Financial Times Europe - 26.10.2019 - 27.10.2019

26 October/27 October 2019 ★ FT Weekend 21

Greek

classics E

very few months, the team

at JancisRobinson.com

organises a self-pour tasting

for wine enthusiasts,

designed to showcase a

particular sort of wine that we think

deserves more attention.

Our first event was in 2013, the first

of four Barolo nights at a time when

we thought British wine lovers were

too focused on France. ince thenS

we’ve devoted tastings to Brunello,

Chianti Classico, sherry, Languedoc

wines, great dry German Rieslings,

Riesling Kabinetts and Cru Bourgeois

red Bordeaux.

Two Sundays ago, we held our most

popular tasting to date — of Greek

wines. It sold out in a trice. Tasters

queued in the rain for half an hour and

one poor chap drove from Newcastle

to London specially, only to arrive 15

minutes before the 9pm finish.

On the basis of the wines I tasted,

selected by my fellow Master of Wine

and colleague Julia Harding, it is easy

to see what all the fuss is about. The

only mystery is why they are not

easier to find utside Greece.o

Judging from our selection, Greek

labels are smart and easy for

anglophones to decipher. In the UK,

however, it sometimes seems as

though the trade is reluctant to get

to grips with a whole new set of

names, regions, appellations,

producers and grapes.

Many appear content to leave this

exciting field to a handful of specialists

such as importers Eclectic, Novum and

Southern Wine Roads, and retailers

such as Bedales of Borough, Maltby

& Greek, Quality Wines, Theatre of

Wine, Vin Cognito, Whole Foods

Market, Wine & Greene and the

admirably catholic Wine Society —

all of whom are more kindly disposed

towards Greece than most.

The extremely varied landscape of

Greece means that wines can be highly

distinctive. The 42 choices included

two retsinas designed to expunge

memories of taverna horrors of old

(one of which was my go-to wine after

I’d tasted everything else), five (very)

sweet wines, including a late-picked

red that had been aged in barrel for 10

years, nine reds and 26 whites, two of

them fashionably pale orange after

prolonged contact with the grape skins.

Despite its latitude, Greece is best at

white wines. Many come from

vineyards at elevations so high that

were they in France, for example, it

would be impossible to ripen grapes.

Vineyards of the Mantinia

appellation in the central Peloponnese

can easily be as high as 700m above the

Aegean and enjoy nights cool enough to

preserve the delicate perfume of the

Moschofilero grape while retaining

sufficient natural acidity to keep the

resulting wine — only 12.5 per cent

alcohol — refreshing. Many other

Greek wines owe their refreshment

factor to sea breezes.

All the wines in this tasting were

made predominantlyfrom indigenous

grape varieties, 24 of them in total;

only three were blended with an

international variety. Some — red

Mavrokountoura and Cretan white

Melissaki — were new even to me, co-

author ofWine Grapes, a once-definitive

guide to all grape varieties known in

commercially available wines.

Robola is thelime-scented white

wine grape of Kefalonia — to be sipped

with memories ofCaptain Corelli’s

Mandolin, perhaps. Chidiriotiko is

thought to be unique to Lesbos, a

reminder that there are other aspects

to the island than efugee camps.r

Muscat and the more exotic Fokiano

are specialities ofSamos, where they

are dried in the hot summer sun to

produce particularly sweet wines.

Crete has become the source of a

wealth of local, extremely distinctive

grape varieties, with producers such as

Douloufakis and Lyrarakis growing

grapes such as Vidiano, Vilana, Plyto

and Dafni in the mountains.

But Greece’s prime wine island is still

the spectacularly volcanic Santorini,

whose speciality is the incontrovertibly

noble Assyrtiko, aided and abetted by

the Aidini and Athiri grapes.

There were 10 examples in our

tasting. Several were from the island’s

strange, low, basket-shaped vines,

which are said to be 100 or even 200

years old. There were examples of

wines made as long ago as 2008 and

2010 still going very strong, some with

oak and some without, some allowed

to ferment naturally without added

cultured yeast. All deserve a place in

any curious white wine lover’s cellar.

