The Best Vidiano not from Crete
This March at Oenorama in Athens, my friend Anna Maria of Unravelling Wine and Chania Wine Tours introduced me to the best Vidiano not from Crete. And coming from Crete, she would know. I’ve had a few Vidiano wines in the past. They’ve been nice but never done much of anything for me. But I will willingly go where Anna Maria leads so I followed her to the Oenops Wines table where I tasted the best Vidiano not from Crete.
Oenops Wines
Nikos Karatzas founded Oenops Wines in 2015. While his winery sits in Drama in the eastern part of Macedonia, his grapes come from everywhere. Karatzas tours Greece looking for high-quality, native grapes like Xinomavro, Limniona, Malagousia, Assyrtiko, Roditis, and of course, Vidiano. Once he’s found a grower, he works almost like a micro-négociant creating partnerships with growers who share his ideals.
In the winery, Karatzas strives to make low intervention wines. He uses a combination of stainless steel, oak, and even amphora to craft his wines.
So, while he is located in northern Greece and his wine doesn’t come from Crete, his grapes do. The Vidiano travels first by boat then by truck to reach him. Making them more well-traveled than a lot of people I know!
Oenops Vidiano, 2018
First, can we talk about the label? I love these optical illusion labels Oenops has. Even looking at the picture of the label bends my mind a little. Why does looking at the large image obscure the grape name, but looking at the thumbnail make it leap off the image??
The wine behind the label is almost as mind-bending for how good it is. Under Karatzas’s watchful eye, the grapes under spontaneous fermentation in a combination of amphora, barrel, and tank. The blend then spent 16 months on the lees in amphora before being bottled unfiltered.
Appealing aromas of lemon candy, tangerine peel, raw hazelnuts, and ripe quince poured out of the bottle along with the hazy gold wine. Medium-bodied, juicy, and fresh, the palate delivered similar flavors to those found on the nose along with a delicate smattering of orchard blossoms that lingered on the finish.
When it comes to Greek food it doesn’t take a lot to please me. A pork gyro and lots of tzatziki and I’m a happy girl. Accordingly, I paired that and steamed artichoke leaves and lime aioli with this wine and could not have been happier!