Originally published on March 7, 2010.
Alright, it wasn’t really a week. It was just an evening. But it was a fine way to spend an evening. The wines were showing nicely, customers were chatting and tasting, Greek dips and flatbread were on hand and Demis Roussos and several mixes of “Never on a Sunday” were on the stereo. Winemaker Theodore Vatistas and sidekick Connor were in great form, pouring and talking and explaining how to pronounce grape names like Agiorgitko. (Which sounds sort of like “are you good to go.” But it’s really “are-yo-ghee-tee go.” Got that?)
Last night’s choices:
Vatistas Kidonista (Peloponnese): Kidonista is a very old, very obscure grape. The Vatistas Kidonista is the only bottling that makes it beyond the Greek borders. It’s a delicate white, floral, silky, and was very tasty with the garlicy potato dip was had on hand. I haven’t had a lot of quince in my life, but if I had, I would probably describe it as tasting a bit like quince because “kidon” is the Greek name for that fruit.
Vatistas Cabernet/Agiorgitko (Peloponnese): A 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Agiorgitiko that makes for a great intro to Greek wine. Customers are comforted by the familiar “Cabernet” on the label, even if it is paired with the unfamiliar (and unpronounceable) Agiorgitiko. Vatistas tends to shy away from using international grapes (and even in this 50/50 blend, the Agiorgitiko really shines through,) but this “something old/something new” trick really works well here.
Kappa Klima Xynomavro (Macedonia): Another local grape from the Kappa winery, located much further north than the Vatistas property. The Xynomavro grape is possibly related to the Nebbiolo grape and has a similar tannic structure – firm and fine without being heavy. It’s pretty and slightly floral and gives off the impression of being lighter than the Vastistas Cab/Agiorgitko, even if technically, the tannins are probably higher.
Ageri Assyrtiko/Athiri Semi-Dry White (Santorini): Very slightly sweet, with the sweetness balanced by a racy acidity and surprising minerality. It was fun to have a sweet wine and a dry, but floral wine on the same table. Many customers consider all floral wines to be sweet but in the technical wine-geek sense, that doesn’t have to be the case. So if someone thought the Kidonista was sweet, we could pour some of the Ageri and they could immediately taste the difference between floral/dry and floral/slightly sweet.
Everyone who tried liked at least one bottle. And many actually bought that bottle. Or several bottles. So a good time was had by all – including the cash register!