Gentilini Winery, Cephalonia (Kefalonia), Greece
This year’s summer vacation / holiday had the Anthopoulos family traveling to Greece for the first time in 13 years and more specifically, to the island of Cephalonia (Kefalonia in Greek), the largest of Greece’s Ionian Islands. Despite the fact that my mother’s side of the family hails from Cephalonia, this was my first trip to the island made famous by the novel and movie Corelli’s Mandolin. In addition to possessing wonderful and numerous small beaches with crystal clear azure Ionian water baked by the hot Mediterranean sun, stunning mountains and vistas, and delicious local cuisine, Cephalonia is also the home of several indigenous wine grape varieties, with the white Robola and the red Mavrodaphne among those better known to oenophiles. There are several privately owned wineries on the island as well as a local co-operative, and I was fortunate enough to spend a morning at Gentilini Winery and Vineyards located in the village of Minies, just six kilometers south of Argostoli, Cephalonia’s capital, and a 10 minute drive from our rental home. The winery was founded in 1984 by the father of current owner Marianna Kosmetatou, who took over operations in 2002 along with her husband Petros Markantonatos.
Although I grew up bilingual with modern Greek as my second tongue, it has been years since I spoke the language on a regular basis and I was greatly relieved to discover that Marianna was raised in England and that her husband was a Greek-Australian – no need for me to learn technical winemaking terms in Greek! Marianna greeted me at the tasting room and led me to the nearby vineyards, where we walked and talked about Greek wines in general, the use of native varieties, the growing season, alternative closures, other vineyard sites on the island, and about the wines made at Gentilini in particular. Later we toured the winemaking facilities and met with winemakers Gabrielle Beamish and Mike Jones, followed by a tasting of the current portfolio of wines in bottle and lastly of wines in barrel.
I. The Vineyards and Wine Grapes. The original vineyard in 1984 was planted with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, the former now being pulled up and replaced with native local varieties including the red Mavrodaphne. In addition to the estate owned vines, the winery purchases grapes from local growers both on Cephalonia and the mainland. Yields are naturally low and when possible, organically grown grapes are used to make the various wines. The grapes for the Robola come from high altitude vineyards in the VQPRD zones on nearby Mt. Ainos, the highest peak in the Ionian Islands. Gentilini make wine from the following varieties: Tsaoussi (native), Robola (native), Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Moschofilero (native to the Peloponnese but estate-grown at Gentilini), Aghiorghitiko or St. George (native to the Peloponnese), Syrah, and Mavrodaphne (native). Harvest on the island usually starts in early to mid August, and there is not much vintage variation. Grapes from the mainland (the nearby Peloponnese) are shipped over in whole clusters in refrigerated containers.
II. Winemakers, Facilities, and Closures. Gentilini employ two full-time winemakers (the aforementioned Gabrielle Beamish and Mike Jones) and have used various consultants over the years. Gabrielle lives on the island year round, while Marianna and Petros spend the winter months in Athens and traveling abroad to promote their wines. The equipment is modern, with temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks and a cool barrel room. The small bottling line allows for the use of natural and artificial cork closures, with all labels being pasted on by hand. Marianna did inform me that she would one day like to switch to screw caps for most of her wines, but due to both the costs involved and the lack of appreciation for this closure in European markets, natural corks are used for the top end, age-worthy wines while artificial corks close the remainder.
III. Markets, Domestic and International. Obviously, part of the annual production stays right on Cephalonia, serving both the locals and tourists, with the wine sold not only at the cellar door but also in supermarkets, wine shops, and tavernas across the island. A good deal is shipped to Athens where the wines are on the lists of many of Athens’ better restaurants and tavernas. The major export markets are the USA and Australia. I found it curious that with so many British tourists there was not a strong demand in the UK, but the cliché that British holidaymakers associate Greek wine with cheap plonk and Retsina holds true. Apparently Oddbins once sold the Robola in England but no longer. Athenee Imports bring the wines into the USA with the wines available across the country in over two dozen states. Winebow are one of the distributors.
IV. The Wines. While I did not take formal tasting notes, here are my impressions of the wines I tasted at the winery, both in bottle and from the barrel. All the wines tasted are from the 2008 vintages unless otherwise noted, with prices in the USA at retail from the low to mid teens in dollars, with the upper end red cuvees retailing in the $40+ range.
