Yes, I drink Merlot...

The movie Sideways was an instant success and there were a lot memorable sights and quotations in it that will stay with us for quite some time. One of them was from Paul Giamatti's character who said: "If you order Merlot, I'm leaving. I'm not going to drink any fucking Merlot!" Not many would have thought that one line in a movie would have created such a buzz. Merlot sales dropped sharply after that--although they are up again. So, this begs the question: is Merlot really such a mediocre wine to deserve this? Before we answer this question, let's go back a couple of decades...

When you visit a wine bar these days, you may think that wine has

been very popular for a very long time. The US love affair with wines, however, isn't older than a generation--early to mid eighties. And for a long time, white wines--mostly Chablis--sold by the glass were popular. Eventually, they were replaced with Chardonnay and Merlot. Now, there is nothing wrong with these two wines--it happens that I really like both of them! But the "Cab"--translation: Cabernet Sauvignon--became the drink of the hip wine drinkers and Merlot was...well, not IN. Paul Diammati in Sideways confirmed that and that was it. I am here to argue against that perception and to say, without fear of being ostracized by the "oenophiles" of the wine bars, that I really like Merlot!

Merlot or Merlot Noir is very popular world wide and competes only with Cabernet Sauvignon as the most planted dark-skinned grape variety overall. In Bordeaux and in France overall, Merlot is decisively the m

ost planted red wine and it plays the role of constant companion to the austere, aristocratic, long-living Cabernet Sauvignon--its most probable half brother--which helps to explain the reason why Merlot-dominant red bordeaux can taste so like Cabernet-dominant red bordeaux. Its early maturing, plump, lush fruitiness provides a needed compliment to Cabernet. What distinguishes Merlot from other wines, especially Cabernet, is its "smooth" character-- a drawback to some, an advantage to others. It's a wine that promotes texture over flavor.

One of my favorite blends, and one that is popular in the newly planted vineyards in my village in Greece, is Cabernet-Merlot-Shirah. All three varietals do well in its cool, well ventilated slopes and can be harvested almost at the same time. I am fortunate to have a relatively large selection of these wines--vintages from 2003 to 2009--which are maturing very well.

And then, there was Another...

Those of you following my blog may have noticed that promoting wine ageing and preservation is one of my goals. Accomplishing this has been especially challenging in Distomo--my Greek birthplace--as people aren't used to bottling and preserving their wine, and wine cellars...oh well, they don't exist. My efforts to convince the local winemakers--most of them good friends of mine--to consider having one, were totally unsuccessful. Then, I thought one leads by example and three years ago, our wine cellar was completed with considerable and planned fanfare. My friends came to see it and we ended up hosting several wine tasting events in the past three years. The news spread with the speed of wild fire and soon most of the village was talking about it. I felt I was getting somewhere finally. Two of my close winemaker friends were particularly interested. Kostas Panourgias was one of them.

Kostas, a former contractor, is a man of many skills and interests. Having retired young from a successful construction business, is spending his time working in his vegetable garden, taking care of his olive trees, and, most importantly, tending to his vineyards and making wine. He and Kostas Sfoundouris, owner of Βερβά wines, were two of the first winemakers in Distomo to bottle their wine. Kostas had a casual storage area were he kept some of his bottles, but he was clearly a man searching for some better and more permanent. It was a very pleasant surprise indeed to learn upon my arrival in my village this summer that Kostas had built a beautiful wine cellar; he was proud to pose for me in front of it before I left Greece a couple of weeks ago.

I have a feeling that when I return next Spring I will find another wine cellar. Let's see if my prediction turns out to be correct...

Meet the Winegrowers of Distomo...

