Wine Tours
To really taste Greece you must taste her
wines. Charter a yacht and sail to the glorious islands of wine
and liquor making.
The land
that honored the gods of wine such as Dionysus and Bacchus is
keeping the tradition of wine making alive. The wine industry in
Greece is expanding and the wines are winning distinguished
awards. Small wineries dedicated to quality are springing up
where a combination of unique viticulture methods and the famous
Greek sunlight merge to produce distinctive wines.
It is believed that wine
cultivation began in Crete 5,000 years ago with the Minoans.
Nowadays on the island on Crete you find the prominent Boutari
facility. Boutari is one of the most reliable of Greek wine
makers, and virtually any bottle is just exquisite. Their table
wines offerings are widely available in the United States and
elsewhere. The namesake Domaine Fantaxometocho Red is a sturdy
red wine made from the Kotsifali and Mantilaria grapes grown on
the estate, and is at its best with Greek grilled meat dishes.
During the peak tourist months,
winery tours are available.
In
Santorini, the strong volcanic soil seems to provide a faint
smoky taste to the local wines. One of the most famous of the
Santorini vineyards, Gaia, offers a number of delicious wines,
including Thalassitis, a wine inspired by the ancient Greek
wines that were mixed with a little seawater.
In Corfu, you must visit the
Vassilakis Distillery. Their products can be found at
different Vassilakis outlets on Corfu. Visit them and try their
liquors for free. They have years of experience and the friendly
staff can take you through the origin and production of each of
their products. Their distillery is located at Ag Ioannis about
eight kilometres from Corfu Town. When visiting Vassilakis and
while trying their products not only do you get to find out
about the company but you may also have the chance to meet Mr
Vassilakis himself and find out more about the secrets of
distillery and winery
Achilleion: Opposite the
entrance of the Achilleion Palace Here, you will not only
try their products but can enjoy a drink or beverage at the
traditional café. The garden is filled with small Kumquat trees
and offers views on the magnificent Palace.
Wine Festival In Athens
The Dionyssia
Wine Festival is an annual event sponsored by Vinetum, a wine
marketing company. Despite its definitely commercial nature, it
is a great way of getting introduced to a large number of Greek
wines in a short period of time. This event is more accessible
and takes place at the Zappeion near Syntagma Square, located in
the National Gardens.
Sporadically available outside of Greece, Mavrodaphne is a rich,
dark dessert wine, similar to a port. Along with this romantic
wine comes romantic love story. The story goes, a German
winemaker owned some vineyards in Greece, where the crop was
primarily the Mavro variety of grapes. Almost against his will,
he found himself falling in love with one of the grape pickers
he employed, a beautiful Greek maiden named Daphne. Before he
decided to tell her of his love, the girl became sick and died.
Heartbroken, the vintner named his wine after the two things he
most loved - the Mavro grapes, and the maiden Daphne.
If you're
lucky enough to obtain some, or if your habitation in Greece has
cooking facilities, try this barbecue sauce.
Mavrodaphne Barbecue Sauce
1 cup
Mavrodaphne
3/4 cup sugar
Two tablespoons soy sauce or salt to taste
One teaspoon hot sauce or chopped hot peppers to taste.
Six cloves garlic, finely chopped, or 1 tablespoon garlic powder
(not garlic salt)
Two green onions, cut into small pieces, or three tablespoons
chopped onion.
Place the
mavrodaphne in a small pot and add the sugar while stirring over
a low heat. When the sugar is dissolved, add the other
ingredients. The end result is a fragrant, tasty sauce similar
to that used for Chinese spareribs. It goes well with almost any
meat, but is especially good with pork and lamb.
Enjoy the
wines of Greece during your travels, and at home.
Yasou! (To
your health!)
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