The Wine Pair Podcast

WTF is Assyrtiko?

• The Wine Pair • Season 1 • Episode 172

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This is a “wow your friends” wine if there ever was one! Serve this wine, have them guess what it is, and then amaze them with your wine knowledge. Assyrtiko is sometimes called THE Greek wine - the most famous and iconic of Greek wines - and yet not enough people know about it or talk about it. Made for thousands of years, Assyrtiko is the rare white wine that keeps its wonderful acidity even though it is most often grown in warm climates. Keep that in mind, because you might start seeing it grown more and more as climate change impacts the wine industry. You can see this in the episode artwork, but on Santorini they use this cool technique where they train the vines to grow in circles, almost like a wreath, to protect it from the wind. What is also wonderful about this wine is that we found two great wines in this episode, and each was different from the other. One was more of a Chardonnay lover's wine, and the other more of a Sauvignon Blanc lover's wine. But both were worth seeking out. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Alexakis Assyrtiko, 2023 Kir-Yanni The North Assyrtiko

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Show Notes 

Episode #172: WTF is Assyrtiko?  00:00

Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair! 

If you are new to our podcast, here is what you can expect. If you love wine and want to find great wines at affordable prices, and you want to expand your wine horizons, and you want to have a good time while doing it - then you are in the right place! Each week we explore a different wine varietal, style, brand, or region of the winemaking world, and learn about what makes them worth knowing about. And then we taste 2-3 of those wines that are reasonably priced to let you know if they are worth your hard earned money. If that feels like your vibe, then we are super happy you are here. And, we are proud to say that Decanter Magazine calls us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining.

Ok, Carmela, we have been getting a lot of requests from listeners on episodes they would like us to do, which we love love love!  Because of the number of requests, it is going to take us a little bit to get to all of them, especially since we are going to be out and traveling and doing a bunch of fun stuff this summer, so just be patient with us as we try to get to everything. 

Also, an editorial comment, maybe a public service announcement, because we have a trip to Italy coming up and we have several trips to Portland Oregon coming up in July to see our son in the Oregon Adventure Theater production of A Winter’s Tale where he will be playing the lead role - and you should check it out if you are in the Portland area - we are going to be releasing a number of minisodes and interviews to make sure you keep getting fresh content, and so we can manage our time. It’s going to be epic. 

But let’s get back to the wine for this week - because this week, we are following a suggestion from the East Idaho Foodies who asked us if we have done episodes on Greek wines. Now, we did one about a year ago on Agiorgitiko in Episode 129, and we did one about 3 years ago if you go into the way back machine, in Episode 21 on wines to drink at a Greek restaurant, so this week, we are back with a wine that people who know about it love called Assyrtiko (ah-SEER-tee-ko), but that we think not enough people know about. 

But, before we get to Assyrtiko, we thought we’d spend a few minutes just covering off on a few other Greek white wines that you may want to check out as well. 

First, there is Moschofilero (mos-koh-FEE-leh-roh) which we actually covered in the wines to drink at a Greek restaurant episode. This wine comes from the Peloponnese (peh-loh-poh-NEESE), and is best known from the high-altitude Mantinia region. It’s an aromatic variety - we have talked about aromatic white wines before which have higher levels of terpenes which are organic compounds that give things like flowers their smell. This wine actually has a slightly pink skin, which means the wine can sometimes take on a subtle blush if there is some skin contact. But flavor-wise, it’s light, crisp, and fresh, and good comparisons are to Gewürztraminer or Torrontés.

Another great Greek white wine is Malagousia (mah-lah-GOO-zee-AH), which almost went extinct - a story we hear quite often when it comes to European wines. Malagousia was revived in the 1970s by a well-regarded winemaker named Vangelis Gerovassiliou. It is also an aromatic wine, and has notes of peach, green herbs, and citrus. Depending on the winemaking approach, it can range from crisp and zesty to rich and textured - and this is, as you might guess, heavily influenced by whether or not oak is used in the aging process - but this does tend to be a wine with low acidity, which can naturally give it a bit of a heavier feel in the mouth.

