WELCOME TO GREEK WINES

The red Amethystos from Domaine Costa Lazaridi (here you'll find the feature on the company) quickly became, under oenologist Vassilis Tsaktsarlis, one of the most popular "Bordeaux" cuvées in Greece ("CMA") following the split between the two Lazaridis brothers in 1992, with Cabernet Sauvignon at 70% clearly dominating Merlot at just 20% here. On top of that comes 10% Agiorgitiko. On the nose, the 2018 vintage still shows enormous fruit, above all blackberry. Alongside that

Negoska from Katogi Averoff (see here for the report on the winery) is a variety you very rarely get to have alone in the glass. If anything, it's better known as a blending partner with Xinomavro in PDO Goumenissa, where it's supposed to make the wine turn out somewhat softer than in other areas where Xinomavro is grown. There's not a trace of that quality to be found in this wine, though, it has to be said right away. That doesn't mean it's poorly made. Quite the opposite.

The odds that a German consumer has already had a wine from Costas Lazaridis in the glass at some point are fairly high. Originally active in the marble trade, and particularly active in Germany (see the report by Bayerischer Rundfunk from 2:56, linked here (in German)), Lazaridis got involved in the international distribution of his wines quite early on. He first satisfied his passion for wine in 1979 with plantings in his home region of Xiropotamos on Mount Falakro, an unus

The story of Katogi Averoff begins with efforts in the 1950s to give the region around Metsovo an economic boost. Evangelos Averoff-Tossizza (born 1908, died 1990), aware of the winegrowing tradition in this cold region during Greece's 18th and 19th centuries, planted Greece's first Cabernet Sauvignon on the slopes of Mount Pindos and bottled the wine in the basement of his house in Metsovo. The wine was then named after these premises (κατώγι), and from the outset it was mar

Ktima Biblia Chora is the perfect estate to discuss right after the recently presented Ktima Gerovassiliou. Evangelos Gerovassiliou and Vassilios Tsaktsarlis are childhood friends from Epanomi, where the former still runs his famous winery today. Both studied in Thessaloniki (Gerovassiliou agricultural sciences, Tsaktsarlis chemistry) and then specialised in viticulture at the University of Bordeaux. While Gerovassiliou afterwards signed on as oenologist at the Porto Carras w

When it comes to autochthonous varieties, Evangelos Gerovassiliou (in German) naturally focuses, for white wine, on the Malagousia (in German) he revived. As a red variety, he's dedicated himself to Limnio (pronounced "Limnió"). Quite interesting: just recently I saw a video on YouTube (the conclusion from 2:10) in which, after tasting a varietal Limnio and Mavroudi, the spontaneous thought came up that you might be able to combine the two into a whole blend. A good idea Gero