Gaia Estates Agiorgitiko 2017
Background
It’s time to introduce another new grape! Agiorgitiko (Ay-ghee-or-ee-tee-ko) or “St George’s Vine” is a dark purple grape that is indigenous to mainland Greece. It’s mostly used in low-lying regions to produce cheap bulk wines. In higher altitudes and in the right terroir though, Agiorgitiko can make some of the best red wines in the country.
The best region for Agiorgitiko is Nemea, a small collection of hills on the eastern part of Peloponnese. (Gaia is specifically in the village of Koutsi, if you wanted to check it out on Google Maps). The area is well suited for wine growing for a few of the reasons we’ve touched on before. Gaia is about 600 meters above sea level, and less than 30 km from the coast. The growing season is long and sunny, with the cool ocean breeze moderating the temperatures at night. The hills of Nemea are mostly clay, which holds water down underground. In a part of the world that is fairly dry, the clay soils ensure the vines never get too thirsty.
Tasting Notes
All of these factors allow Agiorgitiko (keep saying it, it gets easier every time), to have a looooooong comfortable growing season. The fruit can achieve full ripeness, and the resulting wines have a dark, deep character. Black plum, prune, blackberries set a pleasing tone. There is a hint of spice and warmth from seeing a little bit of time in barrel, but the wood use is restrained. This wine almost shows like a darker Merlot. It’s got the same big, fat, lush fruit tannin, and surprisingly delicious depth.
Food Pairing
- Chicken Thighs – wines with dark fruit flavours go really well with dark-meat poultry. Chicken thighs, turkey drumsticks, or if you’re going to splurge Cumbrae’s, Sanegan’s and Cheese Boutique (and other places) sell vacuum-packed duck confit. You just open the pack and sear it in a pan. An easy fancy dinner.
- Tortiere – Merci to our friends from La Bell Province for perfecting the already perfect meat pie. Agiorgitiko’s dark berry fruit will make the meat taste richer, and the little bit of oak on the wine will highlight the traditional clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon spice flavours. You should also adhere to tradition by dressing your tortiere with some kind of ketchup. Rules are rules!
- Miss Vickie’s Korean BBQ – For salty potato chips, I wouldn’t be afraid of chilling this wine down a bit. Even when you’re drinking a wine that has some body and depth, you shouldn’t be afraid to pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes first. The term ‘room temperature’ is leftover from when we were heating houses with wood fires. Especially when enjoying sweet, spicy, super salty chips, a glass of red at just below room temperature can be refreshing.
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