Samos (wine)

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Samos Grand Cru

Samos is the name of an East Aegean island near the Turkish coast, the trade name of various sweet, mostly fortified dessert wines (sweet wines) as well as an appellation established in 1982, i.e. a protected designation of origin (OPE for Greek Ονομασία προελευσέως ελεγχομένseosbaria of the French Appellation Proenchelef ) Origine Contrôlée . Appellation wines are exclusively those sweet wines that have been pressed from the yellow muscatel in precisely defined processes . Along with retsina and mavrodaphne, Samos is one of the most famous wines in Greece .

Viticulture on Samos has a very long tradition, but largely came to a standstill due to the long Ottoman rule over the island. The production of sweet wines, for which the island is famous today, dates back to the end of the 19th century, when after the phylloxera disaster, the vineyards of the island were almost exclusively planted with the yellow muscatel. The old autochthonous vines survived in small remnants and have only experienced a certain renaissance in recent years. The production of the wines and the classification system was heavily influenced by French oenologists and winemakers.

history

Locations of the Kokkari Monastery

In the history of viticulture in Greece , Samos has always been a wine producing and exporting island. White wines, especially sweet wines, did not play a preferred role for a long time; Above all, red and rosé wines were produced and marketed from autochthonous red grape varieties. With the phylloxera disaster in the second half of the 19th century, the old vine stocks were largely destroyed. The old grape varieties also disappeared almost all over the island or only remained in very small stocks.

The new planting took place with a vine that was previously only found sporadically on Samos, the Yellow Muscat , which soon turned out to find ideal growth and ripening conditions in the barren, sometimes on steep, two-line terraces. According to the particular suitability of this vine, but also following the taste of the time, mainly heavy southern wines were produced, which very soon established the international reputation of Samos as an excellent dessert or liqueur wine . Especially in Central Europe and the Anglo-Saxon countries, this wine enjoyed continued popularity, a fact which, however, also led to the production of average mass-produced goods.

In the last few decades, the previously predominant autochthonous vines have been given more attention.

Vines and vineyards

Grand cru locations in the north of the island

The locations of the 1982 defined appellation (OPE for Greek Ονομασία προελευσέως ελεγχομένη Onomasia Proelefseos Elenchomeni ) together form one of eight regulated growing areas for quality liqueur wine in Greece. They are distributed over the entire 470 square kilometer island, but only cover a total of about 2000 hectares with a slightly increasing tendency. Only the Muscatel grape is permitted and only the sweet wines made from this grape meet the appellation criteria. The dry wines from this vine and the often remarkable rosé wines from autochthonous vines are not OPE-certified.

The locations are mostly in steep terrain on poor, calcareous subsoil. They are often laid out in terraces. Cultivation and harvesting require a lot of laborious manual labor. The best locations are at heights between 600 and 800 meters above sea ​​level , where the vines are well ventilated by the frequently blowing Meltemi and the uphill rain also provides sufficient moisture, for example on the slopes of the Ambelos (also Ampelos - named after the mythological satyr Ampelos , from whose body the first vine sprouted) in the north of the island. The provisions on yield limitation are still relatively loose; Quality-conscious cooperatives and winegrowers, however, limit the hectare yield to less than 50 hectoliters per hectare.

Wines

All wines marketed under the brand name Samos are made from a single variety of the yellow muscat grape. However, there are significant differences between the individual quality levels in terms of time of reading, amplification, expansion and aging.