A third Greek white wine you might find if you travel there is called Roditis (roh-DEE-tees). Roditis often flies  under the radar outside of Greece, but it is one of the most widely planted white varietals in Greece. For a long time, it was mostly used in basic table wines, but in recent years producers have been treating it more seriously. It’s often used in blends, but on its own, it is said to be a clean, lemony, mineral-driven wine with good acidity. Perhaps not so different from a Pinot Grigio

A final Greek white wine to know about is Savvatiano (sa-va-tee-AH-no) which is actually the most planted grape in all of Greece. It’s traditionally used in a wine called retsina - a very traditional style of Greek wine in which they add a small amount of pine tree resin into the juice during fermentation. I kid you not. It can give the wine a taste not so dissimilar from Vicks VapoRub. Again, not a joke and not my first choice in wine. However, today, modern winemakers are producing Savvatiano wines without the resin, and the results can be much different -  said to be round and soft, sometimes with apple and melon notes.

But we need to get into our wine of the day - Assyrtiko - and learn more about what it is and what makes it special, and we have two Assyrtiko wines we are going to taste and review today to see if they are any good. . .

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.

Thank you for listening to us and for supporting our show, and if you haven’t  had the chance to do so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast and leave us a nice rating and review  to help us grow our listeners - and a huge thank you to all of you who have subscribed already! 

You can also follow us on Instagram at thewinepairpodcast, and on Bluesky. You can contact us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com, and you can sign up for our email newsletter there and you can also visit our “Shop Wine” and “Shop Accessories” sections where you can find links to buy the wines that we rate as buys in each episode and accessories we think are great choices for wine lovers and as gifts, too. 

And we want to make content you care about and you like, so send us a note or DM us and give us some feedback or let us know if there are wines you want us to try or wine making areas of the world you are curious about - and we’ll take care of it! joe@thewinepairpodcast.com
A few shoutouts this week

  • East Idaho Foodies IG who not only inspired this episode but also recently shared a Torrontes wine with us that they liked
  • JM Kizer BS who gave us a nice comment on our boxed wine episode
  • WA Wine Girl on BS who told us about a boxed rose from Domaine Montrose that she thought was off the chain
  • Justin L who has been giving us a ton of great episode ideas, including one this week for the Spanish wine Mencia, so Justin, I promise, when things get a little less busy for us this summer, we’ll start getting to your ideas
  • Tips2LiveBy on BS who has a connection with Carmela - namely an obsession with fish tacos and Sauvignon Blanc!


And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should recommend The Wine Pair Podcast to - because the best way for us to grow listeners is when you tell your family and friends about us - and this week, we want you to recommend us to anyone who is curious about Greek wine and/or is headed to Greece sometime this year - because they need to know this wine!

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE


Topic: WTF is Assyrtiko? 12:24

So, now, Carmela, let’s find out just what the eff Assyrtiko is anyway, shall we?

As would be expected from an indigenous Greek wine, this is an old, old white wine grape varietal originally and most famously from the island of Santorini, where it has been grown and made into wine for thousands and thousands of years. Scientists have actually genetically identified Assyrtiko seeds found at an archeological site dating back to at least 1612 BC. That is a long effing time ago.

Which, I will say, is one of the reasons why we love doing this podcast and learning about wine because wine is intertwined within culture and history. I know people talk about whether wine is good for you or not and every week there’s another article about health benefits or that it’s not good for you, but let’s face facts. Wine is one of the oldest foods produced by humans, and it ain’t going anywhere.

Back to the topic at hand, did you know, Carmela, that some consider Assyrtiko to be THE Greek wine - the most iconic and famous of all Greek wines. So, again, this is why we need to know this wine.

Now, this is something I have never heard of before, and it may split your brain, but on Santorini, the grape vines are trained to grow into circular shapes low to the ground called koulora. Some compare them to baskets, but some of the pictures I saw made me think of wreaths or even a crown. And, really funny, but when I asked AI to create an image for our podcast episode, it actually came up with a picture that showed the grape vines in that shape. Not kidding.

Now, the reason they grow the grapes this way is because evidently Santorini can get really high winds, and so this shape protects the grapes from the wind. They also say that the shape helps to collect and retain moisture that is blown in from the sea, and this helps them use much less water in the growing process.

Assyrtiko is said to be unique because it can grow in hot and dry climates and maintain its acidity, which is unusual for white wine grapes. Remember, and we have talked about this before, Carmela, but when most grapes grow in hot weather they can get overly ripe and be very sugary, losing a lot of their acidity. But not Assyrtiko! No no no. Even when Assyrtiko is very ripe, it can maintain a high acidity, making it a very crisp wine, which we like. Some of this is attributed to the volcanic soil the grapes grow in on Santorini which is low in potassium - because potassium can reduce soil acidity, so lower potassium, more acidity in the soil.

