|
Saint George and Megas Oenos
 I don’t know if George Skouras can be classified a Saint but Agiorgitiko, the most popular grape variety in Nemea, means Saint George and it is also sometimes referred to as Saint George. In fact he is known for his important wine, Megas Oenos which is a Geographical Indication (PGI) Peloponnese wine with 80% Agiorgitiko - the balance being Cabernet Sauvignon. It undergoes fermentation and maceration in stainless steel vats and malolactic in oak. The maturation is in new French barriques for 18 months after which it is laid up in bottles for 6 months.
He started making this wine 35 years ago and it is considered one of the top wines of Nemea and perhaps in Greece. The grapes are procured from old vines, 30, 60 and even 70 years old-grown on rocky and poor soil at 700-750 m high slopes, with no irrigation. The yield is only 30 hL/hA, like in Burgundy. The full-bodied wine is famous for its long cellaring potential.
Genesis of the Visit
When Gregory Kontos of Athens-based Aegean Intertrade Co. braved a visit to Delhi in June 2013 on his own initiative and presented 16 wines after briefly talking about Greek wines and the classifications- two things were clear- Indians needed to learn about Greek wines and he was perhaps ahead of his time. It needed a generic promotion that would require governmental financial support which was unlikely because of the poor state of the economy. The second thing was that Greece had some very interesting wines that would go very well with Indian palates-especially the white wines made from Assyrtiko, Moschofilero and Roditis (Malagousia is my personal, favourite added to the list since my recent visit).
The favourite reds included Xinomavro and Agiorgitiko. Gregory did not emphasize that Domaine Skouras whose 2 labels we tasted on that evening was known for its Agiorgitiko-based wines in the world. I was to wait for 3 years before I would have an opportunity to visit Greece and Domaine Skouras, courtesy my two good wine friends, Marian Spiggos and Sissy Tzelepidou who are partners in the Athens-based wine education and Tourism Company called Grapefool. They even promised to drive me to the winery, stressing that George Skouras was one of their best internationally known wine producers and very passionate about his quality.
 As was reported in delWine ‘Skouras Nemea was an impressive red made from 100% Agiorgitiko (ah-yor-yyee-ti-co) red grapes with sweet, spicy aromas and a good personality and was easy to drink although I felt it was a bit short at the end. Domaine Skouras Synoro (2008), a single vineyard blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Agiorgitiko was my favourite, partly because it had a rather international flavour-full of black fruit and concentration, juicy end and a charming personality of its own.’
Domaine Skouras and Nemea
Based in Nemea wine zone in Peloponnese, George Skouras is one of the top producers in Greece today. It’s located in the North-eastern Peloponnese, in Argolida, close to the provinces of Corinthia and Arcadia, near the town of Argos, the native town, one of the oldest ones in Europe with 3000 years of wine history and culture. He had just returned exhausted from a trip overseas but was kind enough to receive me bright and early in the morning on the persuasion of these two charmers.
 Nemea is the largest zone and possibly the most exciting Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for red wines in Greece. Mantinia, another important PDO region for white wines, is in close proximity, while the surrounding areas have excellent terroir, although not of PDO status. Domaine Skouras owns a number of very interesting vineyards all across these regions.
 In 1980, George went to study Agriculture at the University of Dijon, in Burgundy, France. However, his experience with Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs of the region, as well as the famous local wine growers, really mesmerised him. On graduating from Dijon with a degree in oenology, George started gathering experience in many classic wine-producing regions of France, Italy and Greece for 6 years.
 The story of Domaine Skouras started in 1986 in the garage of his father, with a Concept wine, Megas Oenos, which became synonymous with George Skouras. To start with, it was a pioneering blend of Agiorgitiko and Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, Megas Oenos is one of the wines with a consistent presence in the world of European wine, with a proven ageing ability, rivalled only by very few Greek wines. He makes 70,000 cases in 15 labels, 3 of them in the entry level to penetrate price sensitive markets. He is also a big collector of arts.
He owns 80 hA of land with another 80 hA leased from others, which are used to make entry level wines. The winery receives 10,000 visitors a year. ‘We sell education and Greek wine,’ says George who is also proud of the mountains that are the support system for the vines and he likes to say ‘they are the refrigerators of my land.'
Wine tasting
We tasted about 10 different wines including the 2 vintages of the iconic Megas Oenos. Cuvee Prestige white has 70% Roditis grapes and 30% of Moschofilero and is an excellent value-for-money and affordable entry level white wine. Moschofilero varietal was a beauty with floral notes and full body. I was not surprised to learn that Steven Spurrier had rated it 90; I rated it at 92. Salto is another delicious white wine made from the pink-skinned Moscofilero (also spelt as Moschofilero) fermented with wild yeast. This was followed by Viognier which is a favourite of many producers (including Ktima Gerovassiliou) with a penchant for French wines.
 Armyra 2015 was a very interesting wine with tropical flavours and medium body with 95% Chardonnay and 5% of my favourite grape, Malagousia. In fact, by this time we were so engrossed in the tasting that George decided to bring out the 2016 version- resting in the bottles and not yet labelled. According to the Greek customs the new wine bottle has to be sold for good luck (bohni as it is called in Punjabi) so Marian had to shell out a 50 Eurocent coin which he accepted thankfully before opening the bottle-and that would be the best 50 C anyone would have ever spent!
For me, the Cuvee Prestige Rose was an amazing wine. A blend of Agiorgitiko and Moscofilero: he keeps the juices refrigerated separately and then co-ferments them. The wine was simply delicious with distinct character of red fruit, floral flavours, complex and pleasant aromas. I rated it simply 95!
Agiorgitiko 2012 was yet another beauty with 100% of ‘Saint George’ grape-his specialty. This was followed by Grande Cuvee Reserva Nemea 2012 made from the high-altitude, cold climate Agiorgitiko grape with marked acidity that makes it age-worthy for the next 20 years. It showcased the winemaking prowess of Skouras.
Megas Oenos 2012 was followed by an impromptu uncorking of 2003 to compare how the wine evolves over the years. The latter was still fresh, an elegant wine with great structure and balance, in essence George; Skouras also noted that the alcohol levels were gradually growing, with the 2003 having 1% less alcohol at 12.5%.
It was one of the rare tastings where I could not find myself scoring less than 90 for any wine, even if I were a tad too liberal. The prices were also quite reasonable for the quality, uniqueness and typicity. I could not but wonder how the wines would have tasted and impressed if Gregory Kontos had been able to transport us to this little town in Nemea where George Skouras seems to be a part of the revolution by some Greek wine producers to elevate the quality levels of the wine without necessarily the equivalent increase in prices yet.
For earlier Articles on the visit to other Greek Wineries, please visit:
Visiting Greek Wineries- Cavino Wineries and Distilleries
Greece: Land of Malagousia and Ktima Gerovassiliou Winery
Truth behind the Greek Myth
Cliff Richard in Distress to sell his Portuguese Winery
Subhash Arora
Gallery |