This is the story of my wine cellar.

The year was 1982 and we had just moved into a new house. I suffer from allergies and the house was surrounded by fields of wild flowers and all kinds of grasses. Not what I really needed…

One day a traveling salesman showed up at our front door holding a large black case. He politely asked if I would be interested in tasting some of the wines he was promoting. He assured me that they were very good and not available at liquor stores. Because of my allergies, I was always searching for wines that would not throw me in a sneezing spree. I invited him in and that started both my education and enjoyment of wines. Five of the six wines he was promoting were white German wines by Ferdinand Pieroth. One of my favorite was a Spatlese from the Nahe Valley in a beautiful sculptured blue bottle. To my delight, other than the superb taste of the wines, I noticed that I was not having any allergic reaction to them. And although I had not been a fan of German wines till that day, I ended up ordering six cases of the Ferdinand Pieroth wines. I have been a follower of Pieroth and German wines since then.

Along with the excitement of discovering these wonderful wines came the challenge of “where do I store all these wines?”, and, more importantly, “how do I do so, without downgrading their quality?” Till that time, I had never bought more than 2-3 bottles at a time, and I had not really paid a premium price for wines–didn’t have the cash and couldn’t distinguish low priced wines from expensive ones. Now suddenly, I was confronted with the challenge of having a large quantity, medium to high-priced wines in need of a proper home.

The solution to my dilemma wasn’t very far. Under the stairs leading to the half-basement of the house there was an underutilized space where I built my first wine storage area. There in a cool and dark environment I could store horizontally most of my wines. I was happy to have found a decent home for the wines, but also excited about this new found hobby. I would go down the stairs and look at the bottles in their rows and columns and dream of having a real wine cellar some day…

The wine rack under the stairs served me well until I moved to Arizona where there are no basements and no cool places to store wine. In the meantime, my collection of wines had increased along with the commitment to preserve them as well as possible. I had to find something suitable and quickly. I was able to locate the supplier of EuroCave, self-contained wine cellars that recreate the natural cooling environment of a château wine cellar. I was thrilled with this discovery, as was not aware that such things existed, and rushed to buy one of their units that could hold about 250 bottles. It was like Christmas when the unit arrived!

While I had found a proper place for the wines, I was becoming acutely aware of how little I knew about wines. I decided to learn more and one of the new things I learned was that in addition to preservation, there is wine ageing too. You see, wines do age just like all living things. And this aging produces all kinds of secondary flavors that enhance the taste of wine and make the wine lose its bite. “Given the vagaries of vinification, much Greek wine will not have lasted long, succumbing either to oxidation…or to spoilage due to inadequate storage, the risk of which was noted by Aristotle”. (The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson). Old wine was highly regarded by the Greeks so the process of ageing wines has been practiced since antiquity. The comic poets of ancient Greece had noted that men preferred old wine but young women… I was not about to break this practice.

As I continued my enjoyment of and learning about wine, I realized that having the EuroCave wine cellar was some type of a transformational event for me. What started as a solution to storing and protecting wines from spoilage, evolved into a new science and experience that was destined to become my life’s passion.

For the second time since I started my wine collection, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with my wines. I had accepted a position overseas in what I considered at the time would be a two-years assignment. I lived in Boston at the time and my wines and their EuroCave home had made their first cross-country journey from Arizona. Had barely settled there and couldn't even think about another move...

On top of the usual headaches associated with major moves, I learned that the customs duty for bringing the wines into Egypt was a staggering 5,000%-yes, five thousand percent. That made it cost prohibitive to take them along. I couldn't even consider the option of selling them. I was attached to them and some of them were aging beautifully. Had to find another option.

My boss and good friend Ed offered to keep them at his home in Boston for a while, but I needed something long-term as my two-year assignment was turning out to be much longer than originally planned. So, the wines and EuroCave started their travel again. First, to a storage facility and eventually to a much farther destination--my village in Greece. I came to realize at some point that no matter where I would end up living, I would always have a connection with my birthplace. That was a timely and wise decision and destined to be the conduit that brought me to this blog and this story.

