The 2018 Odyssey Greek Wine Tour - From Agiorgitiko to Xinomavro

"When I wander through my Lemnian vines to see if they’re ripe yet –for they are the first of Nature’s fruits to ripen, those vines from Lemnos…", Aristotle The Peace

The Lemnia grape, now known as Limnio, is the oldest Greek variety still in existence. Today the ancient grape is cultivated in the Northern wine regions of the Halkidiki Peninsula of Greek Macedonia, Thrace, and Thessaloniki - the regional home of Ktima Gerovassiliou. This winery was one of three Northern Greek producers along with a trio from the Peloponnese region and the Greek Islands to participate in the 2018 Odyssey Greek Wine Tour of eight U.S. cities. During their Washington D.C. stop, I was introduced to Limnio through Gerovassiliou's 2013 Avaton ($50) - a red blend of 50% Limnio, 25% Mavrotragana and 25% Mavroudi. This is a fantastic wine, earthy and structured, creeping tannins and juicy acids. Ktima Gerovassiliou is also known for their 2016 Malagousia ($23), a white wine grape that Vangelis Gerovassiliou saved from extinction in 1976.

Most of the wineries showcased wine made from both indigenous and international grape varieties as the latter are popular in both the export and domestic tourism markets. It must also be easier to sell a delicious Gerovassiliou Viognier or Chardonnay as opposed to the difficult to pronounce indigenous Limnio, Mavrotragana, Mavroudi, and Malagousia grapes. Or even the Assyrtiko, Agiorgitiko, Mavrodaphne, Sideritis, Vidiano, and Xinomavro grapes.

However, we will focus on the wines from indigenous grapes like the Ktima Biblia Chora 2012 Biblinos Red ($27) and 2016 Biblinos Rosé ($23), both made from a yet to be named grape from northern Greece. This winery opened in 2001 on the southern slopes of Mount Pangeon as a partnership between Vassilis Tsaktsarlis and Ktima Gerovassiliou. The grapes for the Biblinos were found growing wild on Mount Pangeon which were later cultivated at the winery's estate. DNA tests revealed a Greek heritage with "genetic traits similar to modern Greek varietals, but it is also quite different, making it more of a distant relative.
In other words, DNA testing showed that it is an older Greek varietal that has not been cultivated in more recent times". A great story for two delicious wines. Tsaktsarlis also planted the white Cretan grape Vidiano in the Pangeon mountainside which then is blended with 8% Assyrtiko to create the floral and acidic 2016 Sole Vidiano ($27).   Also look for their 100% Assyriko 2016 Areti White ($23) and 100% Agiorgitiko 2010 Areti Red ($29).  The final Northern winery was Domaine Katsaros, a small family enterprise established in 1985 operating near Mount Olympus. Second generation wine maker Evripidis Katsaros was available to pour their 2014 Valos ($24) made from 100% estate Xinomavro. This estate is located 2,460 feet above sea level and is reflected in this soft, yet fresh and earthy wine.

Moving to the Peloponnese region, sisters Erifili and Dimitra were also on hand representing Parparoussis Winery, which was founded by their father Athanassios Parparoussis in 1974. The winery's primary goal is to promote Greek indigenous varieties with the wines showcasing their unique character. Whereas the 100% Sideritis 2016 Gifts of Dionysos ($20) was very light, the 2016 Petite Fleur Rosé ($20) was very flavorful with strawberries morphing into refreshing acids. Their 2016 Assyrtiko ($23) combines juicy acids with abundant mouthfeel from five months on lees. It's somewhat similar to the velvety 2014 Gifts of Dionysos Cava ($23) which includes 25% Athiri. Another well made structured wine is their 2012 Nemea Reserve ($45) from 100% Agiorgitiko which is very similar to the Biblia Chora Areti Red. Their final red was the very unique 2010 Taos ($35), 100% Mavrodaphne that is both dirty and earthy combined with a smooth cherry finish. The winery also produces a dessert Mavrodaphne where the grape branches are bent to stop circulation and to keep the grapes concentrated. This delicious wine is all raisins and figs.

Also in Peloponnese, Ktimatselepos was pouring several wines made from international grapes but also a couple still wines and méthode champenoise sparkling wines using the Moschofilero grape. This is an aromatic white wine grape from the Ktimatselepos's home in Mantinia. Giannas Tselepos founded his namesake winery in 1989 and in 2003 he purchased Ktima Driopi in Nemea that features that region's signature grape: Agiorgitiko. First however, the Amalia Brut NV ($25) and 2013 Amalia Vintage ($40) sparkling wines are both very refreshing with the vintage version having an almond character. And the 2016 Blanc de Gris ($24) provides nice texture and mouthfeel for a light and acidic wine. As for the Agiorgitiko, the 2013 Driopi Nemea Reserve ($34) is excellent with a full bodied creamy palate and structured tannins. The less expensive 2015 Driopi Nemea ($19) still provides plenty of solid fruit flavors with similar integrated tannins.

