Meeting with Joanna Locke, MW, at the Wine Society UK

On the 26th of May I had the great pleasure of presenting some Greek wines to Joanna Locke, Master of Wine, at the Wine Society in Stevenage, UK. I woke up at 04:30 am and made my way to the Athens airport. I arrived in London Stansted at 09:30 am local time, boarded the Stansted Express into London Liverpool Street, took the tube to London's King Cross and from there the train to Stevenage. I met Jo at 1 pm and presented three wines each from two estates: From Parparoussis (1) Nemea Reserve 2003 (100% Agiorgitiko), (2) Taos 2004 (100% Mavrodaphne), (3) Muscat of Rio 2003 (sweet white from 100% Muscat of Rio of Patras). I also showed the Kokkalis range: (1) Mova 2006 (Agiorgitiko, Cabernet Sauvignon), (2) Syrah 2006 (100% Syrah), Trilogia 2006 (100% Cabernet Sauvignon). All wines showed very well. Interestingly enough, the styles of the wines from the two winemakers come from opposite spectrums: Parparoussis produces very elegant, feminin wines that focus on the pure fruits, Kokkalis wines are powerful, concentrated and masculine. However, all wines were very seductive. The bottles were opened there, so the wines really did not have time to settle and breathe properly. Luckily Jo told me that she likes to evaluate wines over a minimum 24-hour period, revisting them several times to see how they evolve. I find this to be a very honest process of evaluating wines, rather than just having a quick swirl and sip.

Jo is a very charming and warm person with about two decades of wine experience - I believe she became a MW in 1990, and also chaired the Institute of Masters of Wine in 2008. It is so nice to see that one is still able to find professional wine-buyers that are very much down to earth and who simply love the work they are doing, especially in today's market environment. I am glad that she took the time to see me, and found our discussions very helpful.

After our meeting, I visited the wine shop of the Wine Society (this is the only shop in the UK, a second one operates in France), where only members can make purchases. I made my way back to the airport (via the same route I came in) and arrived back home in Athens at 02:30 am. Quite a long day, but very much worth the effort.

Lunch with Kokkalis at the Codice Blu in Kolonaki

On the 1st May I met Christos Kokkalis for a late afternoon lunch at the Codice Blu Restaurant in the trendy Kolonaki area in Athens. Christos was still in town, and we decided to get together for some more discussions about Greek wines. One of his two lucky agents who distribute tiny quantities of his wines in Greece, Kostas Boutopoulos, also joined us. It was a nice sunny afternoon, and we sat outside. We enjoyed some pizzas and two bottles of Mova. It was a very relaxing atmosphere and we spend three hours at the restaurant. Afterwards me in Christos went to have some coffee. Christos is such an entertaining character, it always a great pleasure to spend some time with him. We had some more fruitful discussions, and I deeply appreciate his insights and thoughts.

Meeting with Greek winemakers

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of welcoming a number of Greek winemakers at my home. Apostolos Thimiopoulos flew in from Thessaloniki, Christos Kokkalis and Thanassis Parparoussis shared a taxi from Pyrgos/Patras, Antonis Papantonis came from Nemea and Dimitris Gouravas from Athens. The first person arrived at 09:30 am, the last left at 08:00 pm - we used the whole day to discuss the promotion of Greek wines abroad. It was a very fruitful meeting, as many issues were tackled in great detail. My wife and my sister-in-law prepared great food, and I served the following wines from my cellar: A magnum of Zwalu 2003 Neil Ellis/Werner Naekel, single bottles of Masseto 2001, Casanova di Neri Pietradopice 2001, Casanova di Neri Brunello 2001, and for dessert Parparoussis Mavrodaphne 2003. This was a superb meeting and an important step to make Greek wines better known abroad. It is extremly important to work together as a team and I am very greatful for all the support I received. And of course it is always extremly useful to get the insights and honest thoughts of the people who spend their lifetime making the fascinating product called wine!

Meeting with Julia Harding, Master of Wine, in London

I just came back from a 5-day trip to London, where I took my three eldest children for a Easter treat. We stayed with different friends and I took my kids to all the tourist attractions -

a double-decker bus tour, Tower of London, Natural History Museum, London Aquarium, London Eye, Science Museum, Musical (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat), Primrose Hill...

