here. This was done extensively, in the sense that no fewer than 26 grape varieties are cultivated here, whether they are permitted for quality wine production in the region or not. „How else should I know which of the many indigenous and international varieties really works on my soils“ comments Anestis with a shrug, and a good deal of mischievous Greek humour. A small excerpt from the list of varieties: Agiorgitiko, Xynomavro, Negoska, Mavroudi, Asyrtiko, Athiri, Moschofilero, Moscato Aspro, Malagouzia, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. As one so quickly forgets how things really taste, he is currently building a “pleasure laboratory” in the shape of a large building located in the midst of the vineyards, in which natural ingredients are used to prepare food dishes, and enjoyed together with wine. Children can learn again what unadulterated tastes and smells are, and all can stimulate all their senses. The view of Mount Olympus in the distance adds another dimension. There is a public fruit orchard as well, and soon there will also be a natural amphitheatre on the property. Across the board, the wines are uncomplicated and approachable, but full of character, and are perfect partners with food.

View of Mount Olympos at dusk, © Sonja Graminski

Late that evening we travelled in the direction of Rapsani, to the „Wine route of the Olympic gods“. Our late arrival was the reason that none of us actually saw Mount Olympus at this stage. However, the next morning it became obvious how the wine route had come by its name. The view from the „Castello“ hotel on to the ocean and the fortress, with the mighty snow-covered peak of Mount Olympus on the other side, was most impressive.

Dr. Katsaros

No less impressive was the ensuing drive to the Katsaros wine estate in Krania. The road winds up the mountainside in interminable serpentines, and after half an hour of this you start asking yourself where they might be growing wine here. And yet, spotted around the hillsides you can see small individual vineyards, difficult to work, yet all of them with the appearance of being very well tended. Finally you arrive at the winery and admire the almost Alpine panorama of Mount Kissos, 2000 metres high, incredible and unexpected, and less than 30 km from the ocean. Here you are at an altitude of 750 metres, and wine is grown here. Dr. Dimitrios Katsaros cultivates a total of around 10 hectares of vines on the slopes of Mount Kato Olympos, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. He started making wine as a hobby in 1978, the architecturally interesting building then as now is the family’s holiday home. He learned from many years of experimentation that the indigenous varieties would not ripen fully at this altitude, and was one of the first in Greece to plant Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines were available for sale as of 1985, this year marks the beginning of a successful career in winemaking. From the beginning the owner, who is a rather introverted ENT medical man, looked towards Bordeaux for his inspiration, both in style and quality. „I make wines that I personally enjoy“, says the Bordeaux expert. It seems many others share his taste, and have done so for many years, as the 15 000 bottles made each year of his high-priced Domaine Katsaros wine, a blend of Cabernet and Merlot, are regularly sold out. In spite of this, Dimitrios Katsaros is always looking for ways to improve on his performance, he is never satisfied with what he has already achieved. He stays in close contact with the few colleagues and oenologists who also make such special wines, and is constantly working on getting ever closer to his ideal. Although the focus here is mainly on red wines, the Chardonnay, partly matured in barriques, is also quite remarkable. Overall the wines are interesting and individualistic, some of the vintages are surprisingly long-lived.

The cellar at the Katsaros estate, © Sonja Graminski

The contrast could not have been greater when travelling from the small individual wine estate to the transregional, internationally active Tsantali winery in Rapsani. With one exception: the central winery is located on Chalkidiki, the complex in Rapsani is only large enough to process the local grapes. Tsantali started off in Thessaloniki in 1945 as a distillery, their Ouzo rapidly became the biggest seller in Greece. The production of wine started off in Naoussa in 1970, today the company processes grapes from 7 different regions, the annual production of 20 million bottles makes it the largest wine producer in Greece. In spite of its size, the range includes a number of interesting and sometimes quite individualistic wines, some of which have good maturation potential. They are the result of first-class vineyard work such as one would only expect to find in much smaller wineries. This can be appreciated when looking at the operation in Rapsani, with more than 50 hectares of vineyards widely spread over different altitudes and expositions. This is a commune with a long winemaking tradition, in 1970 it was one of the first in the region to be classified as O.P.A.P, with a guarantee of origin. The wines from sites with decomposed slate and iron in the soil tend to be quite firm, while those grown on sandy soils at lower altitudes are quite soft. Individual vineyards are rarely larger than one hectare. One still sees quite a few high-trained vines, although generally the vines tend to be trained low in the area. Tasting a number of wines from the vinotheque gave us a good picture of the maturation potential of blends made from Xynomavro, Krassato and Stavroto, with even wines more than 10 years old leaving a good impression.

Rapsani vineyard with Mount Kissavos in the background

 
The third wine estate in the region we visited was the Dougos Winery, located in the picturesque Tempi valley. Walking around the clearly structured building complex, which blends very well into the landscape, you can freshen up your ampelographical knowledge, with 29 varieties planted here for demonstration purposes. The Dougos family has been involved in wine production since 1992, focussing both on the quality of the wines as well as on sustainable methods in the vineyards. Here you will find an eclectic mix of indigenous and “new” grape varieties, best reflected in a blend called Meth´ Imon. This wine is a blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Limniona, Batiki, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Louisa & Thanos Dougos, © Sonja Graminski

The cellar is modern and squeaky clean, but does not boast any high tech equipment. Cellarmaster Louisa is the sister of Thanos Dougos, she studied oenology in France, while he is an agricultural engineer. When these two present their wines, explain the work in the vineyards and describe the production process in detail you can feel their passion for nature and for winemaking. Everything appears to be easy here, “organic winegrowing is easy here, we simply do nothing” or “ the wines then basically make themselves“, making it hard to believe how much work really is involved, in addition to a great deal of knowledge. Currently they are both intrigued by the question as to whether acacia would might be the final touch required to polish up their white wines. The almost playful style presented by this brother and sister team also comes through in most of their wines, with the exception of a Syrah that sports an alcohol level of 15%, and is more reminiscent of an Amarone.

Continue...