Patsouros Winery — Alepoudaki 2020

The Alepoudaki 2020 from Patsouros Winery is dedicated to the fox of PGI Messinia, which — unlike in Aesop's fable — does indeed manage to pilfer from the vineyard every now and then. Now, a semi-dry Greek white wine is already quite unusual in itself. And although I'm certainly not averse to a good Müller-Thurgau as a gateway wine into the afternoon, the combination of residual sugar and bouquet grape varieties does set off my alarm bells. Here, completely unjustified. The floral notes are by no means heavy; instead, they lend the wine a wonderful lightness. On top of that comes — quite astonishing for such a light wine — fruit, peach, and above all lychee. Pleasant acidity and a very fine structure, almost gliding into creaminess, give the wine a framework that — supported by an already medium-length finish — carries it to an excellent 89 points. That's not yet a top score, but for a wine of this style it's certainly remarkable. Above all: if you're a Greek wine enthusiast who needs to pour for a diverse group of guests, you don't care about scores — you care about not catching anyone off guard. This wine will win over every ordinary consumer — and put them on the next plane to Greece.