Greek Sparkling Wine

Greece is a country that is usually known as a holiday destination. Beautiful beaches, perfect weather, excellent food and the well-known Greek hospitality. What is not widely known, is that Greeks have been producing wine since ancient times. Famous wine varieties, and some unique ones that you can find only in a Greek territory. Over the last few years and with the evolution of oenology, the field has reached a point that there are excellent wines, many of which are PDO (Protected designation of origin) and PGI (Protected geographical indication) labels.

In recent years the winemakers have been taking the matter one step forward, by making remarkable efforts to produce sparkling wine with truly encouraging results. Sparkly bubbles, perfect aromas and a playful aftertaste.

Today we are going to enjoy together, two of the best ones. Château Nico Lazaridi is one of the wine estates which creates excellent quality wines and sparkling wines.

Founded in 1977 in the city of Drama by Mr. Nikos Lazaridis. Nikos Lazaridis is a man with knowledge and love for wine, which is the foundation needed to get started. The result is that he created a series of quality wines over the years. Recently a big step was taken by creating sparkling wine, with the results being very encouraging and promising for the future.

The journey begins with Solitaire White.

Varieties of Ugni Blanc 85% and Moschato 15%.

A deliciously fresh sparkling wine with a quite vivid and unique character because of the lively bubbles. Its acidity is fully balanced with the sweetness given by the sugars of the grapes, a fact that makes it a perfect match for fresh dishes such as light cheeses and fruit plateaus, as an aperitif or even on its own. During the tasting, they showed off flavours and aromas of pear, apricot and pleasant notes of flowers.

The second but not least tasteful sparkling wine we are about to taste is Solitaire Rose. Varieties of Grenache Rouge 85% and Syrah 15%. An equally tasty and fresh bubbly which with its captivating iridescent colour of roses, offers a travel in the magical world of tastes. Generously giving to our taste buds, aromas full of excitement and flavour, such as the ones of strawberry, cherry and framboise. Having a fizzy and cool acidity, it balances perfectly with the sweetness given by the sugars, exactly as in Solitaire White.

This unique bubbly can be accompanied perfectly with Greek summer dishes, fruits and light sweets. Also ideal as an aperitif.

Two labels that can be easily compared and found equally good, as others that have been in the market for years.

Now you know, the next time you visit Greece for the summer holidays, invest some time in tasting and learning about Greek wineries. You will be impressed.