In addition to having good acidity, which again makes a wine good with food, Assyrtiko is also known for having a lot of minerality - which, as we have mentioned often, and even did a minisode about, is a very controversial topic - even if we find that many wines we like have that rocky, salty, or chalky minerality flavor or essence to them.

Get this, Carmela. Sometimes Assyrtiko is said to be a white wine that behaves like a red wine - and some of this has to do with the fact that these wines are said to be able to age, which is not typical of most white wines.

Alos, while most of the time you will experience Assyrtiko as a still, dry white wine, which we like, it is made in different styles, including sparkling, orange wine, and a Vinsanto style. I know you know this, Carmela, but for some of our listeners who may not know, Vinsanto is a sweet style of wine, often made from sun-dried grapes and a technique that creates oxidation for that distinctive grandpa’s basement taste. Not my favorite, but can be fun to drink from time to time, and maybe when we are in Italy we will have their version of Vinsanto!

And, Assyrtiko is most famously from Santorini, it is made in different parts of Greece like Macedonia, Central Greece, and the Peloponnese. It is also being planted in places like Australia, California, and North Carolina - which are all warmer climate growing areas - and some are seeing this wine being an important varietal as the climate continues to change and grow warmer.

Assyrtiko is a well respected wine, but it is also is gaining a better and better reputation and more notoriety over time, and is sometimes compared to Riesling from Alsace or Germany as well as unoaked Chardonnay such as Chablis. It is considered more of a textural white wine than an aromatic white wine because of its body and structure. So, it’s wine to know, and maybe to wow your friends with before they all know about it!

Well, I am really excited to try this wine again - it’s been a while - so how about we learn a bit more about the two wines we chose for this episode?


Assyrtiko Wines We Chose for This Episode 19:43

As usual, the wines we have chosen for this episode are under $25, and they should be relatively easy to find because I bought them on wine.com. As we always say, check out your local wine shop and ask the person who runs the store if they carry Assyrtiko, and if they don’t, I can guarantee they can get it for you. We would also suggest you check out some local natural wine stores, too, because very often wines from places like Greece are made in very low intervention ways, and they can likely source some great ones for you. 

The first wine we are going to try today is the 2023 Alexakis Assyrtiko, and it comes from the island of Crete. There were a few sources of information for this wine, although I could not find a tech sheet. It is imported by a well-known importer called Skurnik wines from New York that we have had good luck with most of the time. 

The winery and wine brand is run by two brothers, Lazoros and Apostoli Alexakis, who import a lot of their wine to the US but try to keep ancient winemaking practices going. The information I have says the Alexakis brothers source these grapes from high-elevation vineyards where ancient wine presses have survived since the Bronze Age. I don’t think they are still using these winepresses, thankfully. 

The wine is tank-fermented and aged on the lees, or sur lie if you are fancy, for three months. Remember that the lees is the stuff that’s left over from fermentation, and is often used in white wines to add some complexity and depth, and sometimes bitter notes. 

It received a 91 from Wine Advocate and, maybe best of all, it is a screw cap!

So now let’s turn to our next wine which is the 2023 Kir-Yanni The North Assyrtiko which also got a 91 from Wine Advocate and is also a screw cap. It’s like the best day of our lives!

There was a nice website for this wine, so that makes me happy. I will say that both of these wines are relatively high in alcohol for white wines at 13.5% or higher. This wine comes from, as you might guess from the name, from the Northern region of Greece, right near the border of North Macedonia called Florina. This is a cooler, inland area at higher elevation and sandy soils and it also neighbors four lakes which help to moderate the temperature. 

There was some interesting information on the website about this specific wine - they say that 2023 was the warmest year ever recorded in the region, and so they had to really carefully determine when to harvest. They hand-harvested the wine in mid-to-late September. 

They also said that the winemaking process included rigorous selection on conveyor belt - which I assume means that they really picked through the grapes that they harvested as they came across on the conveyor belt - probably to pick out grapes that were not too ripe. Then they fermented the wine in stainless steel tanks and kept it in contact with the lees for 4 months.

