(read the first two episodes in 821 and 831).
I have a confession to make: I am fond of a good glass of wine. Every now and then me and my friends have a wine tasting evening and enjoy all the smell and taste of a good wine.
That’s why it is so annoying that the wines that Tsantali makes on the Holy Mountain are hardly available in shops in Holland. And believe me, I’ve seen a lot of shops in the meanwhile, but nobody sells one of best Greek wines I ever tasted (until now), the white Chromitsa.
Two years ago, after leaving Athos and Greece by plane, I was lucky to find this wine in the tax-free shop. Although I did not take any tasting notes at that time, I remember it tasted like this: “It has a buttery, rich nose with some flowers behind. Very good palate: very smooth, silky and easy. Very well balanced. Very Good Indeed – 90 points†(thanks to Cellar Tracker). It is made of a blend of 50% Chardonnay and equal parts of Assyrtiko and Athiri.
With a prize of € 13,95 it not a cheap wine, but I think Greek wines are strongly underrated and this one is worth every penny. It should be on the wine list of any self respecting (good) restaurant: who makes that happen?
We are hoping to visit the vinery of Tsantali somewhere next week, but we still waiting for permission of the Tsantali company (ms. Despina Peresteraki, who is doing her best for us!). I do hope we will have the opportunity to give you a full report of our visit!
Next time more about the Tsantali wines, maybe a tasting report of the “high end” Abaton wine ?
Other Chromitsa wines (which I did not tast):
Wim Voogd, 15/9
Reading posts like that, I get reminded that we Greek pilgrims rarely do such extra activities when we visit the mountain. Perhaps that’s because it is so casual and easy for us to visit the mountain, whereas foreigners try to get the most of their rare visits. Actually, I would like to do some “extra” stuff next time I visit, such as touring the Mylopotamos winery and gaining access to the monasteriers towers and libraries.. The question is how do I go about doing that. Perhaps since you have done research about this sort of activities, you can tell us what we need to do in order to achieve such goals.
A thought just occured to me… Are you guys going to spend any time in Thessaloniki?
If so, perhaps a meeting could be arranged with your Thessaloniki readers. Maybe go to a taverna or to grab a few beers. If you have the time for such a thing, please state so in the blog. Count me in, if that is the case.
Dimitris, a very tempting invitation but we go directly from the plane to Ouranoupolis and vice versa. We always did Saloniki first but this time we have chosen to skip the city. We appreciate your plan very much
especially the beers and thank you for this nice gesture. Maybe another time.
Wim en Herman Voogd