The Greek Islands comprised the final region with Giannas Tselepos representing Santorini's Canava Chrissou Estate in addition to Venetsanos Winery and Rhous Tamiolakis winery in Crete. Starting with the Cretan winery, I slowly flowed through their four wines starting with the bright and floral 2016 Estate White ($18) a blend of 80% Muscat of Spina and 20% Vidiano then on to the spicy and textured 2015 Skipper White ($23).  This wine is comprised of predominately Vidiano with 30% Plyto --another ancient grape variety brought back from extinction. As for reds, the 2016 Estate Red ($19) is a jammy blend of 90% Kotsifali and 10% Syrah, whereas the 2015 Skipper Red ($24) is a co-fermentation of 70% Kotsifali and 30% Mandilaria. This fruit forward wine ends with subtle tannins - these are two easy drinking reds.

Assyrtiko is the signature grape of Santorini in each of the examples were fresh, saline driven, and full of racy acids. Each of the Canava Chrissou 2016 Santorini ($34) and 2016 Laoudia ($50) as well as the Venetsanos 2016 Santorini ($37) and 2016 Nykteri ($40) are highly recommended. Venetsanos also offers a 2016 Mandilaria ($37) that has slightly more body but similar refreshing acids.

Cheers to the Odyssey Greek Wine Tour and don't hesitate to try wines from indigenous Greek varieties. They may be impossible to pronounce, but well worth the time.

Route 15 Wine Road: Warrenton's Powers Farm & Brewery & Granite Heights Winery

Just south of Gainsville, through Warrenton and into Culpeper, Route 15 merges with Route 29 and runs through rolling hills in one corner of Virginia's wine and horse country. This is Fauquier County where the roads and rail lines were major trade thoroughfares as well as a highly prized transportation hubs fought over during the Civil War. During one of these battles, Bristoe Campaign (October - November 1863), troops fought just east of Warrenton in Auburn - a short detour off the main road.

While navigating this detour look for Powers Farm & Brewery in Midland, a very unique craft brewery. As it's name suggests, Powers is a working farm and not just hops, just look at their Produce CSA. As for their field beers they use on-farm ingredients such as hops, herbs, fruits, vegetables, plus foraged bark and berries. Each of these non-standard ingredients add different characters to the beer but never overwhelm the base flavor. For instance The Saxon Schwarzbier is brewed with farm grown chicory which enhances the dark malt flavors with adds even more roastiness.  The Birch Brown Ale includes black birch tree trimmings that are added three separate times during the brewing process. This adds a little spice up front that balances the slightly sweet malty tail. Two other original and unique recipes are The Pollinator Irish Red Ale and The Heirloom Belgium Dark Ale. The former is brewed using seven different malts plus native Virginia Hawthorne berries which provide a sour cherry character to to the mixture. And the dark ale is brewed with farm grown dried heirloom tomatoes melding peppers and sweetness to the dark and yeasty character.  Finally, the Hibiscus Blonde Ale provides slightly tart and floral attributes to create a very refreshing beer. Now you can understand why Powers Farm & Brewery is a highly recommended detour off Route 15.

Not too far away lies another farm, the 200 acre farm land of Granite Heights Winery in which Luke and Toni Kilyk purchased in 1997. With the assistance of Lucie Morton they planted vines in order to leverage Luke's undergraduate degree in chemistry and home wine making experience. The first wines using all estate grapes were released in 2010 and since then the winery has become well known for their Petit Manseng and Lomax Reserve Bordeaux blend. I was able to taste verticals of these wines during a recent vitiCULTURE trade tasting. Petit Manseng is generally produced in a dry or off-dry style and the Kilyk's let the harvest dictate the style of each vintage. In 2015 the grapes were harvested a little early and the wine vinified dry. This 2015 Petit Manseng ($22) is light and fresh, tart, with a tropical - pineapple character. The following year's 2016 Petit Manseng ($19) was made off-dry and weighs in at 4% residual sugar. However, the wine comes across much drier as a result of the grape's abundant inherent acidity; it also shows less aroma and the flavor is more orange-citrus than tropical. Two completely different wines and I preferred the dry 2015 version.

