($45, Diamond Wine Importers):  Argyros, an old family winery founded in 1903, has a stellar reputation on Santorini.  After tasting this racy Assyrtiko, I see why.  Many consider Assyrtiko, especially when grown on Santorini, to be Greece’s finest white wine.  I don’t have a dog in that fight, but if they are all like Argyros’ 2022 I understand the claim.  … Read more

($34, Diamond Wine Importers):  Jancis Robinson in her encyclopedic Wine Grapes (Harper Collins 2012) reports that Mvarodafni is likely the Greece’s most well-known grape because of the sweet, fortified wines made from it. Well, this is my first introduction to it, and Haritatos Vineyard stunning one is definitely not sweet, nor fortified. … Read more

($27, Diamond Wine Importers):  Fortunately, most people don’t translate the grape’s name, Xinomavro, (literally, sour back) before buying the wine.  It is considered by many to be Greece’s most important and best red grape for red wine.  Frequently described as powerful with significant tannins, the mid-weight and poised one from Alpha Estate, an organic producer, does not fit that profile. … Read more

($22, Diamond Wine Importers):  Moscofilero is a wonderfully interesting grape.  Pink or grey-skinned, like Pinot Grigio, it usually makes a floral white wine.  The aromatics make you think it will be sweet, but it’s not, which is part of the reason it is a joy to drink. … Read more

($20):  Gerovassiliou, who is credited with saving the Malagouzia grape from extinction, blends it with Assyrtiko to create this charming wine.  It is more floral than his monovarietal Malagouzia, which is surprising since one might assume that the Assyrtiko would add more structure and minerality. … Read more

($27):  Vangelis Gerovassiliou, the man credited with rescuing this grape from extinction, makes a superb example of it at his estate near Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city and the country’s most important port.  The captivating combination of subtle tropical fruits and bracing acidity is, of course, present. … Read more

($64, Terlato Wines International):  Boutari, founded in Naoussa in Macedonia in 1879 and is one of the best-known producers of Greek wines, started making Assyrtiko on Santorini about 30 years ago.  They wisely put the phonetic pronunciation of the grape name, which may be unfamiliar to Americans, on the back label. … Read more

($35):  Prices of Assyrtiko from Santorini, rapidly becoming the signature white wine from Greece, have always been higher than other Greek white wines because of the labor-intensive farming involved.  Farmers plant the basket-like vines in holes to protect them from the winds. … Read more

($19):  Malagouzia, sometimes spelled Malagousia, an aromatic indigenous northern Greek grape, was nearly extinct until the 1970s when an enology professor encouraged Vangelis Gerovassiliou (one of his students and now one of the best producers of it), to explore its possibilities. … Read more

($20):  Gerovassiliou, who is credited with saving the Malagouzia grape from extinction, blends it with Assyrtiko to create this charming wine.  It is more floral than his monovarietal Malagouzia, which is surprising since one might assume that the Assyrtiko would add more structure and minerality. … Read more

($27):  Vangelis Gerovassiliou, the man credited with rescuing this grape from extinction, makes a superb example of it at his estate near Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city and the country’s most important port.  The captivating combination of subtle tropical fruits and bracing acidity is, of course, present. … Read more

($25):  A little label interpretation is order for this terrific red wine.  Mount Athos, which means Holy Mountain, sits on one of finger-like peninsulas just east of Thessaloniki and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Tsantalis is considered to be a superb producer in this region. … Read more

($38):  Gai’a, a leading producer of Greek wines, makes several wines from the Assyrtiko grape grown on Santorini.  They are probably best known for their Assyrtiko labeled Thalassitis, which is blended from several vineyards on the island. This one, however, labeled Wild Ferment, comes exclusively from a single vineyard, Pyrgos, according to their website.… Read more

($28):   Assyrtiko is Greece’s flagship white grape.  Though its best expression is when it’s grown on the island of Santorini, it has become so popular that growers are planting it throughout Greece.  This stellar example delivers the quintessential saline minerality for which the Santorini version is known. … Read more

($22):  Although the best expression of Assyrtiko is from Santorini, not all Santorini Assyrtiko express the saline minerality similarly.  Though grape and site is important, producer remains the critical element when selecting a wine, here and elsewhere.  This Assyrtiko, one of four, from Santo Wines, a 1,200-member cooperative established on the island in 1947, is perfectly fine, crisp and clean, with citrus-y rather than saline notes. … Read more

($17, Cava Spiliadis):  Moschofilero, a grape indigenous to the Mantinia region of the Peloponnesus, produces a floral wine, reminiscent of Muscat, though far less fragrant.  Its perfumed nature might make you think it’s sweet.  Anything but.  This one, from Tselepos, a top producer, is firm, with bracing acidity.… Read more

($29, Cava Spiliadis):  Sparkling wine from the Peloponnese has no legal appellation, but that has not stopped producers from making good ones.  Tselepos, uses the Moschofilero grape and the traditional method of a secondary fermentation in the bottle (as in Champagne) to produce this delightful one. … Read more

($15, Athenee Importers and Distributors):  The Moschofilero grape has a pinkish purplish skin, which explains why this wine has a delicate pink hue, not enough color for a rosé, but enough to make you wonder.  One sip, however, tells you this wine has more character than most rosés. … Read more

($21, Diamond Wine Importers): The rising prices of Champagne coupled with the increasing popularity of all kinds of bubbly wine has necessitated thinking outside of the box.  Outside the box for many might be Crémant de Bourgogne or even a sparkling Vouvray. … Read more