Greeks bearing gifts: a mixed case, from Assyrtiko to Xinomavro

They were drinking wine in Greece in Neolithic times, and haven't stopped since. In the classical era, wine took its place in the pantheon of drinks: beer for barbarians, wine for the civilised, nectar for the gods. Ignorance of wine was the mark of a savage. Trade (mostly over water) helped spread Greek wines, vines and wine culture through Europe. In the Middle Ages, Orthodox monasteries acquired land and winemaking became the preserve of monks. Then the Ottomans didn’t approve of wine, and wine culture suffered. For long after Greek independence in 1830, the relative poverty of the new state meant it didn’t develop a substantial fine wine culture. For most of the twentieth century, the Greek wine scene focused around the bulk efforts of cooperatives. It has really only been in the last twenty years that there has been an explosion of small wineries exploring the country's remarkable viticultural heritage. There is a huge number of indigenous grape varieties, many of which are still undocumented, and some of which, such as Assyrtiko and Xinomavro, can be truly world-class. To help you get to grips with the amazing diversity of a fascinating wine country, we have put together a mixed case with money off and free delivery. /NT

Greek Mixed Case
12x75cl
£270 case inc duty and VAT
Saving £35.80, delivered free of charge

Contains one bottle of each of the following wines:

2024 Domaine Lyrarakis Dafni Psarades Vineyard

On the island of Crete, Lyrarakis is a family winery devoted to the revival of indigenous native grape varieties. Dafni is named after the Greek word for laurel, and Lyrarakis rescued this variety from extinction to make one of their most distinctive white wines. The bay-and-rosemary herbal character comes with the suggestion of ripe, waxy lemons in this dramatic, nervy wine.

2024 Gaia Notios White Moschofilero/Roditis/Assyrtiko

Acclaimed winery Gaia have been at the forefront of the Greek wine revolution. Notios blends the three native varieties of Moschofilero, Roditis and Assyrtiko. The Moschofilero brings the expressive floral character, the Roditis brings the vibrant citrus and the Assyrtiko brings depth, complexity and a very mineral finish. 

2024 Gerovassiliou Malagousia Epanomi

Nobody had heard of Malagousia and it was almost extinct when Evangelos Gerovassiliou planted it in 1981. Since then, Gerovassiliou has gone on to become one of the acclaimed wineries of the new Greece, and Malagousia has become one of Greece's flagship varieties. This wine is highly aromatic; think pear, peach and flower, with an opulent mid-palate breaking against the flinty finish.  

2023 Domaine Lyrarakis Voila Assyrtiko

The origins of Assyrtiko lie on Santorini, but its ability to retain acidity in a hot climate have seen this great variety spread much further afield. Lyrarakis have made a great success of it on the Voila Plain on eastern Crete; think peach and lime with that classic Assyrtiko salted pistachio finish. 

2023 Kyperounda Petritis

From Greek Cyprus, Xynisteri is a grape variety that can tend towards the fat and flabby - but not when it's cultivated in Europe’s highest vineyards. Kyperounda tend vines at 1400 metres of altitude in the Troodos Mountains on the centre of the island. Their Petritis is a racy, thrillingly mineral wine with notes of pine and mountain flower. 

2023 Gerovassiliou Viognier Epanomi

While Gerovassiliou like to focus on native Greek varieties, their Viognier is always an irresistibly good exception. The expressive aromatics mingle jasmine, exotic fruit and a subtle hint of smoke.

2022 Vassaltis Alcyone Barrel Aged Assyrtiko

Santorini is a brutally tough place to make wine, with baking sun, fierce winds and extremely low rainfall. But at Vassaltis, Yannis Valambous is a tough guy, and Santorini's native white Assyrtiko grape variety can make stunning wine, marrying a severe minerality to expressive mid-palate depth. This barrel-aged example gets a lick of some classy oak, for extra refinement. 

2020 Gaia Clay Orange Assyrtiko Santorini

Orange wines are white wines that have been vinified like red wines, on the grape skins. The best examples, like this textured beauty from Gaia, marry complex notes of eastern spice with grippy, pithy tannins and a salty acidity.

2022 Domaine Lyrarakis Liatiko Aggelis Vineyard

Liatiko is an ancient Cretan red grape variety, and the Liatiko vines in eastern Crete's Aggelis vineyard are almost a hundred years old. These vines produce low yields of small, intensely flavoured grapes. Tangy red cherry and spice notes in this medium-bodied, complex red.

2022 Alpha Estate Xinomavro Hedgehog Vineyard

In the cool highlands of Macedonia, in northern Greece, Alpha Estate produce outstanding examples of Greece's most noble red grape variety, Xinomavro. This is a beautiful example of the variety with notes of red fruits and rose petal, with the succulent fruit judiciously balanced against delicate but drying tannins.  

2021 Alpha Estate Xinomavro Reserve Old Vines

A fabulous, full-bodied, refined and very cellarworthy Xinomavro, which amply demonstrates how good Xinomavro can get - and how it can echo Barolo. Top notes of dried rose and sundried tomato, plenty of black cherry, liquorice and some well-handled notes of oak. This comes from a single block of very old vines. 

2018 Akrathos Xinomavro (Halkidiki)

Figs and flower, cigar box and dried fruit, and some savoury notes of thyme and tomato leaf in this complex, elegant Xinomavro. Akrathos are a fine modern winery who cultivate vines in the hills south of Thessaloniki, looking out towards the Aegean.