Greece

Question 1

Explain why international varieties became more prevalent in Greece in the 1980s.

Answer 1

Demand & recognition.

Savvy Greek producers wishing to exports, began planting and blending with international varieties to give consumers recognizable varieties. This is important as Greece has an estimated 300 indigenous varieties, 60 of which are grown at a large scale for winemaking. Three international varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, & Syrah make the list of top 9 most planted varieties in Greece. Blends such as Sauvignon Blanc with Assyrtiko or Merlot with Agiorgitiko are particularly popular.

More recently, the 2008 financial crisis led to a decrease in domestic consumption & the need to export. Producers also seek to familiarize foreign consumers with their wines as demonstrated by the increasing use of Latin over the Greek alphabet.

Modern producers with viticulture education likely have a knowledge and appreciation for international varieties.

Question 2

Which two principal Greek grape varieties have pink skins?

Answer 2

Roditis
Moschofilero

Question 3

What is the climate of Greece?

Answer 3

Mediterranean with long hot summers and short mild winters.
Inland vineyards are more continental

Question 4

What helps moderate temperatures in Greece?

Answer 4

planting at higher altitudes

Question 5

What factor in Greece can interrupt photosynthesis and impact flowering and fruit set?

Answer 5

Photosynthesis

Question 6

What’s the average size of a vineyard in Greece?

Answer 6

small, .5 ha

Question 7

Why is Greece particularly well suited to organic and biodynamic production?

Answer 7

very low disease pressure.
The warm, dry, windy conditions of the Mediterranean climate coupled with little to no rainfall during the growing season means that disease pressure is low. Rainfall is only 400-700mm annually, most of which falls in the off-season. Historically, chemicals have not been used in viticulture, so organics is fairly second nature.

Question 8

Order the white grape varieties grown in Greece from highest to lowest area under vine.

Answer 8

Savatiano
Roditis
Assyrtiko
Moschofilero

Question 9

What are the two most planted black grape varieties in Greece?

Answer 9

Xinomavro
Agiorgitiko

Question 10

This Greek grape often has subtle aromas of citrus, pear and stone fruit as well as a nutty character with age.

Answer 10

Savatiano

Question 11

This Greek grape often has citrus, stone and tropical fruit, often with a strong smoky or flint characteristic.

Answer 11

Assyrtiko

Question 12

This Greek grape often has notes of citrus, flowers, rose petals and spices.

Answer 12

Moschofilero

Question 13

This Greek grape often has aromas of stone fruit, flowers and sometimes herbaceous notes.

Answer 13

Malagousia

Question 14

Describe the process of making Retsina.

Answer 14

Retsina is a legally-protected category with regulations that stipulate the parameters for acidity, alcohol and quantity of resin permitted.
Pine resin is usually added to the must (typically Savatiano or Rhoditis) and then the wine is left on its lees for a maximum of one week after fermentation.
This results in a more subtle and integrated pine resin character.
In the past, the addition of pine resin was added to mask off flavors in poorly made wines.

Question 15

What is the Greek equivalent of a PDO?

Answer 15

POP (Prostatevmeni Onomasia Proelefsis)

Question 16

What is the Greek equivalent of a PGI?

Answer 16

PGE (Prostatevmeni Geografiki Endiksi)

Question 17

How many POP’s (PDO) are there in Greece and what % of all Greek wines qualify?

Answer 17

33.
20%.

Question 18

How many PGE (PGI) are there in Greece and what % of all Greek wines qualify?

Answer 18

120 PGE.
62%.

Question 19

What is the name of the only permitted grape variety in PDOs Naoussa and Amynteo?

Answer 19

Xinomavro

Question 20

Identify the common winemaking techniques used in Naoussa to produce premium PDO wines.

Answer 20

The wines are made from 100% Xinomavro, a black grape variety, to produce red wines with high acidity, high tannins, complex aromas and ageing potential. The wines range from good to outstanding quality.

To achieve this wine style, the wines were traditionally aged in large old wooden vessels and then a move to smaller new French oak barriques in the 1990s. In this decade, the aim is to achieve a more restrained style by using a balance of oak ages and sizes to mature the wine. A more modern style has emerged by selecting the grapes to ensure optimum ripeness and then either cold-soaked or whole-bunch fermented to produce a deeper-colour red wine with medium tannins.

Question 21

What additional wine style is permitted in Amynteo?

Answer 21

Rose from 100% Xinomavro

Question 22

The Peloponnese is dominated by white grapes apart from one PDO. Which PDO is solely for black grapes and what black grape variety is permitted here?

Answer 22

Nemea PDO, from 100% Agiorgitiko.

Question 23

Explain why specific choices are made in Santorini’s viticultural practices that are fairly unique to the region.

Answer 23

The winds on Santorini are particularly strong. To provide shelter, vines have traditionally been trained low to the ground in a basket shape, usually in a hollow. Each year, the vines are woven around the previous year’s growth; when a basket gets too bulky, every twenty years or so, it is cut off and a new basket is started from a shoot. This is specialised work and requires about four times the labour of conventional trellis systems. There is very little rainfall throughout the year and the growing season can be completely dry. Normally, the only moisture comes from the fog which rises from the caldera every morning and the traditional training system also helps to trap this moisture. To cope with the very limited amounts of water available, vine densities are very low: less than 2,500 vines per Hectare. Phylloxera has not been a problem on the island and it is estimated that some vines have roots and trunks that are over 400 years old.The volcanic soil is very infertile and, along with low rainfall, contributes to low vigour and low yielding vines. PDO Santorini has the lowest permitted maximum yields in Greece: 60hl/ha, although, in practice, they are considerably lower than that, as low as 15hl/ha from the oldest vines.

Question 24

Traditionally, export markets for Greek wines were mainly interested in cheap wines, but in recent years, some emerging export markets have become more interested in higher quality examples. Which of the below are the emerging export markets interested in higher quality wines?

Answer 24

Korea
Japan
USA
UK
Canada
Australia