Greek Agiorgitiko, good in any glass

I once lived in a NYC neighborhood so Greek that even ATMs defaulted to Greek. We ate a lot of tasty Greek food and drank a lot of good Greek wine.


What do you think?

Today we feature Agiorgitiko, a leading Greek red grape. Do you love Greek wine … and do you drink it from a wine glass or a tumbler?


To my initial surprise, most of these casual tavernas offered their delicious Greek wines not in fancy stemmed glasses but poured up to the top of sturdy, serviceable tumblers.

You know what? It tasted just fine that way. I slurped through a lot of good Greek wine in tumblers during that four-year stay in the lovable Astoria section of Queens, and never uttered a complaint. I even learned to like the fabled pine-scented Retsina, at least a little, as a quaff to stand up to the delicious souvlaki at Uncle George’s Taverna on Broadway.

I learned about Greece’s more traditional wines too, from the stony, mineral-rich white Assyrtiko of Santorini in the Greek islands to the hearty red Agiorgitiko, Xinomavro, and more, which reminded me of quality Italian reds in overall style yet spoke with a Greek accent all their own.

To test a hypothesis, I poured samples of Seméli Agiorgitiko into this 8-ounce tumbler and Riedel "Wine Friendly" glass. Did the glass matter? Read on!

To test a hypothesis, I poured samples of Seméli Agiorgitiko into this 8-ounce tumbler and Riedel “Wine Friendly” glass. Did the glass matter? Read on!

Now, I’m well aware that wine enthusiasts usually drink our wine from relatively pricey glasses with a large, tulip-shaped bowl and a thin stem to hold it by. There are good reasons why this tradition has evolved, too: The bowl affords room to swirl the wine, exposing it to air and liberating the delicious aromas that make wine special. Its curved edges hold in some of those aromas, making them readily available to our noses. And that funny stem makes an ideal place to hold the glass, keeping the warmth of our hands from warming the wine, not to mention keeping greasy fingerprints off the glass.

So, when we’re drinking pricey, special wines worthy of contemplation, it makes sense to break out our fancy stemmed glasses from Riedel or Spiegelau and other quality producers. For the fancy stuff, it matters.

But when we’re dining at a modest Greek or Italian spot, or even enjoying that style of fun, food-friendly, and modestly priced wine at home, there’s no good reason not to get down the tumblers, saving the fragile and pricey crystal for another day.

To put this to the test, I poured samples of this week’s featured wine, Seméli 2022 “Feast” Peloponnese Agiorgitiko, into an 8-ounce tumbler and a Riedel “Wine Friendly” glass.

Did the wine taste the same from both the pricey glass and the everyday tumbler? Well, yes and, of course, no. The made-for-wine tulip glass concentrated the aromas, as it’s meant to do, and offered the wine more readily for thoughful analysis. The tumbler needed more swirling and sniffing to achieve a similar effect. That said, the difference was less obvious once I actually got the wine in my mouth, which of course is where it’s meant to go.

At the end of the story, yes, of course I’ll continue using standard wine glasses to review wines, and when I’m enjoying something special. But if I get a tumbler full at a taverna or trattoria or even a local pizzeria, I won’t complain one bit.

Agiorgitiko, by the way, is the most widely planted red-wine grape in Greece, and one of its most popular. The name translates to “Saint George” in English and, according to Diane Kochilas, the host, creator and co-producer of My Greek Table on American Public Television, it’s pronounced “aye-yor-yee-tee-koh” in Greek.

here’s a link to Kochilas’s blog post, Agiorgitiko – One of Greece’s Great Reds.. You can find My Greek Table at this link on PBS.

 

Today’s Tasting Report

Seméli 2022 “Feast” Peloponnese Agiorgitiko ($12.99)

Seméli  "Feast" Agiorgitiko

Seméli 2022 “Feast” Peloponnese Agiorgitiko is a clear reddish-purple color with rosy glints at the edges. A tasty mix of fresh fruit aromas rise from the glass: blueberries and strawberries and juicy cherries in a happy dance. All the fruit comes across in the flavor in a firm structure of brisk acidity, with light tannic astringency joining the chorus in a long, clean finish. Alcohol doesn’t intrude at a rational 13%. U.S. importer: Athenee Importers & Distributors, Hempstead, N.Y. (Nov. 13, 2024)

FOOD MATCH: The producer suggests serving this food-friendly wine with grilled meat, pasta with red tomato sauces, spicy sausages, and cheese. It went very well for us with a pasta crafted to match: Bucatini with a garlicky mix of kalamata olives and tangy capers with olive oil.

WHEN TO DRINK: This modest Agiorgitiko isn’t meant for long cellaring, but its good balance of fruit with acidity and tannins, plus its sturdy screwcap, suggest that you don’t have to worry about drinking it through 2025 or 2026.

VALUE:
At Wine-Searcher.com’s $13 average U.S. retail, which matches my local price, this one is a top value in a red table wine.

WEB LINK:

Here’s the importer’s fact sheet. You might also enjoy browsing producer Seméli’s pages, starting with this link to the “Feast” Agiorgitiko page.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Seméli “Feast” Agiorgitiko on Wine-Searcher.com.

Follow this Wine-Searcher link for information about the Agiorgitiko grape and links to vendors.

Read about Greece’s Peloponnese Peninsula and its wines at this Wine-Searcher link.

 

Find the wines you want

Explore Wine-Searcher

Wine-Searcher.com is the place to go online if you want to find where to buy a particular wine that interests you. What’s more, Wine-Searcher.com offers so much more. It’s well worth a visit just to discover its many features, including its popular list of the world’s Top 10 Best Value Wines.

 

Good wines we’ve tried under $10.99!

Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $10.99 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases the prices may have risen over the $10.99 mark since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!

 

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