On 15th April, which was our last night, I had booked a room at the Hyatt Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street. Actually, we were upgraded to stay at a suite, which was perfect. I did bring 6 different wines along from Athens, as I had arranged to meet with Julia Harding, Master of Wine and the right hand of Jancis Robinson , Master of Wine. I arrived at the hotel at 6 pm and went to their flagship restaurant 1901 to see the sommelier. Joris Beijn is the head sommelier and wine buyer at the Andaz. I explained my plans and he was extremly helpful: He decanted the 5 red wines, cooled the white wine, organised a large private table at the 1901, provided glasses and spittoon - I am extremly grateful for his efforts. Joris simply wanted to help, and he went out of his way to provide the best service. Julia arrived at 8 pm and we made our way to the 1901. Julia was impressed with the venue and the setting, and was delighted to see a spittoon :) I did bring the following wines, which were tasted in this order:

1. Palivou Estate - Terra Leone - Ammos reserve - 2005 - Agiorgitiko
2. Parparoussis - Taos - 2004 (released in 2008) - Mavrodaphne
3. Dalamaras - Paliokalias - 2006 - Xinomavro
4. Thimiopoulos - Ghi ke Uranos - 2006 - Xinomavro
5. Kokkalis - Trilogia - 2006 - Cabernet Sauvignon
6. Claudia Papayianni - Claudia Papayianni white - 2007 - 40% Malagousia, 30% Assyrtico, 30% Chardonnay, 4 month aged in oak

We spent two hours tasting and discussing the wines. It was extremly interesting to see how a busy Master of Wine with lots and lots of tasting experience is evaluating the wines. Julia has a great personality and shared all her thoughts. She liked all the wines and of course wrote down her tasting notes in private, so no insights from me on scores etc ;) But this was not the reason I wanted to meet her anyway. I wanted to show her wines from Greece that only few people know abroad. Wines that show their terroir. Wines one can talk about for more than just a few minutes. I believe I have succeeded in doing so. I can only reveal that Joris, who tried all wines before decanting them, was extremly fond of the Parparoussis Taos and the Kokkalis Trilogia. Julia commented on the Papayianni white that she was impressed with the density and the aromas of the wine (note: the vines are all still very young, as this is a fairly new estate), and that the world needs more wines like this in a similar price range.

When we finished the tasting after two hours, I left the opened wines with Joris to enjoy them with his staff. I had to rush back to my room, where the DVD I had put on for my children just before I met with Julia had long finished. Luckily they were tired out from the days before and had gone to bed.

Julia, thanks for giving me the opportunity to show you some Greek wines! I had a great time that evening. Joris, thank you so much for your kind help, it was appreciated a lot!

I planted 1500 vines at Kokkalis

On Saturday, 28th March, I drove to Christos Kokkalis on a mission: He wants to plant new vines at two new plots at his vineyard. I arrived in the evening and we went out for a good meal, we brought along a bottle of his 2006 Syrah. We had a nice medium rare fillet - Christos said that he had shown the cook how to prepare the meat, because in Greece, it is usually cooked well done. I stayed at his house and we went to bed early, as a lot of work was waiting for us the next day.

We got up at 07:00 am, had a cup of coffee and went straight to work: First we collected the new vines, 600 Agiorgitiko, and the equipment, a small machine to drill the holes. It looked like a miniature version of a drill used to drill for oil, about 130 cm in height. Two workers joined us in the vineyard. First we had to measure the distance for the holes to be drilled: The rows were set 2.5 meters apart, the distance between the holes were set at 1 meter. One of the workers started to indicate the exact points where the next worker drilled the holes. Christos took the new vines and cropped the roots. I then planted the cropped vines into the holes. I had to make sure that the roots were firmly in the ground, using both hands to fill up the space with earth and pushing firmly into the ground, ensuring that no air pockets were left. The first third of the plot was quite stony; the second third was clay and the last part made up of sand. Amazing how the soil structure can vary within one plot of land of about 2000 square meters. The hardest part for me was the plantation of the vines in the clay part. How on earth could I ensure that no air pockets existed? Soon my hands were cracking open from all the firm pushing into the soil. The sweat was dripping and the work is actually quite exhausting from all the bending. I was congratulating myself that I have been practising Yoga on a daily basis for the last 3 years; otherwise my back would have certainly made much more trouble. At midday, we took a 30-minute break to eat some food. Christos was very pleased with the soil structure. He explained that the stony part will be responsible for a mineral character in the grapes, the clay adds a firm texture, and the sand will produce elegance and finesse. This was the second time that I have seen true terroir in Greece! We finished the work in the afternoon, then we organised a tractor to work the soil of the second plot of land. We left at about 0530 pm. I decided to stay overnight and to help Christos again on Monday. We were both exhausted and Christos prepared a meal at his home, after which he fell asleep on the sofa at 0800 pm :)