Well,  I think that is enough information - let’s get to drinking! We’ll take a quick break and be right back. And, if you have these wines or similar wines, drink along with us to get some participation points, which you can trade-in for free stickers. You just need to send me an email with your mailing address, and I will get those “I drink with The Wine Pair Podcast” stickers over to you!



LINKS TO SOURCES FOR THESE SPECIFIC WINES



2023 Alexakis Assyrtiko, 2023 Kir-Yianni The North Assyrtiko Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review 25:36

Wine: Alexakis Assyrtiko (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase.)
Region: Greece, Crete
Year: 2023
Price: $19.97
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13.8%
Grapes: Assyrtiko
Professional Rating: WA: 91, JR 50 Great Greek Wines 2023; Vivino 3.8

What we tasted and smelled in this Alexakis Assyrtiko:

  • Color: Straw, pretty, a touch gold
  • On the nose: Yeasty, bread, peach, nectarine, apple, citrus, orange
  • In the mouth: A bit alcoholy like a Spritz, complex - starts sweet apple, turns to citrus, then good bitterness on the end with seashell and seawater and a touch of vanilla, medium-bodied, a bold wine, good for the Chardonnay lover in your life. 


Food to pair with this Alexakis Assyrtiko: Very versatile wine, spaghetti and clams, lightly breaded fish filet, white fish, mahi-mahi, chicken, fried chicken, baked stuffed chicken, curry, Indian food like Tikka Masala, great with falafel, hummus, souvlaki, gyros
 
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, with no half points, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it. 

Alexakis Assyrtiko Wine Rating: 

  • Joe: 8/10
  • Carmela:7 /10


Wine: Kir-Yianni The North Assyrtiko (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase)
Region: Greece, Florina
Year: 2023
Price: $21.97
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grapes: Assyrtiko
Professional Rating: WA 91; Vivino 3.8

What we tasted and smelled in this Kir-Yianni The North Assyrtiko:

  • Color: Light yellow, Champagne colored, almost beige
  • On the nose: Peach, pineapple, citrus, clementine, lime, apricot, tropical fruit, sweet edge to it
  • In the mouth: Sweet, reminds a bit of a Sauvignon Blanc, some pineapple juice, stone, lemonade or limeade, some melon, medium-ish body


Food to pair with this Kir-Yianni The North Assyrtiko: Seafood wine, delicate fish with lemon, lighter chicken dishes. Great with Greek salad and olive. Baba Ganoush, garlicky food.

Kir-Yianni The North Assyrtiko Wine Rating: 

  • Joe: 7/10
  • Carmela: 8/10


Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

  1. Carmela: Kir-Yianni The North Assyrtiko
  2. Joe: Alexakis Assyrtiko



Taste profiles expected from Assyrtiko 37:41

  • General 
    • Lemon, lime, grapefruit, passion fruit, orange blossom, jasmine flower, beeswax, flint, salty, high acidity
  • Alexakis Assyrtiko
    • Winery: Bright yellow color with green hues. The bouquet displays aromas of passion fruit, mango and citrus. Balanced taste with crispy acidity and a characteristic minerality around the palate. Long and lasting finish.
    • WA: The fruit is amply layered with marine salt and minerals, giving the wine a very angular and crisp personality. There are aromas of lemon, pear and star fruit over a lean, fresh close.
  • Kir-Yianni The North Assyrtiko
    • Winery: Vibrant yellow lemon color. Intense nose with aromas of peach and apricot, complemented by notes of citrus and white blossoms. The mouth is crisp and zesty with balancing acidity and delicate mineral notes in the background. Pleasant lingering finish.
    • WA: shows fresh lines and crisp citrus flavors. Beyond those hints of lemon peel and sweet peach are pretty mineral notes that recall crushed oyster shell. I love the mineral brightness of this easy-drinking white. To the palate, this cool-climate Assyrtiko shows a sharp and linear entry.
    • JR: Quite aromatic for Assyrtiko, with green fruits and a peachy stone-fruit quality. Nicely dry on the palate, almost chalky, with plenty of fruit. More fruity than Santorini Assyrtiko but still with the variety's tension and freshness.


What’s the verdict on Assyrtiko? 39:27

Worth checking out Assyrtiko, a wow your friends wine. This is a wine to show-off your wine knowledge, and give them something to talk about and surprise.

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 40:28

Ok, so, Carmela, it’s time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast app - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

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Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.

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