Shipping my wines and the EuroCave cellar to my village in Greece was made possible with the completion of a home we built on an ancestral land located a mile and a half outside the town. It was something that culminated a decade's extraordinarily wonderful rediscoveries. After living in the US for 27 years, I was now working and living in Alexandria, Egypt--a mere 40 minutes flight from Athens. My father was still alive and was eager to see him and spent as much time as possible with him for the little time I was fearing he had left in this life. I was going to make up for lots of lost time...Every chance I had--long weekends and every holiday--I would come to my village. It was like a very tired and thirsty man had reached an oasis after being lost in the desert...

Other than spending most of my time with my father and sister and her family, I would walk out in the neighborhood where I grew up and wonder in the village's two squares (platias). I would stop in the village's bakery--being operated by the same family since 1908--and receive my usual fresh baked bread, free of course since the propriator who still remembered me as the young 10 years old boy wouldn't have any other way...It was the warmest and most wonderful feeling I had felt for a very long time. I was again 10 years old and I had come home. Finally, the circle that had taken me to three continents had closed...but the story continues...

Back to the Story...

For the second time since I started my wine collection, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with my wines. I had accepted a position overseas in what I considered at the time would be a two-years assignment. I lived in Boston at the time and my wines and their EuroCave home had made their first cross-country journey from Arizona. Had barely settled there and couldn't even think about another move...

On top of the usual headaches associated with major moves, I learned that the customs duty for bringing the wines into Egypt was a staggering 5,000%-yes, five thousand percent. That made it cost prohibitive to take them along. I couldn't even consider the option of selling them. I was attached to them and some of them were aging beautifully. Had to find another option.

My boss and good friend Ed offered to keep them at his home in Boston for a while, but I needed something long-term as my two-year assignment was turning out to be much longer than originally planned. So, the wines and EuroCave started their travel again. First, to a storage facility and eventually to a much farther destination--my village in Greece. I came to realize at some point that no matter where I would end up living, I would always have a connection with my birthplace. That was a timely and wise decision and destined to be the conduit that brought me to this blog and this story.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I would ask you to be patient with the rest of the story...

Closing the Circle...

Shipping my wines and the EuroCave cellar to my village in Greece was made possible with the completion of a home we built on an ancestral land located a mile and a half outside the town. It was something that culminated a decade's extraordinarily wonderful rediscoveries. After living in the US for 27 years, I was now working and living in Alexandria, Egypt--a mere 40 minutes flight from Athens. My father was still alive and was eager to see him and spent as much time as possible with him for the little time I was fearing he had left in this life. I was going to make up for lots of lost time...Every chance I had--long weekends and every holiday--I would come to my village. It was like a very tired and thirsty man had reached an oasis after being lost in the desert...

Other than spending most of my time with my father and sister and her family, I would walk out in the neighborhood where I grew up and wonder in the village's two squares (platias). I would stop in the village's bakery--being operated by the same family since 1908--and receive my usual fresh baked bread, free of course since the propriator who still remembered me as the young 10 years old boy wouldn't have any other way...It was the warmest and most wonderful feeling I had felt for a very long time. I was again 10 years old and I had come home. The circle that had taken me to three continents was now closed...but the story continues...

Wine Destinations...

Wine is not just what you find in a bottle and pour in a glass. With its complex flavors and aromas, it is also about the soil the vines grow, the people who tend them, the culture and traditions of the folks who live in the villages nearby. There is a whole new world out there that has embraced the vineyards and wine makers and which is awaiting for the rest of us to discover. And this is one of the best pleasures that I derive from wine. There is no place that I either visit or plan to visit that I don't think whether it has vineyards and wine and how good they may be. Yes, there have been disappointments along the way as my expectations sometimes exceed reality. But once in a while, I come across a vineyard and their wine tasting facilities and that makes the "treasure hunt" worth while indeed!

Anyone that is remotely involved with wine should have heard of the legendary vineyards of Tuscany, France, Spain, Mendoza, Chile and so on. These should be the travel destinations of every eonophile, as they are mine. But there are countless other less known, or not known at all places out there that are less glamorous but as beautiful in their own way, and which they offer very good wines. I am fortunate to live in Distomo, one of these wonderful places.