Most famous products:

  • Samos, which bears the name Vin doux as a vinification note . In these wines, the spurting occurs very early, usually before fermentation in the must or after a short fermentation. The manufacturing method is similar to that of mistletoe . Almost the entire alcohol content, usually 15  percent by volume, comes from the added tsipouro . These wines can develop differently depending on how far they are expanded. Most of them, however, come on the market as sweet, often rather undifferentiated “fat” products, as they are on the shelves in supermarkets at cheap prices. A simple Samos can also be a differentiated, well-structured wine, the sweetness of which does not "overwhelm" and which has diverse, often surprisingly fresh orange and sometimes lime aromas.
  • Anthemis (after the ancient name of the island) is a vin doux whose musts come from more preferred locations and which is stored in oak barrels for at least three years, but usually five years. These wines are sweeter and more powerful, successful wines offer an interplay of diverse aromas, in which, in addition to the dried fruit and spice nuances, an orange peel tone can dominate.
  • These fortified liqueur wines find a further qualitative improvement in the two varieties Vin Doux Naturel and Vin Doux Naturel Grand Cru . They only use grapes from the best locations and only pre-run musts, i.e. musts that flow off due to the grapes' own weight or are obtained with very little pressure. In addition, only late harvest, overripe grapes are used for the Grand Cru. They are stored in oak barrels for at least five years, but usually longer. Both wines can be of high quality, especially if it is possible to maintain a certain fine acidity in addition to the dominant sweetness . Then these wines appear fresh and lively despite their almost creamy, heavy structure. In addition to the typical muscat tone, successful wines are primarily characterized by intense fruit notes, especially orange aromas. All liqueur wines are fortified to about 15 percent alcohol by volume in order to stop fermentation and to preserve residual sugar. A Samos can be stored well , the better products still mature considerably in the bottle and only reach their peak after five to ten years. Depending on how they are used, they should be drunk well chilled (around 10 ° C) or slightly tempered (14-16 ° C). Usually a glass of water is drunk with a Samos.
  • The best product the island has to offer when it comes to sweet wines is not a fortified wine, but an unpredited passito , the Vin Naturellement Doux, which is generally sold under the brand name Samos Nectar or just Nectar . These wines can have the sub-name Liastos , which is not exclusive to Samos, but in Greece names a non-fortified straw wine . As with a Grand Cru, the grapes come exclusively from the best locations; the overripe grapes are carefully picked and then dried on straw mats for about a week. During the slow fermentation, an alcohol level of around 14 percent by volume develops with a high residual sugar content. After fermentation, it is aged in oak barrels for at least three years and then aged in the bottle for another two years before it goes on sale. It is golden-brown in color, often it has light red tones. A Samos Nectar can be a remarkable, fresh, well-structured sweet wine, the quality of which is primarily determined by its delicate, finely nuanced acidity.

Not OPE-certified, but still worth mentioning with careful production, two dry wines are:

  • The single variety, made from not fully ripe muscat grapes , which at around twelve percent by volume can be a pleasant accompaniment to fish dishes, but also has its charms as a wine for in between. The variant Golden Samena is obtained from fully ripe muscat grapes and also matured dry; In this wine, however, the residual sweetness is already noticeable, which in turn greatly benefits the typical nutmeg taste.
  • An idiosyncratic, dry, bitter rosé, sometimes almost orange in color - widespread in the north of the island as a house drink, and also offered as a bottle of wine in the taverns - is made from early harvested grapes from the red vines Fokiano and Ritino, which are almost only left in Samos generated. This cuvée is sometimes sold as a Selana ; However, these bottling lacks the rustic originality that this rosé can demonstrate in the producer region, especially in the north of the island.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Moschatos Samos OPE / Σάμος on Wein-Plus , accessed on November 6, 2015
  2. ^ A b André Dominé , Armin Faber, Thomas Pothmann: Wine . Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft 2000, ISBN 3-8290-2765-6 , p. 748 .
  3. ↑ Rudolf Knoll : Greek Wine ( German ). Meininger, 1985, ISBN 3-87524-057-X .
  4. ↑ Lazarakis (see literature)
  5. ↑ Robinson: Oxford Companion ... (see literature). Keyword Greece
  6. ↑ Sweet Wines Union of Vinicultural Cooperatives of Samos (EOSS), Malagari, accessed on November 6, 2015
  7. ↑ Brook (see literature). P. 294
  8. ^ Robinson: Wine Grapes ... (see literature). Keyword: Ritino