| When thinking of Greece, many images come to | | | | Greek Wines and Food Pairings |
| mind, including the Acropolis, the Olympics and the | | | | One of the enjoyable and rewarding aspects of |
| beautiful Greek Isles. With Greece joining the | | | | writing this column is to meet other people in the |
| European Union, it opened doors to the world to | | | | food and beverage industry who share a passion |
| introduce this beautiful country and its rich culture. | | | | for this business. I recently met up with some |
| I must confess my knowledge of Greek wines | | | | friends at Basils, in the Fox Valley Mall. We wanted |
| was fairly limited until recently. My friends and I | | | | to patronize this business as they signed on to |
| have been exploring Greek cuisine and wines at | | | | donate food for The Rotary Club of Naperville's |
| several newer local restaurants, including Basils, | | | | Soup's On! fundraiser (we believe in supporting |
| Kostas, Tasso's and the CityGate Grill. I was | | | | businesses that give back to their community). |
| delighted to find that the quality of Greek wines | | | | While sitting in their delightful patio dining area, we |
| has dramatically improved from prior tastings, | | | | had a chance to discuss Greek wines and cuisine |
| which prompted some delightful research. | | | | with Jimmy Petsas, the Managing Partner for this |
| Greece | | | | fine establishment. One way Basils help introduce |
| With early signs of wine making traced back | | | | patrons to Greek wines is to offer wine flights, a |
| 6,500 years ago, Greece is clearly one of the | | | | sampling of several wines at once. We discussed |
| oldest wine regions in the world. Wine played a | | | | Greek wines on their wine list. On the white wine |
| role in spreading Greek culture throughout the | | | | side, Jimmy recommends Moschofilero, an |
| Mediterranean, as their wines were in demand. | | | | aromatic, crisp light white wine that reminds him |
| Dionysus, the Greek God of wine, developed a | | | | of Pinot Grigio. He likes to pair this with seafood |
| loyal following with wine lovers. Greek wines were | | | | and chicken dishes. Being a Greek restaurant, our |
| also favored by the Roman Empire, which further | | | | conversation turned to lamb dishes. He |
| developed their wine trade. Greeks helped pioneer | | | | recommends the Kokkinisto Hilopites, a Rosé |
| wine production in Spain, southern France and | | | | style wine, with braised lamb cooked in a |
| Italy. | | | | cinnamon flavored tomato sauce. For broiled lamb |
| In the 1960's in the U.S., Retsina and Roditis | | | | chops, Jimmy prefers Skouras's St. George |
| symbolized Greek wine. They were not the best | | | | Aghiorghitiko red wine (what would a column on |
| ambassador for Greece, as these high volume | | | | Greek food and wine be without some long |
| wines were lower quality. Today, the Greek wine | | | | words?). This aromatic red is full-bodied yet easy |
| industry is undergoing change, where both new | | | | drinking. He likes Rosés in general with Greek |
| winemakers and established wineries are | | | | food, as they pair well with most Greek dishes, |
| emphasizing lower yield, higher quality wines. | | | | pasta and grilled meats. Greek dessert wines are |
| Combining Greece's wonderful climate, distinct | | | | under-appreciated and Jimmy has a goal of |
| Terroir (the volcanic soil on Santorini) with modern | | | | introducing them to his customers. We tried Nama |
| wine making techniques, helps the new breed of | | | | Byzantino, a ruby port style wine, and found it |
| winemakers produce world class wines. These | | | | very appealing. This grapey, sweet port pairs well |
| winemakers are moving to an international style, | | | | with fresh apples and pears. |
| by also producing wines with Cabernet, Merlot, | | | | With Jimmy's assistance, we found that Greek |
| Chardonnay and Viognier. Important winery | | | | food and wine was no longer Greek to us. |
| names to keep in mind include Boutari, Skouras, | | | | Bill's Wine Picks |
| Lazaridis and Sigalas. | | | | White Wines |
| There are hundreds of grape varietals used in | | | | Boutari Moschofilero - 87 pts. Wine Spectator - |
| wine production in seven major wine regions. | | | | grapefruit and mineral flavors |
| These include wine regions on the mainland | | | | Boutari Santorini - 88 pts. Wine Spectator - apple, |
| (Peloponnese, Macedonia Thessalia, Epirus) and | | | | pear, powerful minerality |
| several island groups (the Aegean Islands, Crete | | | | Red Wines |
| and the Ionian Islands). There is inadequate space | | | | Skouras Saint George Nemea - 86 pts. Wine |
| to do this justice, so I decided to focus on some | | | | Spectator - juicy, crisp red fruit, spice |
| wines included on local restaurant's wine lists and | | | | Boutari Naoussa - 2006 rated 88 pts. |
| also available for sale at local wine merchants. | | | | |