Once widely ignored, rosés today are some of the most appealing and versatile wines that can accompany food. Almost every wine-producing region in Greece produces a wine of this kind from local grape varieties and, therefore, Greek rosés come in a wide range of styles and can be suited to any taste. However, whatever grape variety is used, ranging from Syrah, Agiorgitiko, Xinomavro, Grenache Rouge to even the pink-skinned Moschofilero, they share some common characteristics in order to appeal to the Greek palate. They all display a great fruit character, freshness and are extremely pleasing, inviting one to enjoy a glass or two. They are extremely versatile and virtually perfect partners for most appetizers, salads, pasta, rice, cheeses, fish or meat.
Vibrant Xinomavro rosés, dry or semi-sweet in style, are made with food in mind. These wines, presenting a rosé-wine palate structure but a red-wine flavour profile, are ideal for grilled vegetables, lamb chops, Mexican chilli-based dishes, spicy curried Thai food, hard aged cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano or cold cuts.
The fragrant and spicy rosés, usually from the Agiorgitiko or Kotsifali varieties, are great for dishes such as fried calamari and other squid dishes, fried vegetables, tuna sashimi, red mullet, bouillabaisse, fish and chips, anchovy tapenade, stuffed peppers and tomatoes with rice, ratatouille, tabbouleh and tapas.
Read more of their guest posts here.
Many thanks to all three of you, once again!
I find rosé wines from both the northern and the southern regions very interesting. I also enjoy the more fragrant and/or semi-sweet ones from Peloponnisos as an aperitif (but of course, we are talking about food and wine matching here…).
Great article on Greek Rose. I would love to find one to try in Vancouver,Canada!
My son manage an upscale wine store and says he has a terrible time trying to get people to give rose a shot. And there is very little awareness about Greek wines here in the US. So promoting Greek rose will be a marketing challenge. Having just gotten back from Greek I’ll agree that the wines there are excellent!
I’m very glad to have found this today! Great article. It has been very helpful. I learned a lot from it.