The next morning we rose again at 0700 am and picked up the other vines: 400 Cabernet Sauvignon and 500 Syrah. We started work just after 0800 am. Christos showed me that the Cabernet vines had already began to grow, as the eye started to develop on quite a few vines. I had to be extra careful not to hurt the eye. The plot was mostly made up of earth and sand; and also some loam, about 3000 square meters. We all had learned from the day before, and the teamwork was excellent, allowing us to work at a much faster rate. It was quite a warm day. When I started to plant the first vines I told Christos that the soil was less interesting then on the other plot, as it felt so soft. He smiled and replied that once the moisture would be gone, the soil would become as hard as cement, making the vines struggle to reach deep down with their roots. "Wine produced from this plot will be very elegant indeed, and I hope that I live long enough to be able to taste it. The other plot where we planted the Agiorgitiko also has a fantastic soil structure, it might produce such good quality grapes that I might decide to bottle a single vineyard Agiorgitiko."
We finished work in the afternoon and drove to his house where he gave me my reward for my work - a magnum of Trilogia 2005, and a bottle each of Trilogia 2006 and Syrah 2006 - I had a great time and learned a lot about the physical side of the wine business. I drove back home and arrived about 3.5 hours later. My children could not believe how dirty I was.

Lunch with Christos Kokkalis at Grada Nuevo Thessaloniki

On the 6th March I met Christos Kokkalis first for a coffee, then for a 5 hour lunch at the Grada Nuevo restaurant in Thessaloniki. The restaurant has its own wine cellar and the wine list has a great selection. The owner brought us small plates of different food, everything was extremly delicious. We did not order anything from the menu, instead trusting the owner's selection of dishes. We had a lovely time, discussing wines, work in the vineyards, the Greek and foreign taste for wines etc. Time was simply flying by. I spend annother great day with a great man!

Greek wines - a busy start of the new year

My first trip of the year (22.01.) took me to Nemea where I spent a couple of hours with the very generous Mr. George Palivos of the Palivou Estate. We tasted the full range of wines, starting with the basic Anemos white (Roditis), Anemos red (Agiorgitiko), and Vissino rose (Agiorgitiko/Syrah). Next came the Estate wines: the white Stone Hills (Chardonnay/Malagousia) and the red Nemea (Agiorgitiko). These were followed by the red premium wines from the Terra Leone range: Ammos reserve (Agiorgitiko), a Merlot, and a Cabernet Sauvignon. We finished with two dessert wines - Sun's Art white (Muscat) and Sun's Art red (Agiorgitiko). Mr. Palivos clearly is a gifted vintner, as the whole range of wines tasted was superb. The quality of the basic wines is already at a high standard, and every level up in price from there is more than matched with the improving quality. From there I drove through vineyards of Koutsi and enjoyed the breathtaking beauty of nature. I did not meet a car for quite some time, I finally flagged down the first I saw to ask for directions (it is quite easy to get lost in the mountains). The driver opened the trunk of his car instead and gave me an unlabelled bottle of wine. He said he was a hobby vintner and I should try his wine (Agiorgitiko/Syrah). He showed me his vineyard, and only after I returned home did I discover that his vineyard lies right next to Gaia's! I look forward to opening the bottle soon. Thank god I still have his business card in case his wine is mindblowing, who knows, maybe I'll source the next talented Nemea vintner :) At Ktima Driopi I found only a builder who worked on a new building. I remembered that Ktima Teselepos had just taken full control of the Driopi Estate, so I decided on the spot to drive to Tripolis. There I was able to meet the owner, Mr. Yiannis Tselepos. He was one of the pioneers of the 1980s, establishing his estate quickly as a top quality boutique winery. He is a larger than life character, and I enjoyed our discussions a lot. By now it was getting late, and I arrived back home in the evening after a 400 km daytrip.

Four days later I visited the VorOino at the Grande Bretagne Hotel in Athens. This event is organized by the Wine Producers Association of the Northern Greece Vineyards, and about 40 wineries showed their wines. The event was overcrowded and extremly busy. At Ktima Alpha, I had to stand in line to taste the wines. Luckily I was able to have chats with Angelos Iatridis, the winemaker of Ktima Alpha, Evangelos Gerovassiliou, the owner of Gerovassiliou Estate, and Thanassis Arvantidis, who together with his brother George owns the Arvantidi Vineyards.

