Verdea
Verdea ( Greek Βερδέα ) is a white wine that is pressed on the Ionian island of Zakynthos . In addition to the Retsina , it is the second Greek wine that has the exceptional rating of OKP ( Onomasia kata paradosi Ονομασία κατά παράδοση) for wines with designation of origin and traditional pressing method (→ Viticulture in Greece # Ionian Islands ). Its name originated during the Venetian period of the island and is derived from the Italian verde 'green', which means it can be roughly translated as 'the green'.
A Verdea produced in traditional vinification is an extremely alcoholic (usually over 15 percent by volume ) white wine with a high acid content , which gives it a fresh, spicy taste despite the powerful alcohol content . Due to the varying degrees of oxidative development , it is yellow-brown to brownish in color and always has a clear green tone. Traditional verdeas are often slightly cloudy, sometimes flaky due to the high sediment content.
The pressing method is remarkable in that overripe, fully ripe and unripe grapes are picked together and then pressed. This reading method is based on the fact that the vineyards on Zakynthos were originally planted in a mixed set and the harvest took place during the main ripening period of the most important variety in mid-September. At this point in time, the carrier variety Skiadopoulo is fully ripe, the important Goustolidi is already raisins and has enormous sugar levels, while other varieties such as Robola , Pavlos (wine) and Areti are still about to reach full maturity. After a short maceration, the grapes are pressed and then usually drawn into relatively small oak barrels without any special filtering, in which this wine matures at least until the next autumn, but usually longer. The distribution of varieties differs from winemaker to winemaker, but according to the OKP statute, Skiadopoulo should be represented with at least 75 percent, which is hardly controllable and is often not adhered to. Originally, Verdeas were stored in barrels until they were consumed, but this wine has only recently been drawn into bottles.
A traditionally developed Verdea no longer corresponds to the general wine taste, mainly due to the high alcohol and acid content, so that most wineries on Zakynthos have switched to offering a somewhat lighter, lighter, hardly oxidized Verdea, but the one with the rough, getting used to interesting original bears little resemblance. Traditionally vinified verdeas are available on Zakynthos from smaller winemakers and as tavern wines, but rarely come into supraregional trade. Wines that are labeled with the title Grand Reserve are indeed products of modern cellar management, but come closest to an original Verdea.
Individual evidence
literature
- Konstantinos Lazarakis: The Wines of Greece . Mitchell Beazley, London 2005, ISBN 1-84000-897-0 , pp. 269-272 .