ASSYRTIKO ( a SEER’ tee ko) is a white Greek grape varietal that I recommend you search out and do not be afraid to try. Be adventurous! Drink it instead of some more familiar summer go-to whites like sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, or pinot grigio, and you may almost imagine being on vacation somewhere on a Greek Isle!
Yes, I hear you. Greek wine, really????? Greek wine isn’t widely thought of when looking for highly rated or popular wines in the United States, but the Greeks have been making wine since around 2000 BC and like many other countries, the wine making quality has been dramatically improving since the 1980s.
Assyrtiko is indigenous to the Greek Aegean island of Santorini – picture whitewashed houses with blue roofs on the side of a cliff overlooking some of the most beautiful waters and sunsets in the world. The island is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history making it hard to grow anything there. Luckily for us, wine made from struggling grapes is usually good! To add even more difficulties to the tough soil conditions, it is very windy and has endless sunshine with little rain. Roots have to scavenge water from at least 30 to 40 feet below the soil. But in addition to romantic beauty, Santorini has several wine-related good things going for it —the root systems here are close to 500 years old, possibly the oldest in the world. Phylloxera can’t live here, so these roots are original and sturdy.
So what is so different about this white grape varietal? It makes a unique wine that maintains acidity even if very ripe, has a higher alcohol content than most whites and is intensely dry with citrus notes and high minerality . This profile is more like that of a northern cool climate varietal than that of a Mediterranean hot climate. You can drink it young or you can age it for awhile. It pairs extremely well with fish and seafood, anything salty or briny, but can also pair with meat dishes. It is the perfect match for all of the classic Mediterranean ingredients. All of these traits make it a truly diverse and interesting wine.
My personal interest in Assyrtiko came after reading about it earlier this year from some international #winelover-s and some local SW Florida wine writers. “#winelover” is a public Facebook group of almost 23,000 members from all over the world which was brought to my attention by some wine-loving friends who have traveled to a number of wine regions around the world including a #winelover tour of Hungary. Being a wine drinker who enjoys broadening my wine horizons, my initial reaction was – “I want some of this!”. This can often present a challenge in itself as there are limited wine buying options right here in Fort Myers without travelling to Naples which is well stocked with upscale wine stores, of course. Much of my wine buying, not to mention the rest of my shopping, now takes place on-line. Thank goodness for the internet!!!! It’s a wonderful tool to keep the economy going. Much to my good fortune, one of those many many on-line wine sales sites that besiege me with offers sent an option to buy my first Assyrtiko, a 2015 Santo Wines from Santorini. Since Robert Parker gave it 91 points, and they offered “buy 6 get free shipping”, how could I resist?
2015 Santo Assyrtiko Santorini soon arrived at our front door. Being a consummate wine pairing foodie, I served it up with a Greek themed dinner. This wine is definitely unique and I really enjoyed it! The first amazing trait was it’s brilliant green-gold hue. It was full of minerals but also had those citrus components. Most definitely not a boring white. I paired it up with Greek-style meatballs with tzatziki sauce and a Greek salad with shrimp and Greek-style potato salad. It was equally tasty with both the seafood and the red meat. This vintage had a 13% alcohol content, scored 90 points from Wine Enthusiast as well as RP’s 91 points and costs between $15 and $20.
Now imagine my good fortune when that same wine seller conveniently sent me an offer for another Assyrtiko! I was hooked and 2015 Domaine Tselepos Tzanetopoulos Santorini “Canava Chrissou” also magically arrived at our front door! Now of course I was obligated to have a side-by-side pairing of the Cananva Chrissou with the Santo. A few days later some friends of ours gave us a dinner invitation for a red snapper entree they were anxious to prepare. We said yes; “however, you will be forced to taste our newest Greek wines in a side-by-side tasting.” Bravely they agreed. The good news? Dinner was delicious, as we knew it would be, but both of our Assyrtikos paired well with the seafood and both of them were uniquely different. The Canava Chrissou had a pale yellow color and was very concentrated and gripping with flavors of lemon and lime peel and a touch of sea salt on the finish. According to Michael Madrigale, of Bar Boulud fame, and a #1 Sommelier in America, “The best? Tselepos-Tzanetopoulos”. Wine Enthusiast scored it at 92 points ; Robert Parker gave it 94+ points and so did we. Alcohol content is 13.5 % and I paid $32 for it. I think this one should cellar for a few years and am happy to have a few more bottles to test that theory.
Can you get Assyrtiko locally? According to our local big-box wine store website, they are currently offering Sigalas Assyrtiko Santorini and one other brand. However, I have found that does not always ensure it is there. 2015 Sigalas was also rated 94 points by Robert Parker. Several months ago I was most fortunate to attend an outstanding wine dinner event at a local farm-to-table restaurant and was amazed to see an Assyrtiko offered on their wine menu. They even offered it by the glass. I will definitely be on the lookout for it on other restaurant wine lists.
So what’s my next new and most intriguing wine varietal? Who knows, but I do anticipate that there will be one soon as there are over 10,000 varietals in this world and more and more of them are finding their way to the United States. Lucky for us adventurous #winelover-s!
