Greece is the top destination for white wines. Greek White or Rose Resinated wine is fresh, light, easy-drinking, and available at most times of the year.
Some great sweet red wines are also available in Greece, but it is the white wine that steals the show. The Greek White or Rose Resinated wine is the most distinctive gift from this cradle of Western civilization.
Indigenous White Grape Varieties
Made from indigenous white grape varieties, the Greek White or Rose Resinated wine maintains a different taste profile. It is a tribute to the parade of white grape varieties growing across Greece’s various islands and mainland growing regions.
Produced right at home, the Greek White or Rose Resinated wine has the verve and balance that are every bit as energetic and lively as the northern lights of Chablis. It is commonly blended with exotic fruits, almonds, and lemon skins.
Greek white wines are largely influenced by the sea. The cooling breeze, particularly in the night, imparts a freshening presence in the vineyards. This enables the grapes to stay healthy and retain their acidity as well.
Assyrtiko is at its very best on the island of Santorini, where the soil plays a vital role. These soils are volcanic, with the combination of sea and the sun. And such soil-producing wines invariably seem to crackle with life. With preserved lemon pithiness joined by salty refreshing notes like flavourful mineral water, it is one of the purest expressions of the Greek White or Rose Resinated wine. A better wine with white fish simply prepared is hard to imagine.
Significant Greek Whites
Although Greek white wine is also produced from international grape varieties, Assyrtiko, Debina, Moschofilero, Roditis, Savatiano, and Vilana are some of the most significant Greek Rose Resinated indigenous grape-wine varieties.
- Assyrtiko: It is one of the best-known qualities of Greek White or Rose Resinated wine. Assyrtiko ably retains acidity in hot growing conditions. And its popularity has spread from its native Santorini to other parts of Greece as well. The distinctive mineral character of Assyrtiko ages well and is sometimes blended with international varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon or with the indigenous Malagousia.
- Debina: Widely grown in Epirus, northwest Greece, Debina is a white wine grape variety. It retains high levels of acidity. The and is the only permitted variety in the light Greek White or Rose Resinated wine of the Zítsa appellation. It is often produced as an off-dry or sparkling style white wine.
- Moschofilero: Best known for producing low-octane aromatic, spicy and delicate Greek White. Moschofilero is also used in the production of rosé and sparkling wine and is primarily cultivated in the Mantinia region of the Peloponnese.
- Roditis: This Greek White or Rose Resinated wine is particularly grown in Anhkíalos in Thessaly, central Greece, and is a slightly pink-skinned Greek white-wine grape variety. Roditis retains acidity well in hot growing conditions and is a late-ripening variety. Often blended alongside Savatiano, it is particularly susceptible to powdery mildew and viruses. Roditis is also commonly used in the production of the Retsina.
- Robola: Largely grown on Greece’s Ionian islands of Cephalonia, Robola gives its name to both the grape variety and the Greek White or Rose Resinated wine it produces. With a lot of power, acidity, and extract, Robola is distinctive and is a highly regarded Greek white wine having dry citrus lemon flavors.
- Savatiano: It is one of the most widely planted Greek white wine grape varieties in Greece. Savatiano has considerable holdings in Attica and Central Greece but is naturally low in acidity and highly drought resistant. Sometimes blended with Assyrtiko or Roditis to counteract its low acidity, Savatiano is the primary grape in Retsina. With well-balanced acidity, Savatiano can produce high-quality Greek White or Rose Resinated wine.
- Vilana: Native to the Greek island of Crete, Vilana is a white wine grape variety. It produces aromatic, lightly spicy, and dry Greek White or Rose Resinated wine with the Peza appellation requiring 100% Vilana. When blended with Thrapsathiri, Sitía requires 70% Vilana.
Greece was once one of the foremost producers of white wine in the ancient world. However, modern Greek wines are only now reaching out to the rest of the world. Greece now offers outstanding White or Rose Resinated wine value with new varieties to expand your palate!
Feel free and look forward to enjoying the best Greek White or Rose Resinated wine that is made to be drunk young on any occasion or type of food without having to think about choosing a different bottle. Expand your perspective as Greek White is subtly a great different take with unfamiliar, indigenous grapes grown nowhere else in the world. So beware, it is easy to fall into a wine-drinking rut.