- Aspro Classic – The Greek word for “white” is aspro, and this fresh and vibrant white wine is made from Tsaoussi, Robola, and Sauvignon Blanc (I do not recall whether or not there is some Muscat in the blend as well). Floral and citrus aromas and flavors along with hints of melon, a steely mineral presence, and crisp acidity make this a perfect wine to serve with olive-oil based appetizers and feta cheese.
- Gentilini Rose—Marianna’s eyes lit up as she told me of the unusual way this wine, made entirely from estate-grown Moschofilero, is vinified. This variety is actually pink-skinned, like the better known Gewurztraminer grape. Instead of making a rose wine by using the “first bleed” from red grapes or from limited contact with the skins of red grapes during fermentation, the wine here has extended contact with the pink skin resulting in an aromatic but bone dry rose wine. Very aromatic and floral, with hints of spice, some tannins, and good acidity. Again, this would pair well with Mediterranean appetizers or seafood.
- Unique Blend Red – From the 2007 vintage, made from 60% Aghiorghitiko (St. George) grapes from Nemea on the Peloponnese with the remainder coming from estate-grown Syrah and locally grown Mavrodaphne and aged in French oak barrels. I liken this wine to a cross of red Chinon with a hearty Southern Rhone. Sour cherries, dark berry fruits, spices, the Greek equivalent of garrigue, and chewy tannins, with noted oak vanillins. Perfect BBQ wine!
- Robola of Cephalonia (regular cuvee) – Made from grapes grown at high altitude, naturally low yielding vineyards on the slopes of Mt. Ainos within the designated VQPRD zones. This native variety makes for a complex yet refreshing dry white wine, with citrus and floral aromas and flavors, a minerally and at times astringent mouthfeel, and enough acidity to keep it balanced. Unoaked, it pairs well with white meat, pasta, and seafood dishes.
- Robola of Cephalonia (special cuvee) – Made in very limited quantities from a single vineyard high up on Mt. Ainos, this wine takes things up a notch and has 20% of the juice aged in French oak barrels – just enough to add some complexity and to smooth out the astringency, but not so much as to taste vanillins or honey. The last bottles were sold during our stay on the island and I can only hope that enough was exported to the USA that I could buy some here!
- Syrah / Mavrodaphne 2007 – A blend of 90% estate grown Syrah and 10% of locally sourced and estate grown Mavrodaphne, aged for 12 months in various types of French oak barrels. This wine combines the pepperiness of a Northern Rhone Syrah with the garrigue and dark berry flavors of a Mediterranean Syrah along with hints of mint and eucalyptus from the Mavrodaphne. Obviously still young and tannic, this wine needs a few years in the cellar and should age for ten years or more.
- Barrel sample Mavrodaphne / Syrah blend – As the more recently planted estate grown Mavrodaphne vines start to mature and yield good fruit, there will be a blend of 90% Mavrodaphne and 10% Syrah released. This wine will show more of a typical red Greek wine profile of dark fruit, iodine, wild herbs and spices, mint, with somewhat softer tannins and a rich mocha finish.
- Barrel sample 100% Syrah in high end French oak – An ultra-cuvee Syrah, now aging in the same barrels as used by high end Northern Rhone producers for their top cuvees. Made with estate grown grapes, this is a massive wine with loads of jammy fruit and muscular tannins. I suspect that when bottled and aged, this wine will be a ringer for a warm vintage Hermitage or Cornas.
V. The Future. As indicated earlier, Gentilini are expanding their estate holdings of Mavrodaphne and are attempting to secure long term contracts with Robola growers elsewhere on the island, including those for future single-vineyard wines. As screw caps gain wider acceptance I suspect there will be a switch for many of the wines to this closure. While the USA export market remains strong despite the relatively weak dollar and the recession, I detected a sense of optimism in my conversations with Marianna that a UK market presence will eventually establish itself as well.
Many thanks to Marianna for taking the time to show me the vineyards, facilities, and the wines Gentilini produce, and for patiently answering my various wine-geek questions. It is dedicated producers like this who are putting Greece back into the fine wine scene, and I especially applaud the use of local native varieties with efforts to utilize organic growing techniques.
Alex