Loukas Kastritis
Winemaking isn't something you do casually. It requires hard work, knowledge, attention to details, organization skills and above all a passion for viticulture. Loukas Kastritis possesses all. Born in a farming family, he was influenced in a young age by relatives who had a love for the land and what it provides. He was initiated in the secrets of viticulture and he has been sharpening his skills and expanding his knowledge ever since. Loukas is perhaps the poster boy of the "weekend residents" and the best winegrower of Distomo. He tends his vineyards with a religious devotion and unmistakable pride. Considering that he is growing grapes for his own use and enjoyment, the quality of wines he produces rivals and in some instances exceeds those commercially produced in Greece and abroad. Often, I find it too difficult to resist the temptation to tell Loukas that he should bottle his wines and build a cellar for preserving and ageing them. Initially, he brushed off the idea as wines "are best young and fresh out of the barrel". But 3-4 months after the barrels are open and in the heat of July and August, I would bring up the subject again as the wines are

noticeably oxidized resulting to an almost undrinkable potion.

In March when I arrived in Distomo this year, Loukas--who is, by the way, my dear cousin--asked me to come to his estate to see something. He took me to the basement of the house where he proudly showed me a recently renovated area which will become his wine cellar. I was extremely pleased both for him and for me as I felt that some of the seeds I have been sowing for the past 4-5 years are sprouting finally. So, stay tuned for further developments in the Loukas Kastritis' Vineyards.

2003 Βερβά Red

Early in the turn of the new century my village experienced sort of a renaissance as wine making became popular again. Many "weekend-residents", as they are known because they escape from Athens to the village during the weekend and holidays, bought land in prime wine growing areas, or added and replaced their vines--those that were fortunate to own grape vines. The first vintage was in 2003 and it was my first acquaintance with local wines since I left from Greece as a teenager. The wines were French varietals--blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah--and initially light-bodied, typical of a young vineyard. It had a brilliant red garnet color and the blending of all three was an excellent combination of color, taste and body.

When I first tasted the 2003 Red from the Βερβά vineyards in 2004 it was a modest red wine, light bodied and lacking character. Over the years the wine improved a bit but still remained an uninteresting one. So I was very pleased when I tried it again in May 2010. While it remains a light body--both in appearance and taste--it is now very smooth and very well balanced. While it is lean, it is also lively and refreshing. It is very good with light mediterranean food. Its color remains a brilliant ruby and it should be good for another 3-4 years in a cellar. I give it 89 points.

There is a point that should not be missed here--for the neophytes in wine ageing. The improvement in this wine from 2004 to 2010 with proper preservation is remarkable. Although it hasn't become a great wine, mostly because of the age of the vines in 2003, it is now a good wine!

Adding to the Family...

For those of you who have been following my blog you should know that I had been greatly anticipating my return to my village and my re-union with my wine cellar. So, you may think it is strange that I have hardly talked about it. You can be assured that it is not because of lack of interest on my part--I visited the cellar first thing in the morning after my late night arrival to Distomo. It has been a bit hectic with lots and lots of chores with the house and the garden. It's spring and the planting calendar imposed ny mother nature is rather strict.
Finally I was able to devote some time to the cellar and begin the important task of adding to the wine stock. Since I don't have a vineyard, the wines come mostly from local producers. I buy bulk wine and bottle it myself--with the assistance of Alexandra, my life and wine cellar partner. Last night it was the first such bottling operation of the 2010 season and I am very happy to report that it went very smoothly--although very tiring. The whole process is manual, of course, and not very well streamlined yet. Fifty bottles--30 red and 20 white--were corked and placed on their ageing racks.
Bottling wine is the culmination of the wine making process and one which is almost a spiritual experience--at least to me--and marks the beginning of the wine maturation. It's also a sensual experience as it gives us the opportunity to taste the new vintages--a rich reward for all the hard work. We bottled red and white wines from the Βερβά vineyards. Although a wine review of these will the subject of another posting in the near future, my initial reaction was one of mixed findings. While the red was an excellent one--perhaps the best yet of these varietals--the white fell a bit short of our expectations. It will be interesting to watch these as they age in the next several years...

Homecoming...

