REPORT ON THE WINES OF GREECE TRADE TASTING TORONTO OCTOBER

REPORT ON THE WINES OF GREECE TRADE TASTING  TORONTO OCTOBER 24, 2023

The Event: a tasting of the wines of Greece.
The Venue: Arcadian Loft
The Target Audience: licensees, sommeliers and wine media, wine agents.
The Availability/Catalogue: a spiral bound catalogue with many maps and wine/grape descriptions. There were 29 tables with 116 wines, and the wineries were placed mostly by agent to cover a few tables each. There were about four wines per winery, and there were full details about winery contacts (email addrersses) plus agents, the latter with phone numbers. A good resource guide.
The Quote/Background: Most of the wineries were repped by a small handful of agents, such as Kolonaki (11 wineries at 11 tables), Dionysus (3 tables), Selections Le Maitre de Chai (3), Asteria Imports (3), and then the others with one or two tables each.
The Wines: I did not taste all the wines.

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Malamatina Winery Filioma Dry Rose 2022 [merlot]
-Malamatima Filioma Agiorgitiko 2022 PGI Peloponnese
-Alpha Estate Xinomavro Red Single Vineyard Hedgehog 2020 PDO Amyndeon
-Alpha Estates Assyrtiko 2021
-Cavino Atelier Mavro Kalavritino-Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 PGI Achaia
-Domaine Costa Lazaridi Amethystos Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Drama
-Domaine Hatzimichalis Alfega White 2022 [sauvignon blanc, malagousia, robola]
-Domaine Hatzimichalis Assyrtiko Alepotrype Vineyard 2022 PGI Atalanti Valley
-Ktima Biblia Areti White 2020 PGI Pangeon [assyrtiko]
-Ktima Biblia Ovilos White 2022 PGI Pangeon
-Ktima Tselepos Amalia Brut NV [moschofilero]
-Zoinos Winery Sparkling White Extra Brut 2021 PDO Zitsa  [debina]
-Kitma Pavlidis Emphasis Assyrtiko 2022 PGI Drama
-Kitma Spiropoulos Ode Panos Rose 2020 Brut
-Oenops Wines Apla Dry White 2022
-Papagiannakos Winery Salvatiano Old Vines 2022 PGI Markopoulo
-Papagiannakos Winery Salvatiano "Vientzi" 2020 PGI Markopoulo
-Papagiannakos Winery Kalogeri Malagousia 2022 PGI Attiki  
-Santo Wines Grand Reserve Santorini Assyrtiko 2020 PDO Santorini [oaked]  [fave today]
 
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Malamatima Four Angels Red 2022 PGI Peloponnese [syrah/merlot]
-Malamatima Four Angels White PGI Peloponnese [chardonnay/malagousia]
-Malamatina Winery Filioma Moschofilero 2022  PGI Peloponnese
-Boutari Moschofilero 2022 PDO Mantinia
-Domaine Skouras Cuvee Prestige White 2022 PGI Peloponnese
-Domaine Skouras Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2022 PGI Peloponnese
-Cavino Mega Spileo Cuvee III White 2022 PGI Achaia
-Domaine Costa Lazaridi Malagousia 2022 PGI Drama
-Domaine Costa Lazaridi Chateau Julia Assyrtiko 2022 PGI Drama
-Domaine Hatzimichalis Kapnias Red 2020 [cabernet sauvignon] PGI Atalanti Valley
-Ktima Biblia Chora White 2022 PGI Pangeon
-Papagiannakos Winery Assyrtiko 2022 PGI Attiki
-Santo Wines Santorini Assyrtiko 2022 PDO Santorini
-Santo Wines Santorini Nykteri 2022 PDO Santorini

The Food: cheese platters with biscuits and breads and fresh fruit; grilled baby octopus with chili crisp; hot apps on platters of chicken, fish, lamb meatballs, fried veggie balls. The highlight for me was the oregano and lemon lamb kleftiko and charred eggplant.
The Downside: I had just come from an earlier wine portfolio tasting.
The Upside: good exposure to wines that dance in the catalogue.
The Contact Person: lisa@androscom.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 90.

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism

Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
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