Greek reds have improved

enormously and these days they are

much less reliant on imported grape

varieties and on the specious make-up

of an oaky overlay. It is also becoming

clearer which varieties are the real

stars. Matt Thomson, aNew Zealander

who makes wine all over the world but

whose heart has been in Barolo and

Burgundy mainly,said at this tasting:

“I think I’ve fallen in love with the

Xinomavro grape.”

It’s true that the best Xinomavros

now being made in the Náoussa

appellation, in the hills of western

Macedonia, have the same tension,

lightness and graininess as a fine Barolo.

Agiorgitiko is the renowned red wine

grape of the Peloponnese’s most famous

red wine region, Nemea. It tends to

produce fuller-bodied, arguably more

obviously accessible reds.

The wines had been shipped from

Greece by Sofia Perpera and George

Athanas of the Greek Wine Bureau in

New York, in co-operation with an

official producers’ organisation.

Perpera told me excitedly that funds

had been approved to promote Greek

wines in the UK, but she still didn’t

know what her budget would be. If the

UK were to leave the EU, her budget

would be swollen by funds set aside to

promote EU wines outside the union.

A thin silver lining to Brexit?

More columns at ft.com/jancis-robinson

The only mystery

is why these wines

are not easier to

find outside Greece

Of the 40 wines I tasted,

I gave 29 a score of 16.5

out of 20;these are the

ones I scored 17 or higher.

WHITES

Gerovassiliou Malagousia

2018 Epanomi, Macedonia

Douloufakis, Dafnios

2016 ,Crete

Oenops Vidiano 2017,

Greece

Gentilini, R Robola 2015,

Kefalonia

Aoton, Savatiano 2017,

Attiki, central Greece

Methymnaeos, Orange

Chidiriotiko 2016,Lesbos

Argyros, Monsignori

2017 ,Santorini

Karamolegos,

Pyritis 2017,Santorini

Volcanic Slopes

Vineyards, Pure 2016,

Santorini

Hatzidakis, Skitali 0162 ,

Santorini

Sigalas, Santorini 2010

Boutari, Selladia 2008,

Aegean Islands

REDS

Dalamara, Paliokalias

2015 Náoussa,Macedonia

Tsantali, Rapsani Grande

Reserve 2010 Rapsani,

Macedonia

Alpha Estate, Omega

Late Harvest Xinomavro

2007 Florina,Macedonia

Tasting notes on

jancisrobinson.com

International stockists on

wine-searcher.com

Some of Jancis’s Greek favourites

Jancis Robinson

Wine

Food & Drink

I

n the Venn diagram of our mar-

riage, there is plenty of overlap.

After cooking and eating together

for more than 15 years, my wife and

I know exactly where our tastes

meet — as well as where they differ.

I have never understood, for exam-

ple, Sarit’s love of jellies, and I just can’t

get excited about the supermarket tri-

fles that make her go weak at the

knees. And while I like hot and spicy

food, she cannot abide it: the spices

make her sneeze, the sweating makes

her uncomfortable and the burn oblit-

erates all other flavours.

So when we eat out, I taste my wife’s

food for her, as if she were some medie-

val monarch — and the colour my face

turns lets her know how hot it is. The

food we cook at home tends to berela-

tively mild o we can enjoy it together —s

the sweet compromise of marriage.

This week’s recipe is an adaptation of

a Moroccan dish that is traditionally so

hot that it will make your nose sweat

and your tongue burn. It’s tasty enough

not to be overpowered by such heat: the

fragrant spice, fresh ginger and sweet,

sour tomatoes temper it — as does the

gorgeous mussel juice that makes the

sauce so moreish.Pumpkin ives theg

dish a bit of heft and textural interest,

as well as welcome sweetness.

Our version omits the extra chilli but

I always add some to my portion. If

your household can take more heat,

then crank it up with a pinch or two of

cayenne pepper added to the rest of

the spices.

Take it to the table in the biggest plat-

ter you have. Cutlery is optional here.

You want to pick the flesh off the mus-

sels with your fingers, then use the shell

to scoop the couscous into your mouth,

alternating with a bite of pumpkin.

