Nemea the appellation is overwhelmingly planted with one of the more seductive indigenous red grapes the Aghiorghitiko Some white grapes are also to be found Savatiano Roditis more recently Assyrtiko and the usual and in my opinion so far less successful cosmopolitansuspects
The 15 stremata 15 hectares of this producers Malvasia Aromatica is a new departure Few grapes can muster such a broad aromatic spectrum and actually taste of fresh grapes Over the past 15 years a tiny acreage of MA has emerged in various cooler Velvendo and warmer sites such as Nemea This new to me varietal is to be found in Arhea Nemea is what Nemeans refer to as Heraklio
Specifically the full name of this estates cultivar is the Malvasia di Candia Aromatica It is a distinctly different type of the many to be found in Italy under the umbrella term of Malvasia It is also reputed to have the most personality which jibes with the Anastasious effort It is an inspiring choice A stand out from the plethora of labels on offer by the other 29 Nemea based wineries
The winery was founded in 1954 In a period when Greece had to heal the social and financial ravages of WWII and its bitter civil war19441947 Kyriakos Anastasiou now runs this artisan family owned and managed address It is easy to locate on the main road which runs from Arhea Nemea to the larger in size nearby Nemea valley They do brisk cellar door sales and increasingly sell to wine merchants
Pink hued slightly spritzy Floral Rosepetal acacia and mandarin Almost muscat flavours with peachiness riding on rich mouth filling grapey fleshiness Dry finish More than just a novelty value Begs for chillilemongrass Thai dishes Cellar door price A most reasonable Euro 5 per bottle
Wine: Malvasia Aromatica Ktima Anastasiou
Year: 2008
Score: 16
Type: White
Variety: Malvasia
Area: Peloponnese