Festive Greek wine pairings made easy

Festive Greek wine pairings made easy

How to enhance your festive menu and balance the abundance of different tastes, textures and flavours without letting the wine underwhelm or outshine the meal?  Panagiotis Fragkos, brand ambassador and co-owner of Vibo wine bistrot and bar and Amanda Kondinou, Sommelier,  provide their suggestions for the right wine pairings to complement your dining experience.

1. Bottarga from Mesologgi with Paragka Sparkling, Kir Yianni:

The iodine and salty oiliness from the “Greek caviar” bind incredibly with the bubbles and the lively acidity of this sparkling wine, perfectly pairing homegrown flavour to affordable luxury.

2. Endive salad with L’esprit du lac, Kir Yianni

 

A warm salad either for the centre of the table or as a vegetarian option (vegan if you add nuts instead of cheese), which needs the oily and fruity character of the wine. The herbal hints of xinomavro are underlined by the slight bitterness of the endive, while the goat cheese lends a cool note.

3. Onion soup with Sigalas Prickly Pear Spirit

 

A soup with strong flavours such as garlic, caramelized onion and meat broth is flattered by this fine distillate with its velvety, rich body and long aftertaste.

4. Turkey stuffed with rice, dried apricots, pine nuts and chestnuts – Propodes Zafeiraki (Chardonnay)

A classic combination. Chardonnay loves simple flavours. Baked poultry, light sauces with butter, dried apricots and nuts highlight its delicate fruity character, which is so easily lost when combined with bitter, acidic or aggressive flavours.

5. Roast Lamb – Santorini Natural Ferment, Gavala 

Unusual match, but the lamb fat and spices lead us to a Santorini assyrtiko wine, which combines rich mouth and strength with a refreshing freshness from the high acidity and minerality.

6. Roast Tuna fillet – Oenops Limniona

For fish eaters or for those who want an alternative proposal on their table, grilled tuna fillet will work perfectly. It is combined with red wine, medium body with soft tannins. We chose an ultra-elegant, elegant Limniona that was fermented partly in amphorae, partly in open oak barrels.

7. Roast beef with cranberries, Roes Carignan, Estate Oinotropae

The beef protein requires rich red wine. Due to the red fruit sauce, we choose a wine with a strong concentration of fruit, from old vines. Almost lacy texture and notes of dried flowers and spices complete the profile of this winemaking from Zevgolatio, Messinia.

8. Christmas log with forest fruits or with Gorgonzola cheese, Princess from Ktima Avantis

A sweet wine from syrah, from the master Apostolos Mountrichas, with a masterful balance of sweetness-acidity. Concentrated taste of black and red fruits framed by vanilla and comes from the mountainous parts of the vineyard.

9. Diples, Fi Fatourada  (traditional liqueur from Kythera)

Flour and honey on the one hand want a sweet drink with volume in the mouth, but its oily, crunchy texture demand something lighter. This liqueur from Kythera is based on tsipouro and is enriched with orange, cinnamon and spices.

10. Melomakarona with Methexis Cigar by Lazaridis

 

Sauvignon blanc grape seed extract is an interesting alternative for melomakarona. As they are quite sweet on their own, and oftentimes made with brandy, they go well with the nutty, smoky, complex character of this exuberant drink.

 

Vibo Bistrot,  16 Grigoriou Labraki, Glyfada, Tel:  2108948202

 


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