Wines of Crete – by Tanisha Townsend (Girl Meets Glass blogger)
There’s a place in the middle of the wine-dark sea called Crete, a lovely, fruitful land surrounded by the sea. ~~ The Odyssey, Homer
I actually postponed a trip to stay in DC for this event. A wine tasting lunch with a seminar by Joe Roberts, 1 Wine Dude…def worth it!!
Crete has been making wine since about 400BC and even ruled the Fine Wine market. Unfortunately they are now more known for bulk wine. The point of the seminar wasn’t just to educate us of the wines of Crete but also to introduce us to some new grapes indigenous to Crete. They have 11 indigenous grape varieties:
Reds
- Kotsifali
- Liatiko
- Mandilari
- Romeiko
Whites
- Vidiano
- Vilana
- Plyto
- Dafni
- Thrapsathiri
- MuscatSpina
- Malvazia
There were a ton of wines that I tasted and enjoyed, but the standouts to me from the guided tasting were the Alexakis Vidiano (white) AKA the Chardonnay of Crete with its bold, peachy aromas and apple and citrus on the palate. Full bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and a tart finish. And the Boutari Skalani (red) A blend of Kotsifali & Syrah, this wine smelled of candied or dried fruit. Cherry, hints of oak, pepper and spice can be found on the palate. This wine is perfect for the summer!! Grilled food, something with a char…BURGERS!!!
