This will be our third Greek wine review. The first was a sweet wine from the island of Samos. Then came a red from the island of Crete also made by today's producer. Now we continue with a white from the Peloponnesian peninsula. This particular wine comes from pink Rhoditis grapes in the foothills near Patras at an elevation of about 650 to 1500 feet (200 to 450 meters). The producer Kourtaki has the largest wine production facility in all Greece, which is not surprising when you consider that it is the largest producer in the country. What may be surprising is that they are the first in Europe to use the patented "Crystal Flow" wine stabilization method. There is a lot happening in the world of wine, and Greece is no exception. By the way, should you so desire they still bottle and sell that classic standby, Retsina. Don't look for a review of Retsina here.
Ever. And yes, I have tasted it.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Kourtakis Kouros Patras 2008 11.9% alcohol about $ 10 Let's start by quoting the marketing materials.
"Tasting Note : Straw/lemon yellow color; lanolin, lemon and mineral aroma; crisp apple & lemon flavor; light body; crisp finish. Serving Suggestion : Pasta salad & olive oil dressing; fried seafood" And now for my review.
At the first sips the wine presented refreshing acidity. It was lemony. The initial meal centered on a soy-barbecued chicken breast. The wine showed strong lemon with good acidity. It was tasty. I got the feeling of the Greek seaside. The meal included an old favorite of mine, potatoes roasted in chicken fat. (The Greeks do their roasted potatoes differently.) The wine cut the grease.
With a white corn and black bean salsa the wine's acidity picked up but its fruit descended. With the dessert of fruit juice candy I got the lanolin that I had been promised.
The next meal involved a packaged eggplant rolatini with tomatoes, ricotta and mozzarella cheese that I slathered with grated Parmesan Cheese. This wine presented strong lemon flavor and acidity with a moderate length. Dessert was a high-quality, French lemon pie with a buttery crust. The wine was thin and yet pleasant. The two lemons meshed.
My final meal involved an omelet perked up with garlic powder and crushed chillies. The wine was pleasantly acidic and round with a side of moderately spicy guacamole. The wine became more acidic but remained pleasant and refreshing. This was a summer terrace wine. Before the traditional two cheeses I enjoyed some Matjes herring. The wine became sweet with a delicate lemon flavor. This was a pretty good pairing.
The first cheese was a local Provolone. This relatively flat cheese managed to weaken the wine. With a nutty Swiss, the wine wasn't very present and not worth wasting on the cheese.
Final verdict. I have no plans to buy this wine again. There is just too much competition out there. But it did come close. Why can't they do better?
Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine wine with the right foods and people. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of wines and new sections writing about and tasting organic and kosher wines. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.
Part 2. Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Read by Ted Delorme. Playlist for Candide by Voltaire: www.youtube.com Video Rating: 4 / 5
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Winemaking at home is much easier than a lot of people believe. Really, if you can make soup, you can make wine. Granted, there are a number of things that can go wrong with the wine making process, but as long as you are diligent and mindful of sanitizing your equipment, you have little to worry about.
Making delicious wine can be another matter entirely. Wine connoisseurs take into account a number of different variables in what they believe makes a great wine. Making wine that lives up to these heady standards can be difficult, especially if you are unsure of what methods to use.
So, how do we do this without breaking the bank? There are a number of ways to get great ingredients for wine at a very low cost to you. Here are a few ideas and suggestions to get you started:
Winemaking Kits
Most wine supply stores and wine making websites will have a number of different kits available to make wine with.
These kits often contain all of the ingredients you need to make a tasty batch of wine. These kits come with detailed instructions on how to prepare your wine, as well as explanations of the additives and other ingredients used in them. If you are new to winemaking, then this is probably the easiest and most cost effective way to go.
Farmer's Markets
If you are wanting to make fruit wine, and you are not wanting to make wine from a kit, then going to your local farmer's market is a great way to procure the fruit you need in the quantities required to make a large batch of wine. There are lots of benefits to going to a farmer's market. You pay low costs for what you get, because you are buying directly from the farmers.
The fruit you get is more than likely free of the harmful chemicals and preservatives that get sprayed on produce at the grocery store. It is easier to find organically grown fruit. Best of all, you will be actively supporting your local economy.
Local Wine Supply Stores
This is another great way to support the local economy. There are, more than likely, many home winemakers in your area. Tracking down a local wine supply store will definitely help your wallet, as buying from these stores eliminates the need to pay for shipping and other costs associated with ordering from a website. Also, shopping at a local store allows you to find some great deals from time to time, and you will probably be able to get free advice and suggestions on what types of ingredients and equipment that will work best for you.
Ingredients and additives
There are a LOT of different additives and other ingredients that you can add to your wine. If you know what they do, it may be possible to find a suitable substitution. For instance, if your recipe calls for an acid blend, you might be able to suffice with adding a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. If your recipe has tannins added to it, then perhaps you'd rather add raisins or some strongly brewed black tea, instead of adding the commercially available tannins. There are countless things you can do.
I hope that these suggestions will take away some of the worry you may have that wine making at home is expensive. If you do some research, and ask around for advice, then you really don't need to break the bank in order to make some great wine. Winemaking at home is a little site that I put together for those making wine on a budget. Take a look and see what ideas you can come up with. Remember, Winemaking is supposed to be FUN, so enjoy yourself!
