Aegean Sea in a Bottle
No other wine has ever impressed me so much at first sight. This Gavalas Santorini truly brings the Aegean Sea in a bottle. The beautiful sunshine and blue sea from Santorini can brightened up your entire day.
The island of Santorini has been long famous amongst tourists for its picturesque views. This stunning beauty also exists in its wines. As one of the 25 OPAP (Oenoi Onomasias Proelefseos Anoteras Poititas or Appellation d’Origine de Qualité Supérieure, one of the terms for the Greek PDO labelling system), Santorini produces both white and red wines in dry and sweet style.
Ancient volcano eruptions have not only created its cliffs and lagoons, but also the volcanic soil for grape vines. It is this volcanic soil that has prevented the spread of phylloxera from other parts of Europe, and thus maintained the old vines that give wine of great quality. Meanwhile, the climate in Santorini has contributed significantly to its terroir. It is normally dry and warm like what you would find in a desert during the growing season, with sweeping westerly winds. Such winds are so strong that photosynthesis of the plants can stop and consequently slows down the ripening process of the grapes. To protect the vines from the wind, vine growers here follow the tradition of cultivating the vines in wide spaces and shaping them into crown-like spirals.
Assyritko is the flagship among the grape varieties on the island, as it takes up almost 83% of all the grapes being cultured in Santorini. It is a local variety of which 99% is planted in Greece nowadays. Santorini Assyrtiko is the most famous as the special growing environment has given high levels of sugar and of acidity. This versatile variety can be made for both dry and sweet wines.
The Gavalas Santorini vintage of 2016 is a crisp and well matured dry wine. In the glass it has a clear and pale lemon and straw-like colour, indicating that the wine has started its developing stage in terms of aging. On the nose, the perfumed wine presents profound fruity aromas such as pear, lemon, pineapple and slightly banana. It is a little flinty, but will be soon covered by its dominating notes of nut and honey, which is another hint of its aging development. On the palate it is crispy and refreshing. As one of the very few white wines that contains tannins, its tannins are rather smooth and rounded. This is also a full-bodied wine, with a moderate alcohol level and a long and nutty finish.
The wine is ready to drink, best served chilled at 8-10°C, in a globe shaped glass that is usually for Burgundy red wine. Decanting is needed to soften the tannins, but it will also enhance the honey and nut flavours in the wine. This wine is perfect to pair with seafood, such as fried fishcake, crab cake, slightly smoked mackerel fillet or pan-fried scallops. It also tastes great with white meat, light cheese, and even Korean seafood pancakes. It may not be the typical wine for summer, but definitely suits the beginning of spring days in London!
References used: Wine-searcher.com
