TABLE TALK #81
Wine can be a tricky subject. Odd for something so universally enjoyed and widely consumed. It’s a world of tradition and rigidly-held views, whether we realise it or not.Given that Wednesday’s Domaine doesn’t even have any alcohol, you might have guessed that we’re comfortable doing things a little differently. Today, we’re championing a changing of the guard and the emergence of the long-overlooked Greek wine scene on the global stage.
🍡 AMUSE-BOUCHES 🍡
Marvel: the 81 year-old ultramarathon runner showing no signs of stopping
Travel: Yosemite thrillseekers are nothing new
Drink: Emma Watson and her brother’s Chablis-inspired gin
🍝 MAIN COURSE 🍝
If you ask anyone of a certain age what their view on Greek wine is, better yet if they have one they like, they’ll probably look at you like you’ve sprouted a second head. Many moons ago, Greek wine, or at least the Greek wine that made it onto these shores or the tables of tourists visiting the country, fell way short of what British consumers had come to expect.
Travellers would stay in their lanes, unwaveringly sticking to wines they recognised from home and resisting overtures to swap their choice out for something local.
The thing is, if that happened now, you would probably be chuffed. For those who enjoy the crisp minerality of a cold Chabliss, Assyrtiko is for you. Its pleasing acidity and ever-present salinity are the embodiment of the hills in Santorini on which it’s grown. More into Sauvignon Blanc? Moschofilero or Vilana could be for you in that case. Balancing aromatics with fresh fruit flavours, both pair beautifully with long, lazy lunches and grilled vegetables.
The home of Assyrtiko
The fact we haven’t even yet arrived at their red wines - of which Xinomavro is the most famous - speaks to the quality of the offerings coming out of the country. As wine drinkers today, we’re less bound by what has come before and what we’ve been told we should drink. Anecdotally, wine bars speak of new customers arriving with open minds and a hunger to experience different grapes and new flavours.
What’s so joyous about these wines is that they do make for a new experience, whilst remaining welcomingly familiar. So next time you’re going to someone’s house, or hosting at your own, spend a little time beforehand and unearth one of these emergent beauties, before everyone else gets in on the act and they all become too expensive!
Come find us at stand CS15
🍮 SWEET ENDINGS 🍮
Working in a pub or a bar is a rite of passage for many young adults. It provides exposure to a high paced environment and ever-changing customer demands. Anyone who has done it knows it can be stressful, as well as enormously rewarding.
Keeping that image in your mind, imagine pulling pints whilst also being in charge of the music. Well now you can, this is quite something…
🍷 WHAT'S NEW
FROM
WEDNESDAY'S DOMAINE? 🍷
Next week sees us make our debut at the London Wine Fair. One of the world’s largest industry gatherings, it brings togethers producers, buyers, distributors and plenty of people on the hunt for free samples.
Talking of free samples, we have a few tickets to share, so if you’re looking to visit, get in touch.
Until next week,
Luke x
