I have enjoyed quite a few Greek wines in my time - mainly in Greece. On my last fortnight long sojourn on the Greek Island of Ithaca (landing on Cephalonia and taking a ferry to Ithaca), Thud and I polished off quite a bit of local wine with our evening meals. If we purchased a commercially bottled wine it was usually made from the Xinomavro grape. However, when eating at the family restaurant of one of Thud's acquaintances we imbibed in the village-cooperative's wines - grape variety unknown. Each participating grapegrower's fruit is harvested and vinted with his neighbour's grapes. The resulting wine is usually served, at the local tavernas, in litre carafes and offered to diners ice cold, straight from the refrigerator. And they pair perfectly with Greek food. Shocker!
I purchased this bottle of Boutari, 2010, Moschofilero just out of curiosity. How would the wine hold up to a California February, versus a summer on an Ionian Island? It wasn't a bad wine, but it wasn't a great wine either. It was a little light and citrusy, a smidgen heavy on the acid and a tad perfumey, but it made a fairly decent aperitif. The Moschofilero grape is native to Greece, hailing from the Mantinia region of the Peloponnese. A winsome, pink-skinned grape it reminds me a bit of Pinot grigio to look at. I think at $10, I may just buy it again. Maybe.