On 29.01. I left at 6 am, as I was invited by Christos Kokkalis who came to fame with his Trilogia (Cabernet Sauvignon) wine. He is located in Illia, close to Pyrgos, and I was excited to meet him. Mr. Kokkalis lived and worked as a pharmacist in Germany for 40 years. His dream was to produce a world class Cabernet wine in Greece. He began to buy land and plant vines. For a few years, he continued to work in Germany while producing wines in Greece. He finally sold his pharmacy and became a full-term winemaker. His story is amazing, as he did not have any wine background, he is completely self-taught. I arrived at about 9:30 am, at which time he had just woken up, having spent the fornight drinking lots of good wines with his friends. We talked about wines, tasted barrel samples of 2007 and 2008 Syrah and 2008 Trilogia in his garage, where he stores the barrels and winemaking equipment. The quality of his wines is of the very highest standard, even his basic Nova (Agoirgitiko/Cabernet Sauvignon) is extremly well structured. It was freezing, and his two dogs were jumping up and down on me, while I admired the barrel samples. It was almost comical, me shivering, holding the glass in my hand and trying not to tumble while the dogs jumped on me. He then took me to his friend at Ktima Stavropoulos, where organic wines are being made. I tried the white Linon (Assyrtico), and Ilis (Merlot), the former was fresh and charming, the latter dominated by wood, but soft and elegant nevertheless. The three of us had lunch at a taverna, Mr. Kokkalis then intoduced me to Dimitris Skafidas, the winemaker at Ktima Mercouri. The Mercouri Estate in my eye offers a great range of niche wines, even for Greece. They had in the past strong connections with Italy, and planted quite a few Italian grape varieties. One finds blends like Refosco/Mavrodaphne, Mourvedre/Avgoustiatis, Tourkopoula/Ribolla Gialla among others. This estate is a true wine lovers paradise, there are so many interesting wines to try, and all are exceptionally well made. I was able to discuss the eight wines I tried with the Mr. Skafidas, who kindly took the time to taste with me. By now it was already afternoon, but I had another treat waiting! Mr. Kokkalis called his good friend Thanassis Parparoussis, who is located near Patras and said I was coming to taste his wines. Mr. Parparoussis came with his car to the Patras exit I took to meet me and show me the way to his estate. We toured the winery, then went to his home where he had prepared a table with bread, fresh cheeses, water, and of course the wines. He had even decanted a wine for me after he received Mr. Kokkalis' call. We tasted together six of his wines, the quality is simpy outstanding. Amongst others, we tried a white (Athiri/Assyrtico), the red Reserve (Agiorgitiko), the red Taos (Mavrodaphne), the sweet white Muscat Rio Patras and the sweet red Mavrodaphne. I was deeply moved by the experience. At 6 pm, I started my journey home and arrived at 10 pm, having clocked up 720 km.

On 08.02. I visited the Oinotelia exhibition at the Megaro Mousikis in Athens around midday. About 40 wineries showed their wines. The exhibition was extremly well organised, and I tasted about 80 wines in four hours. I was glad to taste the new Escapades range, a Stellenbosch (South Africa) joint venture of Greek winemakers Gerovassiliou and Tsaktsarlis, as well as marketer Soldatos. Other highlights included Sclavos, Karipidis, Kikones, Panagiotopoulos, Ampeloeis, Tsilili, Oenogenesis, Fragou, Antonopoulos and others. I was most impressed with the range of wines from Ktima Argirou, all of which were fantastic.

Two days later, Mr. Kokkalis called me. When I visited him, I gave him two bottles of Daumas Gassac, 1995 and 1985. He drank them the night before his call, and wanted to thank me. He mentioned that he was in Athens the next day, and I invited him for dinner at my home. I picked him up from Kifissia tube station at 730 pm on the next evening. My wife had prepared dinner, and I served a magnum of Domaine Tempier 1990 (Bandol) with the main course, followed by a half bottle of Chateau Climens 1989 with desert. Both bottles came from my own wine cellar. We had a great evening, extremly enjoyable with lots of stories and laughter. Christos (he said good wine friends have to call each other by their first names) originally had planned to get home early, but it was midnight when he departed. It was simply one of these magical evenings, where everything fits and the time just goes by so fast. He offered me to come to his estate in summer, to show me how he makes the wine. This I will most certainly do, as he is like a great artist when it comes to making great wine!