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Do You Know Fokiano? (#WinePW)

 

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I was so excited when the #WinePW 2021 calendar came out and Deanna from Wineivore suggested a Greek wine theme. You can view her initiation for this month’s event here. If you can, join us on Twitter on Saturday, December 11 at 8am PT/11am ET and follow the #WinePW hashtag to join our discussion!

Next to Turkish wine, I probably know Greek wine the best (which is NOT to say I’m at all an expert!). Yes we’re neighbors and we share a few grapes but we don’t get a lot of Greek wine in Turkey. However, two of my best friends live in Athens and regular visits over the last few years have allowed me to explore Greek wine quite a bit. When this topic came up, I flirted with Assyrtiko and a few other grapes but dismissed them. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Assyrtiko! But I like to play with the weird and esoteric grapes. So, for this month’s #WinePW, I’m shining the spotlight on Fokiano.

Get to Know Φωκιανό

I learned about Fokiano (Φωκιανό) a few years ago in Athens at Oenorama. There were two or three wineries there featuring this little-known grape. It was also there I made the connection that Fokiano is one of those varieties that Greece and Turkey share. Here, we call it Foça Karası and it is sadly underutilized. 

The grape gets its name from the Ionian city Phokaia (Phocaea), an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Anatolia. The city now goes by the name Foça, whence comes the Turkish name for the grape. Fokiano grows mostly in the islands of Samos, Ikaria, in the Cycladic and Dodecanese islands, and apparently on the Peloponnese.  It is a vigorous variety resistant to disease and drought.

Few produce it. I think only about 200 hectares give or take are cultivated. But for those who do, Fokiano makes red, rosé, and sweet (usually passito) wines. It takes well to oak and can age at least for the medium-term.

Karimalis Winery Philosopher, 2008

In 1999, George and Eleni Karimalis left city life in Athens behind to return to their homeland, the island Ikaria. There they restored a 500-year-old vineyard that had been passed down to them and started Karimalis Winery and an agritourism business.

Karimalis harvests grapes from three vineyards: one on site with the winery and two others they own: ‘Kalabele’ near the village of Nas and ‘Stefanes’ near the village of Pigi. All three vineyards are certified organic and cultivate local varieties such as Reteno, Kountouro (Mantilaria), Fokiano, Mpegleri, and Assyrtiko. Ikaria, located in the Aegean Sea near Samos, takes its name from Icarus (as in flew too close to the sun infamy). Mountainous with a typical Mediterranean climate, Ikaria has a historic reputation for producing strong red wines. This is also true of Karimalis’s wines! Vinification takes place with the aid of indigenous yeasts that reflect the unique terroir of the island and naturally produce wine quite high in alcohol content. True to their organic farming philosophy, they collect all sediment from the wines and compost it back into the soil.

​All the wines produced are labeled PGI Ikaria.

The Karimalis Winery Philosopher blends together 50% Fokiano and 50% Kountouro (also known as Mandilaria). Aged for 24 months in barrel with additional bottle ageing.

Deep garnet in the glass with browning on the rim showing the wine’s age. I decanted this give or take 90 minutes before we sat down with it. Even so, it continued to evolve in the glass. Rich aromas of caramelized spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), date, and cedar lifted by a thread of eucalyptus. Silky tannins fully integrated into the wine carried earthy flavors of forest spices and new leather, a suggestion of dried bing cherry, and an unexpected pop of sassafras! Lingering finish. Absolutely beautiful. I am getting another bottle of this next time I’m in Athens!

As promised, this was a high alcohol wine at 14.5% abv, but the balance was spot on making the alcohol not at all noticeable.

I paired this with a lamb stifada spiced with cinnamon, crispy roast potatoes, and steamed green beans. This has been one of the best pairings I’ve ever managed! The richness of the stew with the sweet/spicy cinnamon melded so beautifully with the wine.

Paradeisis Winery Little Noah

The idea to use Fokiano for this pairing really occurred to me after a friend gifted me with this wine. She visited Lipsi this summer and, knowing that this was also one of Turkey’s grapes, brought this back for me. I couldn’t find any information about Paradeisis Winery other than that it’s located on Lipsi. Part of the Dodecanese island grouping, Lipsi (also spelled Leipsoi) is a wee little island very close to Turkey’s Aegean border. No wonder really that we share this grape. The wine, Little Noah, is produced from 100% sun-dried Fokiano grapes.

Toffee melting to caramel at the rim with aromas of toasted almond, caramelized sugar, and sundried apricots. Shimmering acidity with a medium viscosity, palate flavors were so much more expressive than the nose. Here, honey-caramel walnuts crystallized pineapple, and sundried apricot explode on the tongue. A shorter finish than I’d have liked but really lovely nonetheless.

I think I let that fact that Fokiano is a black grape get in my head, so I was expecting a sweet red wine, which I did not get! Therefore the pairing I made for it, a bitter chocolate tart, in no way went well with the wine. Not at all. Luckily, the same friend who gave me the wine brought a box of baklava to dinner (along with a sly comment about Turkish baklava at a Greek dinner). That saved the dessert pairing! The walnut baklava especially paired well with the standard pistachio being an inoffensive understudy.

Είναι όλα ελληνικά για μένα!

Don’t forget to have a look at what everyone else in the #WinePW crew was drinking and eating this month!

• Wendy is tasting Assyrtiko from Santorini paired with Greek Mac and Cheese at A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• Camilla is Waiting for the Temperature Drop: Still Eating al Fresco and Pouring Moschofilero at Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
• Andrea asks Do You Know Fokiano? at The Quirky Cork.
• David is having a Greek Spaghetti Recipe and Wine Pairing at Cooking Chat.
• Cindy is exploring how Xinomavro Thrives in Naoussa Where Key Elements Define Its Character at Grape Experiences.
• Deanna is testing an Almost Paleo Greek Menu + an Aged Sparkling Zitsa at Wineivore.
• Gwendolyn is pairing 2 Greek Wines with Grilled Eggplant, Black Cod, Lamb Kebabs at Wine Predator.
• Nicole is showcasing Three Off-the-Beaten-Path Pairings for Holiday Cheese & Charcuterie Platters at Somm’s Table.