Assyrtiko
What is it?
Assyrtiko is a white grape primarily grown in Greece; it's actually indigenous to Santorini [3]! In fact, the old vines on Santorini that grow Assyrtiko grapes are the only European vines that are resistant to wine blight. The speculation for this phenomenon is that the volcanic ash the vines grow in is the actual source of the resistance [4].
Primary flavors of the Assyrtiko grape are lime, passionfruit, beeswax, flint, and saline [1]. Given that the grape has a minerally profile, it blends well with other grapes [3]. To that end, the particular wine we had is a blend of two grapes (Malagousia and Assyrtiko); the Malagousia grape was actually close to extinction a few decades ago but was re-discovered in the late 1970s and revived as a wine grape across Greece. We found this wine at Wilbur's Total Beverage in Fort Collins.
Suggested pairings are shellfish and tomato-feta salad. We had this wine with a Mediterranean salad that had grilled tofu, kalamata olives, avocado, feta cheese, cucumber, carrots, celery, and balsamic vinaigrette. In addition to the wine bottle in the picture below, we also thought these sweet potato snacks we found at Costco deserved a place in this post, for no other reason except they are really good. They only have one ingredient (sweet potato), and they're extremely flavorful and tasty. We both highly recommend them!
Molly's Rating and Tasting Notes
7.8. On the nose, I only really get lime and alcohol. The taste varies depending on what is consumed immediately before. After a kalamata olive, it is very salinic and briny. After some sweeter basalmic salad dressing, I get strong flavors of passionfruit. The finish is not very clean- it leaves an aftertaste of olives and warm tap water, and that's not just influenced by the salad we had. A few extra notes: I thought it was better after it had sat out for a bit and warmed; this brought the sweetness out. I also think that this wine is better when one drinks it with no food. The notes brought out from the food are the harsher, more mineral/earthy notes, which I don't think I'm a fan of in general.
Ryan's Rating and Tasting Notes
8.0 On the nose I get lime and a little bit of brininess. There's a touch of sweetness similar to sweet potato fries, and there's a note of minerality (possibly wet clay). Upon tasting, it is quite a bit sweeter than I had anticipated. The initial taste is similar to tangerine and mandarin, mixed with a splash of passionfruit. After that, however, more complex flavors get added in. There's a little bit of a brine flavor, as well as some minerality. In particular, it's a little chalky and reminiscent of gravel. However, these don't detract from the sweet, fruity flavors of the wine, but rather add depth and color. Overall, a fun and interesting white wine. Would get again.
References
[1] Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack. Wine Folly: The Master Guide. Avery - A Penguin Imprint, New York, NY, 2018.
[2] "Assyrtiko." Wine Folly. https://winefolly.com/grapes/assyrtiko/. Accessed: June 2023.
[3] J. Robinson.The Oxford Companion to Wine, Third Edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.
[4] T. Elkjer. Adventures in Wine: True Stories of Vineyards and Vintages Around the World. Travelers' Tales. 2002.
Wines we haven't finished
- Frappato -- Week 21
- Fernāo Pires -- Week 22