I am home again. After weeks of great anticipation and days of uncertainty and frustration with air travel, we arrived in our home in Distomo. It was a beautiful spring day as if nature was rewarding me for being faithful to my annual ritual. Everything was clean, fresh and green as a result of a rather mild and very wet winter. The tulips and crocuses were showing off their bright red, yellow and pink petals. The almond and apricot trees had shed their flowers already--which I regret every year for missing their spectacular display of white and pink flowers. The fig and cherry trees were brave enough to permit some buds to appear on their otherwise bare branches. But what caught my immediate attention were the first buds on the vineyards. You see, this is the event that I have been dreaming about for the past three months. This is the very first step in the long process of grape growing. I will be watching closely every phase of their growth in the next five months.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you...In the morning after our arrival, I went to the wine cellar to say hello to my wines. I felt my heart pounding as I opened the heavy wooden door. In the dimly lit room I walked along its perimeter and surveyed the bottles nestled in their wooden racks. Then, I went to check the temperature and humidity recorded on a gadget resting on one of the racks. It showed that the temperature had fluctuated between 56 and 56.7 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity was almost constant at 75 %--not bad for a wine cellar...I was relieved that all was well with my precious friends. We have a lot to look forward to during the summer...

The Wines of Greece...

Wine isn't just what you find in a bottle and pour in a glass. With its complex flavors and aromas, it's also about the soil the vines grow on, 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 is embracing the vineyards and wine makers that is awaiting for the rest of us to discover. There are countless wine destinations in Greece. Each one waiting to welcome you to an unforgettable experience. This video is but one of these destinations.

The Wines of Distomo--Part 4...

The Distomites (the people of Distomo) are an interesting lot. Equipped with sharp intellect and wit, they are passionate about politics, sports, food and, yes, wine. Also, they are fiercely independent, opinionated and often rigid and stubborn. They work hard and their family and friends are highly valued and strongly supported. And, yes, they are very competitive. These group traits are well-suited for wine making, with one exception: the stubbornness part. While the folks in Distomo are very good in choosing good grape varieties and taking care of their vineyards, they somehow fall short in their wine making and wine preservation practices. It is not difficult to understand why my parents' and grandparents' generations drew wine directly from the barrel for their daily consumption. Glass bottles, corks and wine bottling equipment were most likely unheard of and most definitely unavailable and unaffordable. Also, storage space was scarce and not very suitable for bottle storing. The absence of proper storage and ageing of wine resulted into a couple more bad practices. The supply of wine was limited to the first six or seven months of the year, mainly because it would turn into vinegar by fall. My village, by the way, was never short of vinegar! So the opening of the barrel and tasting of the new vintage was a highly anticipated event and occurred usually around the Christmas holidays. The problem with this was that by then the wine was barely three months old. Hardly sufficient time for the wine to be ready for drinking. Moreover, since the village folks had determined that their wine did not last very long, they fortified it with all kinds of preservatives which in addition to the health risks, they completely ruined the taste and smell of wine.

Unfortunately, this practice, although significantly curtailed today, continues to plague wine making in Distomo and it has become one of my personal causes for change. And the best way I know how to affect change is to lead by example. But before I unveil my strategy of "change", let's be clear about something. I don't own a vineyard, never worked on one, and my knowledge of viticulture is, at best, slightly above average. I know a little more about wines, and how to preserve them and age them. The village folks, however, are very good in growing grapes, harvesting them and basically placing the must into the barrels. In fact, up to that point they can go up against the best. It is downhill from there. This incomplete cycle had me preoccupied for quite some time. Until I realized that their skills and knowledge were complementary with my own. The path to "wholeness" was suddenly clear. I would learn from them and would share my knowledge and expertise with them. But this could not be done in a mass scale. I wasn't planning to give seminars and conduct workshops on bottling and ageing wine and building wine cellars. Neither I could go out to the vineyards and ask the town's people to teach me grape growing. It had to be done on a very small scale and a carefully selected target from the new generation of winegrowers and winemakers.

The Wines of Distomo--Part 3

Wine making was a practice in Greece since perhaps 2000 BC. Also the importance of age

ing wine was understood and old wine was both valued and praised. A pre-Christian winery with clay storage jars discovered in 2007 in the northeast of the village (locality known as Βερβά that is considered as one of the best areas for growing grapes in the village because of its cool breezes and springs) can be seen in the two photos below. So, obviously there was considerable wine making activity in the area to warrant the operation of a commercial winery.