Hidden Treasures...

As I was fantasizing recently about being a British lord at the end of the 19th century and in the process of adding to my collection of rare wines, I came across one of these rare wines and I was stunned first by the price--$5,895.00 for a 750 ml bottle--and then felt the entire thesaurus of my wine adjectives had gone hiding--I believe permanently--in absolute shame.
I had just read the evaluation of a wine by Robert Parker. It went like this...

"In the two dozen tastings where I have had the 1961 La Chapelle, I rated it 100 points twenty times...As the wine sits in the glass, notions of pepper, new saddle leather, grilled meat, and awesome levels of blackberry, plum, and black currant liqueur-like notes emerge. Extremely unctuous, with compelling concentration and purity, this full-bodied, seamless, mouthfilling 1961 is truly immortal. It still possesses a freshness and vigor that defy its nearly forty years of age. it should continue to drink well for two decades. Prodigious stuff!"

My inadequacy didn't end, of course, with the brilliant description of this wine. I never even imagined that one could taste all these complex and numerous flavors in a wine! But in the midst of all this amazement and thoughts of immortality, it came to me. This is exactly the magic of wine--its hidden treasures. Most people will not even hear about them. And the vast majority of those fortunate ones to become aware of these hidden gems, will never even get close enough to find them. But I will retire this evening knowing that the existance of these treasures down in the dark and cool corners of wine cellars is indeed a very happy thought, and the treasure hunt always an irresistible attraction...

Thinking of Spring and vineyards...

As the end of the first full week of the new year approaches, I begin to lapse into long wonderful thoughts of spring weather in the Greek country side. They are often accompanied by vivid images of the numerous vines dotting the landscape of my daily route to the village from our home. There are more than two months left before we leave for our annual ritual, but my mental escape usually starts early. I visualize the budding vines in the morning fog, I smell the fresh, earthy air of the early spring, and I am overwhelmed by the temptation to speculate--often wish--on the weather conditions for the next six months that would result into a perfect growing season for the vines. Would it be a wet and cool spring? a warm and sunny summer with the usual cool nights? and what about the fall? how late will we be able to wait for a good harvest?
I feel very peaceful as these thoughts overcome my consciousness, often as each day comes to a close. Yes, paradise does exist after all...

Great friends and fine wine...

There is one thing, I am certain, in which all wine lovers would agree. Wine is not meant to be enjoyed without the presence of good friends. While I enjoy having a glass of wine in certain moments of solitude such as watching one of the frequent gorgeous Arizona sunsets, or listening to music, almost never have a glass of wine alone. Especially when you have friends who willfully--at least most of them--engage in long spirited discussions. These discussions can last a long time, unless my wife intervenes by politely reminding me that some of our guests are getting bored.
We had one of these delightful occasions last night with some of our neighbors and dear friends. It was a spectacular evening with a post-card sunset, pleasant with the aid of a patio heater, and fine wine. It reminds me why God created sunsets and fine wine--not to mention great friends...

The more I learn, the less I know...

There is sufficient evidence that the ancient Greeks aged wine in sealed clay jars. The Romans, however, improved the practice and it became customary for the Roman nobility to engage in the ageing and, of course, in the enjoyment of old fine wines. After the collapse of the Roman empire, the practice of preserving and ageing wines faded away. Northern Europeans were content drinking cheap, diluted, low quality wines. A milleneum passed with wines having lost their luster. It was not till the 17th century when storing and ageing wines became popular in England among wine connoisseurs with the introduction of glass bottles and the use of corks. And demand for fine wines transformed the wine trade once more.
The ageing of wine depends on several factors, the most important two being: the wine must have the proper quality and characteristics to age; and must be stored in a cool place and not be in contact with air--not easily accomplished by the average wine owner and aspiring connoisseur. There is one more thing, however, that I wasn't aware when I started storing and eventually ageing wines--only a small group of wines available today commercially can benefit from extended bottle ageing. And then, there is perhaps the most challenging question that all of us who age wines ask ourselves: when is the right time to drink a wine that is being aged? Meaning, when does a wine reach that complex stage called full maturity??
I have grabbled with that question for a long time and many bottles have been been consumed in this, often enjoyable, pursuit of perfection without having reached any answers. I am sure of one thing today though--the more I read about the subject and the more I practice the various theories, the more I am confused. But we aren't in a hurry. We have lots of time and I promise you we will continue our discussion of this subject real soon in another detour in our journey. So stay tuned...

