No, it’s not a crown of grape vines. It’s a sample of basket-trained vines from Santorini that was passed around at the New Wines of Greece seminar I attended this morning in New York.
The highlight of the tasting came for me at the end of the morning seminar when Master of Wine Kostantinos Lazarkis (below, left) told the crowd of wine professionals, referring to the “diva” indigenous red grape of Greece, as he called it, “”Xinomavro is a punch in the face to globalisation. We don’t need Cabernet in Greece!”
Now, THAT’S MY KINDA LANGUAGE! If only MONTALCINO WERE LISTENING!!!
Getting to chat and taste with Kostantinos was a wonderful treat and it’s always great to taste with two of my favorite people in the wine writing world — who make ANY room feel glamorous — Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan and the inimitable Ed McCarthy (with Kostantinos, above). In the Xinomavro flight, Ed picked the two ringers blind: Nebbiolo from Piedmont and Sangiovese from Montalcino. There’s no two ways about it: the dude is a stud.
I’ve only been in New York for a morning and I’ve already tasted some amazing wines and met some amazingly interesting people. And the day is young!
Stay tuned…
Do Bianchi 
I agree…I have great Xinomavros in Greece (Ithaca last time.)
Jeremy,
It’s really great to see these articles, about Aldo (it’s such a great guy) pouring Thalasitis with sea urching, Kalisti 1993 (scrumptious) 2003 is also a great vintage in fact the last bottle we had I didn’t bare to sell it and drunk it 10 days ago by my self on the beach yummy…….., you got to go to Naoussa & try Boutari Naoussa 1968, haven’t tried it yet but it should be on its way to Cyprus & our restaurant, as well as your Xinomavro experience…..
I worked in NYC for over 11 years and promoted Greek wines. Do you know Beth von Benz, she is now working with some Greek producers she is a darling and if you don’t and are interested I can put you in contact.
What did you tasted that day. I love Xinomavro AKA “ACID BLACK”
I used to sell this juice in 2001 & 2002 in NYC.
This past Easter went to Naoussa, that’s Xinomavro country, as Pidmont is to Nebbiolo & Bourgogne Rouge to Pinot…… great stuff if you know your way around, let me know if I can be of any help.
Anyway I would love to hear your comments about what you tasted. I can try and have some Naoussa producers if at all possible to send you some samples to taste…..
P.S. not doing this for my place publicity but for the love of Xinomavro, we don’t like publicity, we take each day as it comes & move on……..
all the best giorgos
xinomavro 4 evaaaaaaa
By the way I ignored to mention I love things to happen the most natural way possible & with the less human interaction possible
We have no place on our wine list for wines influenced in any way by Michel Rolland’s ideas, the worlds most ubiquitous and powerful wine consultant
The Rolland movement “backed” by Robert Parker Jr. is to create technically well-made, globaly palatable interchangeable wine products of no perceptible origin or identity……..
Jonathan Nossiter
Long live balance & terroir driven wines