WELCOME TO GREEK WINES

There are two ways to meet the cold, damp fog front just before Christmas with wine. On the one hand, you could of course retreat by the fireplace, or with a crackling-fire playlist from Spotify in the background, with a cosy red. Instead, though, I want to warm myself up a little today by conjuring memories of warmer times. It was one of those glorious sunny days this September that spoiled us a little after a summer that had been thoroughly rained out. To celebrate, we open

Even the Merlot-dominated entry-level wine (in German) from the Biblia Chora estate isn't bad. The varietal Merlot with the modern label, inspired by the film Sideways and the diagonal move of the bishop in chess, plays in an entirely different league again, though. On the nose, a very fine cedar note shows itself, underlaid by ripe, still juicy plum that never drifts toward the jammy. On the palate, a likewise still very fresh cherry dominates, with darker fruit in the backg

The combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Agiorgitiko is a classic Greek take on the Bordeaux cuvée. Cabernet Sauvignon usually dominates there, to a greater or lesser degree (see for instance here and here (in German)). With the version from Ktima Biblia Chora, the red sibling of the well-known white (in German), by contrast, at 45% Merlot (40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Agiorgitiko) you're rather more on the right bank of the Gironde and Dordogne. On the nose, the frui

Assyrtiko grows far beyond Santorini. Six mainland Assyrtikos, tasted blind - from PGI Drama to PGI Ilia, from steel to oak - and a small Peloponnesian estate that stole the show.

Axia, Syrah-Xinomavro, 2017 from Alpha Estate This wine from Alpha Estate (details on the winery can be found here) shows itself, very quickly after opening, with very lovely red fruit and a touch of tomato on the nose. Syrah and Xinomavro – 50% each – harmonise quite wonderfully there. On the palate, soft yet clinging tannin nestles in. The acidity, which carries the wine far, is lovely too. Opened for a few days, the wine then shows its full potential. The first oxidative n

Ktima Erithrou Rodou's very first vintage ever (more on the winery can be read here). And this wine really has something to it. The winemakers boldly commit fully to the floral end of the Malagousia spectrum – and are rewarded for it. The wine has crystal-clear elderflower fruit, alongside refreshing lychee notes on the palate too and wonderful acidity. The whole thing is rounded off by a lovely creaminess, traceable to the five months of fine lees ageing. That's a few league