A Wine Lover"s Neat Weekly Review Of $15 Wines - An Assyrtiko Signed Greece

This is certainly not our first Greek wine. But it is first one costing over $10. Ioannis Boutari, great-grandfather of the current president, founded the winery carrying his name in northern Greece in 1879. Boutari bottled the first red wines on the Greek market. The volcanic island of Santorini has produced fine wine since the Middle Ages. Because the phylloxera louse never made it to this island these vines are not grafted onto American rootstocks. The Assyrtiko variety is grown elsewhere in Greece and is transformed into dry, sweet, and Retsina wine. I actually thought of making our companion wine a Retsina but instead went for a Hungarian white at somewhat more than half the Assyrtiko's price.

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Wine Reviewed Boutari Santorini 2010 13.5 % alcohol about $13.

Let's start with the marketing materials "Description: Will this local hero become an international superstar? Assyrtiko is the grape variety that makes its home in the volcanic soils of the island of Santorini. Tasting Note: This is impressive from the first whiff, lightly honeyed and heavily chalky. Then there's the texture-satin smooth even while the acidity is gripping, the fruit pithy in its savory firmness. It ends with a sea breeze salinity, refreshing despite the wine's size. On the ripe side, it's best decanted, perhaps with rosemary-scented pork shoulder. Score - 90. (at the wine and spirits magazine web site, Aug. 2011). And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine offered subtle sweetness; chalk, and citrus. Japanese rice crackers increased this libation's acidity, but it was still quite pleasant. Then came a boxed Baked Ziti Siciliano that I doused with grated Parmesan cheese. Now the liquid's acidity was refreshing. It was fairly long and I noted citrus. Fresh strawberries imparted a burnt taste to our Greek friend. Haagen-Dazs mint chip ice cream gave this liquid sharp, somewhat unpleasant acidity.

My next meal centered on barbecued chicken. In response the libation was imbued with ethereal acidity. It was long and multilayered. Its floral and metallic tastes worked well together. The Tuscany Three Bean Medley with Sundried Tomatoes muted the liquid to some extent but it remained subtle and long. Dessert consisted of Swiss Dark Chocolate with Orange Flavor and Almonds. In response the wine was weak at first but finished light and pleasant.

My final meal was an omelet spiced up with crushed red peppers, sliced garlic, and dried basil. Now whitey was long, metallic, and smoky with a lightly burnt taste. Mediterranean olives rendered my glass's acidity sharp but not unpleasant and I got a taste of honey. A pickled garlic morsel weakened the liquid but the honey remained. A slice of Greek-style Feta cheese made the wine weak and yet subtle. Fresh raspberries gutted this wine. Final verdict. I plan to buy this wine again. It has succeeded in removing a possible prejudice against Greek wine. However, Retsina is a different story.