Should you be lucky enough to have

any leftovers, pick the mussels from the

shells and mix in with all the couscous,

pumpkin and broth. Keep in the fridge

and jazz the whole thing up the next day

with a squeeze of lemon, some chopped

olives, capers or preserved lemon and

whatever herbs you have to make the

couscous salad of your dreams.

Makes dinner for four to six

Ingredients

1.5kg fresh closed mussels

1 onion squash or Delica pumpkin,

about 1.5kg, skin on

4 tbs vegetable oil

2 red onions (200g), peeled and diced

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

40g piece of ginger, peeled and diced

3 tbs ras el hanout spice mix

500g freshly grated tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1 litre water

Juice of one lemon

2 cupscooked instant couscous

Method

Place all the mussels in a large pot and

rinse with plenty of cold water. Pick

them out one by one and check that

they are closed (get rid of any open

shells). Pull off the little “beard” (they

won’t all have one) and discard. Keep

them cold until you cook them.

Cut the pumpkin in half, then into four

segments. De-seed and cut each

segment in half again to make triangles.

In a very large pot, heat the oil, add

the onions and garlic, and sauté them

until they soften. Add the ginger and

spice (and cayenne pepper, if you wish)

and mix well to coat.

Then add the pumpkin wedges, stir

and cook for a couple of minutes. Add

the grated tomatoes, the salt and water

and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to

low and simmer for about 20 minutes or

until the pumpkin is soft. Increase the

heat to maximum and bring to a boil.

Add all the mussels and cover. Cook on

a high heat for six to eight minutes,

until the mussels start to open.

Remove the lid and cook to reduce

the liquid for another five minutes.

Add the lemon juice and serve with

couscous.

Remember to avoid any mussels that

haven’t opened.

Recipe: spiced mussels and pumpkin tagine with couscous

My friend Leonardo Palazzo runs

the cooking school at Eataly nd a

we often meet atCaffè Vergnano

to drink espressos and talk about

life. This place uses an old-school

espresso machine and the coffee is

excellent. Coupled with a brioche,

it reminds me of mornings in Italy.

I live in Gramercy andDaily Pro-

visions s my local café. It makesi

mind-blowing crullers, deep-fried

pastries similar to doughnuts.

They’re rich and full of sugar but

delicious.

A chef who works at my restau-

rant recommendedPiccola Cucina

Estiatorio, which turns out simple

and delicious southern Italian sea-

food. I’d recommend the grilled

octopus or fried sardines.

I try to visitUncle Boons hen Iw

Crab-fried

rice at Uncle

Boons

Manhattan made

have time off. Thai food isn’t what

I’m used to but they do it so well.

You shouldn’t miss the crab-fried

rice, green mango salad or spicy

rotisserie half-chicken.

Dominique Ansel’s bakery in

SoHo is where to source amazingly

creative desserts. I like the signa-

ture pastry, Dominique’s Kouign

Amann (DKA), similar to a cara-

melised croissant. Go after dinner

downtown for a sweet kick before

heading to a jazz show at nearby

Blue Note.

Patent Pending s a good placei

for a nightcap. Situated in the

NoMad neighbourhood, it’s a café

by day and speakeasy by night. It

only fits about 20 people, so it’s

pretty intimate. I always have the

Made From Memory cocktail, a

warm concoction of gin, apple

brandy, orange liqueur, fig leaf,

Earl Grey tea and a splash of

cream.

Stefano Secchi is head chef at

Rezdôra, New York

My addresses |Stefano

Secchi hares some ofs

his favourite eateries in

central New York

Honey & Co A moreish mix|

of seafood tang and autumnal

heartiness fromSarit Packer

andItamar Srulovich

Musselbound

Cutlery is optional. Eat

the mussel flesh with your

fingers, then use the shell

to scoop up the couscous

Photographs by Patricia Niven

OCTOBER 26 2019 Section:Weekend Time: 25/10/2019- 15:47 User:adrian.justins Page Name:WIN21, Part,Page,Edition:WIN, 21, 1