How do you like our new look?

We are experimenting with the format and the look of the blog. Today we are featuring a new look and would like to ask you which one you like best. This one or the old one? Our goal is to make it attractive but easy to read and follow...
Also, while I am not a wine expert, by any stretch of the imagination, I would like to encourage you to send any questions you might have about wine--especially the ageing of wines. If I don't know the answer, I would investigate and will get back with an answer on this blog. So, go ahead and challenge me...

Ageing wines...

The wine rack under the stairs served me well until I moved to Arizona where there are no basements and cool places to store wine. My collection of wines had increased along with my commitment to preserve them as well as possible. I had to find something suitable and quickly. I was able to locate the supplier of EuroCave, self-contained wine cellars that recreate the natural cooling environment of a chateau wine cellar. I was thrilled with my discovery as was not aware that such things exist and rushed to buy one of their units that could hold about 250 bottles. It was like Christmas when the unit arrived!
I was becoming acutely aware of how little I knew about wines, so I continued to read and educate myself about them. One of the new things I learned was that in addition to preservation, there is wine ageing too. You see, wines do age just like all living things. And this aging produces all kinds of secondary flavors that enhance the taste of wine and make the wine loose its bite.
"Given the vagaries of vinification, much Greek wine will not have lasted long, succumbing either to oxidation...or to spoilage due to inadequate storage, the risk of which was noted by Aristotle". (The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson). Old wine was highly regarded by the Greeks so the process of ageing wines has been practiced since antiquity. The comic poets of ancient Greece had noted that men preferred old wine but young women... I was not about to break this practice.
As I continued my enjoyment of and learning about wine, I realized that having the EuroCave wine cellar was some type of a transformational event for me. What started as a solution to storing and protecting wines from spoilage, evolved into a new science and experience that was destined to become my life's passion.

The challenge to preserve wine...

With the excitement of discovering these wonderful wines came the challenge of "where do I store all these wines?", and, more importantly, "how do I do so, without downgrading their quality?"
Till that time, I had never bought more than 2-3 bottles at a time, and I had not really paid a premium price for wines--didn't have the cash and couldn't distinguish low priced wines from expensive ones. Now all of a sudden, I was confronting with the challenge of having a large quantity, medium to high-priced wines in need of a proper home.
The solution to my dilemma wasn't very far. Under the stairs leading to the half-basement of my house there was an underutilized space where I built my first wine storage area. There in a cool and dark environment I could store horizontally most of my wines. I was happy to have found a decent home for my wines, but also excited about this new found hobby. I would go down the stairs and look at the bottles in their rows and columns and dream of having a real wine cellar some day…

How I got started...

The year was 1982 and we had just moved into a new house. I suffer from allergies and the house was surrounded by fields of wild flowers and all kinds of grasses. Not what I really needed...
One day a traveling salesman showed up at our front door holding a large black case. He politely asked if I would be interested in tasting some of the wines he was promoting. He assured me that they were very good and not available at liquor stores. Because of my allergies, I was always searching for wines that would not throw me in a sneezing spree. I invited him in and that started both my education and enjoyment of wines. Five of the six wines he was promoting were white German wines by Ferdinand Pieroth. One of my favorite was a Spatlese from the Nahe Valley in a beautiful sculptured blue bottle. To my delight, other than the superb taste of the wines, I noticed that I was not having any allergic reaction to them. And although I had not been a fan of German wines till that day, I ended up ordering six cases of the Ferdinand Pieroth wines. I have been a follower of Pieroth and German wines since then.