Wine Club #9: GREECE!

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Host: Anna

Date: August 20, 2007
Theme: Olive oil and Wine
Attendees: Sara-Rose, Shereen, Carmela, Julie, Andrea, Jacquie

Focused on the origin, history, and benefits of olive oil. Originated in Crete, Greece and can be traced back 6000 years. Today, olive oil proves to have many health benefits on cardiovascular health and studies have shown that the Cretans are some of the healthiest people on Earth, the contributing factor being of course, the massive amounts of olive oil that they eat every day.

Wine #1 – Vin de Crete (red)
Origin: Greece
Vintage: 2004
Price: $8.45 LCBO
Tasting notes: tastes a bit fizzy; tastes different with food (stronger, slightly bitter) and sweeter without food; weak; bland.
Tasting notes from the LCBO website: Deep purple/red colour; cassis and red berry aroma; berry fruit flavour, medium body and medium length

Wine #2 – Kouros Nemea (red)
Origin: Peloponnese, Greece
Vintage: 2004
Price: $10.90 LCBO
Tasting notes: acidic; very good, smooth sweetness; excellent with food; bold.
Tasting notes from the LCBO website: Purple/ruby red colour, blueberry, cherry, spice, and vanilla aromas, soft fruit flavour, balanced touch of soft tannin in the finish.

Wine #3 – Retsina (white) – this wine is different than others in the sense that it is not actually made from grapes. It is made from the resin of the Aleppo pine tree. It has been made in Greece for at least 2700 years. Before the invention of glass bottles, wine was preserved and shipped in pine-pitched sealed vessels.
Origin: Macedonia, Greece
Vintage: ? not available
Price: $4.80 for a 500ml bottle
Tasting notes: hints of oregano and rosemary; hints of pine; strong smelling and spicy; smells like cat pee; tastes better with food.
Tasting notes from the LCBO website: Medium straw lemon colour; fresh and refreshingly dry; defined fresh pine gum and pine needle flavours with citrus undertones.

Wine #4 – Kouros Patras (white)
Origin: Peloponnese, Greece
Vintage: 2006
Price: $10.90 LCBO
Tasting notes: sweet smelling; fresh; sweet tasting.
Tasting notes from the LCBO website: Straw/lemon yellow colour; lanolin, lemon and mineral aroma; crisp apple & lemon flavour; light body; crisp finish.

Food with these wines: Pork/chicken soulvaki, Greek Salad, tiropitas (phyllo stuffed with feta cheese), olives, Moussaka, goat’s milk tzaziki. Dessert: Baklava, malomakarona (cookies), Metaxa 5 Star (Greek Cognac).

Ranking result: Wine #4, Wine #2, Wine #1 & #3 (tied); although the Retsina was generally not favoured, it scored higher on the tasting scale because of detected flavours when tasted and the lingering flavours after swallowing. -AP-

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