31 Jan 2014

At Cava, A Love for Wine

Photo courtesy of Ted Xenohristos

I was recently invited to a dinner at Cava Mezze with some local bloggers to sample the restaurant’s new cocktails and some of the highlights on the menu. Aside from being treated to tastings of their fabulous food — an a few really good cocktails — we got a glimpse into what goes into choosing some of the wines they are known for. While sitting next to the owner, Ted Xenohristos, I got to hear about his trips around Greece and his pursuit to find unique wines that would complement his menu.

One wine that I particularly enjoyed was a Santorini white wine from Gavalas Winery in Santorini. Xenohristos and his partner, Ike Grigoropoulos, spent time at the Greek winery identifying the perfect picks. The picture above is them with the owner, holding 100 year old vines. Hard life, right?

While you may not always get to hear first hand how the wines were chosen, give the wine selection a second look and ask your server for some recommendations and insights. These are great picks with some interesting stories!

Photo courtesy of Ted Xenohristos

The winery website provides more insight into how the grapes benefit from the climate. Below, an excerpt:

Santorini, dry white wine, is produced from the exquisite native varieties of 905 Assyrtiko and Aidani (10%), carefully selected from the traditional vineyard of the island. This vineyard is considered to be the oldest in Greece, it has never been affected by the Phylloxera disease, and the grapes are grown on original stock. The rainfall on the island is limited and the winds in the summer can be very powerful. In order to protect the grapes from the strong winds, the vines are pruned in a cylindrical form – a characteristic way of pruning in Santorini – so that the fruit can mature in the centre. The harvest begins in the middle of August. The grapes are brought to the winery, having been carefully placed in crates and baskets, never completely filled so as to avoid any damage that might occur in transportation. Only 25% of the grape juice is extracted. It is then placed in stainless steel tanks where with a cold process it is separated from the lees. Fermentation then takes place in stainless steel vats at 18oC.

The result is a most distinctive dry, white wine possessing PDO status, characterised by a bright yellow-white colour.

Santorini, one of the Cyclades islands, is without doubt a unique creation of nature. It was first inhabited at the end of the 5th millenium B.C. and was named “Strogyli”, because of its round shape.

Around 1700 B.C., a catastrophic volcanic explosion caused the sinking of a large part of the island and the creation of an immense crater, the center of which was submerged below the sea. The remnants of the crater walls formed the islands of New and Old Kameni, Aspronissi and Thirassia.

These comprise the present complex of islands of Santorini. The soil of the vineyards is composed of limestone and is covered by a mixture of chalk, slate, ash, lava and pumice. The limited rainfall combined with the strong winds in the summer result in a low yield of grapes, thus providing an outstanding quality for the Santorini wines. During the summer months, the vines are “watered” at night by the mist rolling in from the sea, creating a kind of gentle artificial rain.

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