Our Selection for Wine of the Week September 3, 2012
Methymnaeos Winery 2010 Dry Red Wine Lesvos, Greece
A state-of-the-art winery is about the last thing most people expect to find in the village of Xidra in western Lesvos. But Ioannis Lambrou, an Athenian with family ties to the area, has created just that. The name Methymnaeos is an epithet of the god Dionysus meaning "wine of wedding and music." A relative newcomer on the Greek wine scene, Lambrou's winery is garnering international attention for its red made from the relatively unknown Chidiriotiko grape. The light and bright red wine the grape produces offers a refreshing, end of summer flavor. On the nose there are red fruit aromas with hints of honeysuckle and baking spice. A tart, appreciably acidic wine, its fruit flavors of cherry and strawberry hit the front of the palate along with a touch of cinnamon. Toward the back of the palate, earthy and mineral notes add dimension. A subtle and structured wine, it will work well with most Mediterranean flavors like roast lamb, grilled fish, sheep and goat's milk cheeses and, for vegetarians, a summer vegetable casserole.