by Patrick Ogle
Domaine Glinavos Paleokerisio Ioannina Semi Sparkling Orange Wine (2014) is a unique sparkling wine from Northwestern Greece (Epirus). The wine is made of the debina grape with a little vlahiko in the mix (the former is white and the latter red). It comes in a 500 ml bottle.
The smell made me think of vinegar but more than that there was something a little cider-like to the nose. There is no acetic acid taste to the wine (vinegariness). Paleokerisio has a little bit of sweetness to it and its effervescence isn't as pronounced as you would find in a Champagne. When you pour the fizz is pronounced but the fine bubbles are more subtle once in the glass.
There is an almost tropical flavor to the fruit--but this may have something to do with the sweetness. Sweet makes me think of RIPE guava and papaya and the like. There is a hint of tannin in this wine too and a wee bit of a bitterness in the finish, which is hidden by sweetness and effervescence, as the effervescence calms the bitter is a tad more apparent. Bitter isn't a bad thing in this (and many other) contexts with wine. Ive had people say they don't like "bitter" wines and what they are talking about, upon questioning, is tannins.
One of the reasons you (and I) haven't heard of debina is that it is a white that apparently oxidizes quickly and wasn't widely exported. Chatting with friends we came up with an image from antiquity of rowers on a ship yelling to each other;
"FASTER, FASTER, the wine is going bad!" These days packaging and shipping have improved. Vlahiko is a grape we will talk about more in depth soon. In the meantime you can find out more about Greek wines at www.newwinesofgreece.com.
An "orange wine" by the way is a white wine that is aged with the skin. Usually with whites the juice is separated from the skins quickly. With orange wines the skin is left in contact. You find these wines in Georgia (the country), Croatia
and Northeastern Italy with frequency. Other areas also produce them. They get their name from their coppery/orange color.
Domaine Glinavos Paleokerisio Ioannina Semi Sparkling Orange Wine (2014) is a unique sparkling wine from Northwestern Greece (Epirus). The wine is made of the debina grape with a little vlahiko in the mix (the former is white and the latter red). It comes in a 500 ml bottle.
The smell made me think of vinegar but more than that there was something a little cider-like to the nose. There is no acetic acid taste to the wine (vinegariness). Paleokerisio has a little bit of sweetness to it and its effervescence isn't as pronounced as you would find in a Champagne. When you pour the fizz is pronounced but the fine bubbles are more subtle once in the glass.
There is an almost tropical flavor to the fruit--but this may have something to do with the sweetness. Sweet makes me think of RIPE guava and papaya and the like. There is a hint of tannin in this wine too and a wee bit of a bitterness in the finish, which is hidden by sweetness and effervescence, as the effervescence calms the bitter is a tad more apparent. Bitter isn't a bad thing in this (and many other) contexts with wine. Ive had people say they don't like "bitter" wines and what they are talking about, upon questioning, is tannins.
One of the reasons you (and I) haven't heard of debina is that it is a white that apparently oxidizes quickly and wasn't widely exported. Chatting with friends we came up with an image from antiquity of rowers on a ship yelling to each other;
"FASTER, FASTER, the wine is going bad!" These days packaging and shipping have improved. Vlahiko is a grape we will talk about more in depth soon. In the meantime you can find out more about Greek wines at www.newwinesofgreece.com.
An "orange wine" by the way is a white wine that is aged with the skin. Usually with whites the juice is separated from the skins quickly. With orange wines the skin is left in contact. You find these wines in Georgia (the country), Croatia
and Northeastern Italy with frequency. Other areas also produce them. They get their name from their coppery/orange color.
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