A prolonged battle for independence after almost 400 years of Ottoman occupation, two World Wars and a disastrous civil war didn't allow Greece to develop its wine industry. The wine making practices in the first half of the twentieth century were perhaps inferior even to those of ancient times. The country was preoccupied with more important things. It's not surprising then that the wine available prior to the 1960s was cheap and often poorly made, suitable only for local consumption and sold from the barrel. Although there have been huge improvements in all aspects of the wine industry since the 1980s, some old habits are hard to break. One of them is t

hat in local markets, such as my village, the bulk of the wine continues to be sold directly from the barrel and often in plastic 5-litter containers--something that could make even liberal oenophiles grinch. Now, you could transport wine in plastic jugs provided the wine is drunk the same day. More serious problem though is opening a barrel and drawing wine for weeks or even months depending on the size of the barrel. The minute the barrel is open and air enters its interior, the oxidation of the wine begins and it leads to its inevitable deterioration. It is heart breaking to taste fine wines in April and then experience their gradual decline. By early August they are not suitable to drink any longer. Oxygen and warmer temperatures have done their damage. It is interesting to note that this particular poor practice in winemaking was one of the key motivations that lead me to build a wine cellar and begin bottling wine in Distomo. (Visit Wine Preservation for more about how to properly store and age your wine)

The Wines of Distomo...(cont'd)

Distomo has always produced excellent grapes and wines. But it wasn't the quality of its wines that distinguished my village from many of its neighbors. Along with olive oil and wheat they were the local staples that helped the village weather many man-made disasters like the Great Depression, World War II and the Civil War in the late forties. Not only they provided modest income for many villagers, they gave them a sense of security that as long as they had bread, olives and some wine, they could make it. And they did.

Traditionally most vines were left to grow as bush vines and they consisted mainly of white grape varieties dating back to ancient Greece. Phylloxera, a vine root disease that obliterated French vines in late 19th century, devastated Greek vines in the second half of the 20th century as well. This introduced new varietals, mostly from France, and with the new vines it brought new and improved viticulture practices. Most of the new vineyards have been designed with trellis systems on wires and, whenever possible, irrigation systems have been installed. White grape varieties have dominated Greek vineyards since ancient times and in that respect my village was not any different. More than 300 indigenous, ancient grape varieties--white and red--have been discovered although considerable work remains to be done in wine identification.

For more on the Wines of Distomo, visit my website The Wine Cellar.

The Wines of Distomo

The Village, its Vineyards and its People

In central Greece and not far from the oracle of Delphi and the monastery of Osios Loukas--two world-renowned tourist destinations-- there lays Distomo, a farming village, my village. Historians remind us that the degree to which communities and nations develop depends largely on their geography and climate. Distomo in that respect is blessed. Nested at more than 400 meters above sea level between mountains, allows the sea breezes and the brisk and cold northwestern winds to traverse the village. Its soil is rich and well-drained. Its winters are cold and snowy; the springs wet and windy; the summers sunny, hot and dry but the evenings always cool. The fall doesn't arrive till late September or early October. Perfect weather to grow grapes and make wine. And that exactly what the folks in the village have been doing for more than twenty five hundred years.

When I was growing up, almost every household had a vineyard in the scarce but excellent land to the east and north of the village. But that wasn't enough for most families. If there was a small space in the back yard or by the balcony, there would certainly be a climbing vine present there. Whenever possible the this vine would form a canopy that would offer both shade andplenty of grapes to eat. We had one of those vines in our home and I would eagerly watch it in the spring as it was budding and later as the flowers turned into pin-head size grapes. When the grapes began to ripen and turn into a brilliant red color, my mouth would water in anticipation of the day when I could slowly crush them between my teeth and taste their sweetness.

For more on the Wines of Distomo go to my website The Wine Cellar.