The Lomax Reserve wines are only produced in exceptional years and since the winery stresses quality over cash flow, the Kilyk's will age a vintage in the bottle until the wine is ready for release. In this regard the 2013 Lomax Reserve was released before the 2012 vintage. A wise decision as the '12 joined the '10 as Governor's Cup Case Club wines. During our tasting we sampled all three of these years starting with the 2013 Lomax Reserve ($24) a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in American oak. This wine has a solid mid-palate with a soft finish. The 2012 Lomax Reserve ($35) is the winery's current release and is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot aged 20 months in various oak casks. It is a delicious wine with bright cherries, texture, integrated tannins, and a long soft landing. Well done. Finally, the Governor's Cup Case Club 2010 Lomax Reserve ($59) is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc aged 15 months in mostly American oak. This is still a big wine, much more tannins so swirl away. There's a big smokey aroma, spices and dark fruit, and finishing chewy and mouth drying tannins.

There are other wineries and breweries in the Warrenton area and we will return to these using theCompass Craft Beverage Finder in the coming months. Cheers.

Album Review: Nora Jane Struthers and the Breakfast of Champions

Nora Jane Struthers first surfaced on my radar many years ago at the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion as a bluegrass performer and her album Carnival was the pinnacle release in that phase of her career. After losing track of her, she re-surfaced this month with her band The Party Line at Jammin Java featuring a more intense and dynamic alt-county rock sound. The tour was supporting Champion, their current release that showcases this new sound which at times - particularly live - has a Drive-By Truckers guitar feel (See Grit). This is a tight band that reflects not only Struthers' vocals but the multi-instruments performed by husband Joe Overton. We're talking pedal steel, fiddle, and banjo that compliments perfectly with guitarist Josh Vana, bassist Brian Duncan Miller, and drummer Drew Lawhorn. Yet, two of my favorite tracks feature Struthers' sweet and pure vocals in Show Me and Just A House.


The album is highly recommended but even better, see this band live. And if possible, grab a can of Hog Waller Scramble, a breakfast stout brewed by Charlottesville's Champion Brewing Company. The beer is brewed with coffee and chocolate and is creamy and velvety packing a punch at 8% abv. Wonder if Struthers was sipping this beauty when penning Let's Get The Day Started Right. Works for me.

Barrel Tasting at Maryland's Catoctin Breeze Vineyard

We returned to Catoctin Breeze Vineyard last weekend shortly after our ski visit in order to attend a club barrel tasting event. The session was led by winemaker Mike Lentini who had pulled barrel samples of four future releases. The first was an upcoming rosé made from gently pressed Chambourcin grapes grown by a grower in Maryland's St. Mary's County. This vineyard benefits from sandy soils and marine coastal influences and is in an area that Dr. Joe Fiola (Extension Specialist in Viticulture and Small Fruit for the University of Maryland) has championed for years. This Chambourcin rosé is already delicious and showcases the versatility of the fruit. It is light and fresh with plenty of acids and is no comparison to the Syrah rosé wine currently on display. Expect an early summer release.

The tasting then turned to three reds starting with a Petit Verdot, sourced from the same St. Mary's vineyard. This will be a big wine, huge, with hoards of jammy dark fruit, abundant tannins, and juicy acidity. The current condition of the wine reflects the grape's thick skins and natural acidity and will benefit tremendously with additional barrel aging and bottle conditioning. Expect an early winter 2018-2019 release. A future estate grown Cabernet Franc is in a similar condition. It is big and raw with plenty of flavor and inherent pepper characters. Mike believes that Cab Franc is the future for Maryland red wine (I saw a similar pattern with their southerly neighbor) and the winery intends to capitalize on their productive estate vineyard. Expect the same release schedule as the Petit Verdot. The final red was the future vintage of Concerto, their signature Bordeaux blend -- which in this release will be majority Cabernet Franc, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. This wine is ready now, even out white wine preferring friends easily quaffed this delicious blend. Expect, I believe, a fall 2018 release.

By chance during a tour of the events area, Mike happened to spot a floater in a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that was being stored for a spring-summer release. This is another wine that I preferred more than the current release available in the tasting room. It is fresh, citrus - but not lemongrass - with a nice saline character. Perhaps another sourced from St. Marys?

After a round of sampling through their Sweet ($8) and Signature ($10) wine tastings I wanted to comment on the meads. The have three honey wines available, all from a large 2010 vintage and each has a touch of sweetness without any clawing sugary aftertaste. The Honeymmon ($25) is blended with orange juice and feels like fall whereas the Amber ($23) is spiced with Christmas flavors. Both are solid meads. However we came home with a bottle of the Dolce Vita ($24), a melomel mead made with blackberries. The berry flavors are prevalent with the sweet honey kicking in near the tail. Nicely done.

When leaving we decided to also tour the three covered bridges in Frederick County all within 10 miles of the winery. In fact, the closest, Loy's Station, is only a half mile past the winery on Roddy Road. These are impressive structures which even Civil War soldiers respected while marching through the area. After theCompass Craft Beverage Finder navigates you to Orchard Cellars continue to these bridges. Cheers.