The Ancient Greeks Invented the Concept of Pairing Wine and Food Together

Last week in Toronto, I attended a terrific tasting of Greek wines, with more than 40 Greek wineries pouring more than 120 wines at the Royal Ontario Museum (thus the dino).

According to the Greek embassy of economic and trade affairs, Greek wine exports to Canada are up 66% since 2010 and are also up 7.5 percent so far in 2017.

 

 

Last night, we were joined by a special guest, Christina Boutari, North America Brand Ambassador of her family’s wines, to chat about them as well as the surprising changes in Greek wines.

​Join us on the Sunday Sipper Club, March ​26​ at 6 pm eastern (Toronto time)​ ​with special guest Mark Beringer to chat about the new wave of California wines​.

Tune in here for our Facebook Live Video Wine Tasting:  www.nataliemaclean.com/live

P.S. Click on the “Follow” and “Like” buttons on this page to get notified when we go live.

You’ll find upcoming and past Live Tasting Videos here.

 

CHRISTINA BOUTARI
Boutari Brand Ambassador

Christina is the middle sister of the fifth generation of the Boutari Family, the great granddaughter of Yiannis Boutaris, founder of The Boutari Winery in 1879. Her father, Constantine Boutari, is the current President and CEO.

Boutari is the oldest wine family in Greece with 6 wineries around Greece in the major wine growing regions in Naoussa, Goumenissa, Attica, Peloponnese, Santorini and Crete.

Christina was born in Thessaloniki, North Greece. She studied Psychology and Dance at the American College of Greece and she has a Masters Degree in Organizational Psychology at the London School of Economics. She holds WSET Level 3 (Wines & Spirtis Education Trust Advanced Certificate).
Senior Wine Professional with twelve years of experience in the Wine Business.

Expert in the Strategy, Marketing, Sales and Distribution of premium bottled wine with solid expertise in the Greek and the North America market. Inherent passion for wine and all aspects around it.

Christina is responsible for the growth of Boutari Winery’s exports in N. America and her goal is to make Boutari a highly acclaimed International brand. She believes that Greek Wine has a huge potential in the International Market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s thank the ancient Greeks for food-friendly wines

 

Before the Greeks came along, people ate or they drank, but didn’t really put them together.  You might think food would get stuck in their throats without having something to drink, but it took the Greeks to notice what was missing.

One of the food-friendliest, red wines in Greece is made from the Agiorgitiko (ah-yohr-YEE-tee-koh) grape.  Agiorgitiko is often called Nemea for the region where it originated and is still most widely found and is also known as St. George’s grape, which, fortunately, is the literal translation of Agiorgitiko.

 

Sign up to WIN today

 

The wines come in a wide range of styles but are often compared to Cabernet Sauvignon with a similar flavor of prunes and plums and tannins that beg for dishes like stews and grilled meats.  In other words, enjoy this wine with food.  Thank-you, Greece.

You can learn more about Agiorgitiko and the other 350 indigenous Greek varietals by joining our online community.

Just click here, signup and you’ll receive our monthly newsletter AND have an opportunity to win $100 toward dinner at your favourite local restaurant with Greek wine.

 

This contest is sponsored by the Wines of Greece.

 

Sign up to WIN today

 

 

 

 

Wines Tasted

Click on links below for tasting notes and store availability

Note: reviews of these wines were conducted independently. Details here.