#NWTW: Assyrtiko from Greece
Ready for Something New?
We’ve been away for a few weeks with vacation and vacation recovery, so I was glad to be able to re-join the weekly exploration of something new with my London friends at #NWTW. The wine this week is Assyrtiko from Greece. Assyrtiko is new for me, have you had it before?
Get some wine in that glass!
Gavalas Santorini 2010 ($20 locally)
Santorini wines from Greece must contain at least 75% Assyrtiko grapes. When you’re shopping, you may see wines labeled either way, as Assyrtiko or Santorini. As you might guess, it’s very warm in Greece, so the wine is very robust and big in body. This one clocks in at 14% alcohol.
Eye: Rich deep yellow, bright and clear.
Nose: Super rich nose of beeswax, cream, peaches and pears.
Mouth: Very rich mouthfeel, with good acidity, mouthwatering. A touch of minerality among all that richness.
This wine is a very interesting combination: a big rich, plush body yet it still remains juicy and mouthwateringly acidic.
Our Santorini was a beautiful deep rich yellow.
Spicy Grilled Radish Cous-Cous with Shrimp, Calamari and Grilled Mango
Minnesota is pretty cold, it’s the middle of June and we’re just starting to see our farmers markets fill up with fresh locally grown produce. The only local item in our meal today was the radishes; expect that to change over the coming weeks!
The meal is pretty simple: grill up some mangoes and a combination of shrimp and calamari. The spicy cous-cous comes from a recipe from Fulton Farmers Market in South Minneapolis. I love that they provide recipes for the foods we might find at the market on a weekly basis. The cous-cous included grilled radishes and their greens, as well as some heat from crushed red pepper. If you’re interested, the recipe is here.
Cous-cous with roasted radishes and radish greens surrounded by shrimp, calamari, and roasted mango
Santorini Food Pairing
How did we do with matching the Santorini with dinner? Pretty well! The wine was rich but with very good acidity and a bit of minerality. It matched the seafood very nicely. The cous-cous was quite spicy from the crushed red pepper. The wine did a good job quenching the spice, this came as a bit of a surprise, but the rich full body of the wine seemed to soak up the spice. Nice!
Santorini was a very nice match to the spicy cous-cous as well as the other elements on the plate
If you haven’t tried Assyrtiko in Santorini or by itself, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Throw some fish on the grill and enjoy!
Santorini incorporates Assyrtiko and Aidani grapes into a rich but crisp white wine.
foodwineclick 
You’ll have to forgive me if this is a silly question, but did you find this to be a drier wine? It looks beautifully packaged and the color of the wine is gorgeous. Hopefully I can look into this.
Thanks for visiting and it’s not a dumb question. Yes, it’s bone dry. It’s and interesting combination because it has a very full body, but is still crisp and refreshing. I hope you find some to enjoy!
I may just have to try it out of curiosity, hopefully its not too expensive. 🙂
In Minnesota, Assyrtiko or Santorini is available for $15-25. It’s worth a try!
Best enjoyed on a Greek Island….
Spoken by one who knows! Thanks for visiting, Perry!
That couscous looks fantastic, a great food pairing
Thanks! The best part of trying something new is finding something to add to the regular repertoire. Assyrtiko made it onto that list!