Longtime readers will know that I'll stroll right past dignified Burgundies and refined Bordeaux to check out the stranger wines on the edges of the retail space. The kinds with funny names, dusty labels, and typically decent prices. Such a recent perusal led me to a little Greek wine hiding behind a few other bottles...The 2007 Kouros Patras is from the Peloponnese region of Greece, the big peninsula that includes such historical cities as Corinth and Sparta. $10, 12% abv.
It's made from the Rhoditis grape (Ροδίτης), which means "burning rose". Frankly it sounds like an embarrassing rash, but it's a pinkish red grape used in white wine production.
Despite the preconceptions you might have about Greek wines, this is very light, dry, and mild, with canteloupe and pineapple flavors. Short finish, very refreshing. While a dinner of avgolemono, olives, and grilled fish would have been appropriate, I ended up drinking this with stuffed green peppers and macaroni and cheese from the deli. What can I say, it was a comfort food kind of evening.
2 comments:
Benito,
I also love many Greek white wines, the reds...not quite so much, but the whites tend to drink amazingly well with the lemon infused dishes I tend to crave and eat all the time. An overlooked region for refreshing wines to say the very least.
Sam,
There's not much of a Greek population here in Memphis (and I don't think we currently have any Greek restaurants), so I don't know how much that impacts distribution. But I'm happy to try out the odd ones that hit the market here.
Now I'm craving stuffed grape leaves and baklava...
Cheers,
Benito
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