I admit I haven't had many Greek wines, but plan to explore several this summer. Should be easy to do, THE CLOWN in York, Maine has a fantastic selection of wines from Greece, not a bottle of Retsina in sight though always available by special order for those die-hards that swoon over the classic if not iconic wine along with memories of time spent drinking the pine resin infused creation tapped from barrels on a trip to Greece.
Greek wine gem discovery #1: Kallisto from Domaine Mercouri, an estate with vineyards dating back to the late 1800's in the western Peloponnese. Kallisto is a blend of Ribolla Gialla and the rare Greek grape Tourkopoula, is a limited release dry white that is fermented in stainless steel. Beautiful light aromas of citrus, freshly grated lemon. Only 12.5% alcohol was a nice surprise and though we enjoyed the wine with a shrimp scampi, it was just as lovely the next evening with a dayboat haddock broiled with nothing but butter, cracked pepper and sea salt. An absolutely perfect wine for backyard, beachside, cottage lawn, side deck summer sipping. Or if you're lucky enough to be sitting under a vivid Cerulean sky in the Mediterranean cozied up to a platter of grilled calamari. "Opa!" is right.
