Dionysia - Athens Wine Festival 2009

The Dionysia took place 20,21,and 22 February at the Zappeion Megaro Hall in Athens. More than 150 Greek winemakers presented their wines. I visited the exhibition and tasted more than 170 wines from 31 wineries, concentrating on estates that are not yet well known abroad, new establishments, up and coming wineries, as well as wineries where the quality has improved a lot over the last few years. I also tasted just a few wines from well established wineries, rather than their whole range. I found a consistent good quality across the board, there were no disappointments. The whites were all good to very good, most reds were also good to very good and some were stunning. There were quite a few newcomers that were able to show good quality wines, even though the vines were fairly recently planted. One can be very optimistic for the improvements that will take place once these vines become more mature. I will be posting my tasting notes alphabetically on an estate to estate basis, including information on the grape varieties used for each wine. There will be a score on a scale up to 20, but please bear in mind that this is included only as a reference. The important point is not the score, but rather the general description of the wine.