Greek Wine Cellars – Assyrtiko 2019

This 2019 Assyrtiko was produced by Greek Wine Cellars for the discount retailer LIDL using grapes from the PGI Zentralgriechenland, and costs an astonishing €1.49 in Greece (€4.99 in Germany via the online shop). It entered as a pirate in a blind tasting of mainland Assyrtiko, where the deliberate aim was to taste wines of this variety from outside Santorini.

Over the course of the evening, the wine was passed down through the ranks, and a few days later at a follow-up tasting there was barely any aromatic expression left. But of course, at this price point, you really can't expect anything else. On the positive side, acidity and minerality do give the wine decent structure, and it shows varietal-typical fruit – even if it remains somewhat one-dimensional, primarily evoking green apples. A remarkably good 78 points – and the nagging question of whether you'd ever find a German wine at a discounter for under €2 that offers such a convincing introduction to a German grape variety.