ancient vines and new wines: Greek grapes making a splash in Australia - Neos Kosmos

A whiskey and beer fanatic sold on Greek wine at a japanese dinner

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New wines of Greece tasting at Supernormal, Melbourne.

8 Jul 2016

Ashley Loh-Smith

Venue: Supernormal, 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

So here's what it has come to. A delegation of Greek winemakers, here in Australia, top-quality wares in tow, matching their potations to a selection of Asian fusion delicacies. could there be a more apt metropolis than Melbourne for any such clash of west-meets-east? Given the giant Greek and Asian populations present, it's a shock this isn't a greater universal incidence.

And here i am. A half-Asian (less so "fusion", extra so "confusion") and sometime-contributor to a Greek publication, who admittedly has a more robust inclination to whisky and craft beer, and whose leading experiences with Greek libations have been much less-than-gold standard encounters with ouzo all through a ecu backpacking shuttle. Can an old dog be taught new drinks?

New Wines of Greece is an initiative of the Greek wine business supported by means of the european Union and the Greek govt (I suppose we are able to agree that wine is the extremely good unifier), with the crusade making its 2d consult with to Australian shores in June for a sequence of tastings, masterclasses and dinners. The venue for this evening was Supernormal, the Flinders Lane institution it truly is decidedly japanese in aesthetics but whose culinary scope extends far past.

Moonlight flat oysters (there is nothing left to show, i do know...) with  a glass of Moschofilero

I locate myself seated subsequent to Effie, an oenologist who additionally happens to be the export face of Lyrarakis Wines, one of the vital largest producers in Crete. She explains that the Lyrarakis Plyto, accompanying the starters, has been promoting in particular well in Japan over the last six months, however she is yet to project to the far east to investigate additional. hence, it looks fortuitous that Supernormal turned into chosen for the evening's nosh; whether or not it's beer, sake, whisky or otherwise, jap tastes (with out eager to generalise here too broadly) commonly lean in opposition t styles that demonstrate enough restraint in palate and alcohol in order to complement the sparkling and refined flavours inside a lot of their local dishes, but also possess enough depth to be an experience of their personal. 

Kingfish with soy dashi with celery and horseradish 

most of the Greek wines up for tasting this night definitely meet this standards.

as it seems, the grassy citrus personality of Lyrarakis Plyto paired up splendidly with a series of light and tangy starters together with pickled greens, oysters, kingfish and marinated cuttlefish - however so too did a well-liked varietal within the type of Troupis winery's "Fteri" Moschofilero, delivering a crisp, mineral flavour enveloped in a rosy bouquet.

Following on, the entree contained certainly one of Supernormal's iconic dishes - the simple but devilishly moreish New England lobster roll, along side the professional and authentic prawn and chook dumplings. The Ktima Pavlidis "Thema" White blend of 50 per cent assyrtiko and 50 per cent sauvignon blanc delivered a dollop of clean fruitiness to the palate, and is a very good alternative for those who would usually attain for a NZ white blend full of melon and passionfruit.

New England lobster roll

From listening in to dialog amongst the attendees and sampling the offerings, it's whatever of a secret that Greek wines haven't carved out slightly greater real property amongst the cabinets of Australia's liquor dealers and within the minds of consumers, chiefly with a background of winemaking courting lower back more than 6000 years. As Australians we definitely seem to be to local and Kiwi producers when in the hunt for bang for buck, and after we're feeling just a little adventurous we commonly turn to the average suspects in Western Europe and South the united states.

Time for some reds

Greek wines may additionally face competition purely from a cost standpoint, however when you lay down your money you be aware of you could be getting something distinct, anything set aside from a world varietal homogeneity, anything enormously Greek.

Anyway, following some lively dialogue around the desk on issues such because the deserves of organic wine, the leading direction took us to inland China for a good-looking slab of gradual-cooked Szechuan lamb, falling aside with the barest of effort, accompanied via spring onion pancakes and coriander paste.

sluggish cooked Szechuan lamb

Flying the flag for Greece were a couple of reds, together with one that was definitely one of my evening's highlights - the Boutari Grande Reserve Naoussa, a rich (but now not needlessly heavy) one hundred per cent xinomavro full of woods and red fruits, and satisfactory spice and acidity to hang its personal alongside the meat. a further one to rock my proverbial boat become the Theopetra estate Limniona, possessing an earthy spice but softer on the tannins and acidity than the Boutari.

Admittedly i was looking forward to probably the most the dessert wines; specially, the Domaine Sigalas Vinsanto, composed of seventy five per cent assyrtiko and 25 per cent aidani from old, historic vines and aged for twenty-four months in okaybarrels. readily incredible. Domaine Sigalas occurs to be observed close town of Oia in northern Santorini, yet despite spending per week lazing round in Oia in 2014 i used to be somehow foolish enough to fail to spot a seek advice from to their grounds - certainly a overlooked opportunity to be rectified on a future event.

Prawn & chook dumplings, chilli & vinegar sauce

The night ended with whatever thing of a curious treat. Peter Barry, supervisor of Jim Barry Wines, distributed tastings of his 2015 Assyrtiko, having began the crop on his Clare Valley property a number of years in the past with cuttings taken from a single Santorini vine. while just a little nonetheless in its infancy, over time it will wonderful to look how the grapes take to the local local weather, and to examine the effects to that of its homeland. And just to outdo himself, Peter produced a 2002 bottle of The Armagh to ration out amongst the table. Even a self-professed beer-guzzling philistine like myself had cause to pause and acknowledge the heft of this indulgence. briefly, I fully rue the fact that i used to be so woefully ignorant on the breadth, depth, and distinctness of Greek wines just before this adventure. 

Sesame cookies and gentle meringue, sheep's milk yoghurt, apple & shiso for dessert

while innumerable winemakers throughout the globe will proceed to produce conveniently purchasable mainstays similar to riesling, shiraz, and pinot noir, there's a spot out there in each person's cellar and on everybody's desk for xinomavro, moschofilero, plyto, and the like; here's a slice of pure Greece. Peter Barry lamented that it's "a narrative and a world of complexity that nobody is aware of about" - well, with a bit of luck the new Wines of Greece crusade will be certain these words not hold authentic within the close future.

For more counsel on the brand new Wines of Greece campaign and Greek wines in ordinary, head to: www.newwinesofgreece.com