Greece - Korina Miller [54]
Greek wines are produced in relatively small quantities, making many essentially boutique wines (and priced accordingly). House wine can vary dramatically in quality (white wine is often the safer bet), and is ordered by the kilo/carafe. Few places serve wine by the glass.
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During the 1960s urbanisation in Athens and parallel tourism boom, bottled retsina took over from the casks that tavernas used to ferment it in – and was imported around the world.
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Dessert wines include excellent muscats from Samos, Limnos and Rhodes, Santorini’s Vinsanto, Mavrodafne wine (often used in cooking) and Monemvasia’s Malmsey sweet wine.
Meanwhile, retsina nowadays retains a folkloric significance with foreigners. It does go well with strongly flavoured food (especially seafood) and you can still find some fine homemade retsina. Wineries are also producing a more lightly resinated and new-age retsina.
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TRAVEL YOUR TASTE BUDS
You will discover a range of culinary treats on your travels around Greece. Look out for the following.
ahinosalata – sea urchin eggs with lemon juice, for a super-sea taste
anthoi – zucchini flowers stuffed with rice and herbs
bekri mezes – spicy meat pieces cooked in tomato and red wine
bougatsa – Thessaloniki’s famous baked creamy semolina/custard pudding wrapped in pastry, and sprinkled with icing sugar
dolmadhes – vine or cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and herbs
domatokeftedhes – tasty tomato fritters from the Cyclades
fava – yellow split-pea purée from Santorini
gavros marinatos – delicious marinated anchovies
hohlii bourbouristoi – Crete’s famous snail dish, fried with vinegar and rosemary
horta – wild or cultivated greens; nutritious and delicious
keftedhes – small meatballs made with minced lamb or pork
melitzanosalata – a tangy roast aubergine purée
saganaki – a sharp, hard cheese skillet-fried until crispy on the outside and soft in the centre
spetsofai – a spicy sausage and pepper stew, originally from Volos and Pelion
taramasalata – a thick pink or white purée of fish roe, potato, oil and lemon juice
tyrokafteri – a spicy feta cheese–based dip
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THE ART OF OUZO
Ouzo is Greece’s most famous but misunderstood tipple. While it can be drunk as an aperitif, for most Greeks ouzo has come to embody a way of socialising – best enjoyed during a lazy, extended summer afternoon of seafood mezedhes (appetisers) by the beach. Ouzo is sipped slowly and ritually to cleanse the palate between tastes (it also cuts through the oiliness of some foods). It is served in small bottles or karafakia (carafes) with water and a bowl of ice cubes, and is commonly drunk on the rocks, diluted with water (it turns a cloudy white). In some regions they prefer it straight (and claim the ice crystalises the sugar and alcohol, making you drunk quicker). Whatever the case, mixing it with cola is a foreign abomination.
Made from distilled grapes in a similar way to grappa or raki (Cretan fire water), ouzo is also distilled with residuals from fruit, grains and potatoes and flavoured with spices, primarily aniseed, giving it that liquorice flavour. The best ouzo is produced in Lesvos (Mytilini), particularly Plomari, named after the region where it is widely made. There are more than 360 brands of ouzo.
These days more ouzo is drunk in Germany than Greece, where Johnnie Walker dominates and the trendy young things are downing mojitos.
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Spirits
Greece’s main firewater is tsipouro, a highly potent spirit produced from fermented distilled grape skins. Crete produces a similar but smoother variation called raki or tsikoudia. Greek brandies tend to be sweet and flowery in the nose, the dominant brand