Thalassitis Assyrtiko

£33.45

Explosive minerality with fresh lemon zest on the nose, crisp acidity on the palate and underlying floral notes. Refreshing with a lingering finish and slight hints of saltiness.

3 in stock

SKU: HAL129 Categories: , , , ,

Description

In Antiquity, mixing wine with sea (“Thalassa” in Greek) water was a very well known practice applied to give therapeutic virtues to wine. The wines resulting from this process were called “Thalassitis Oenos” (sea-originated wine). Without mixing, obviously, our wine with seawater, we strongly believe that the proximity of Santorini’s vineyard to the Aegean Sea is one of the most important factors forming the special character of our Thalassitis. Thalassitis is produced from Santorini’s indigenous white grape variety, Assyrtiko. Perhaps, it is the only variety in the Mediterranean that manages to combine full maturity of grapes with considerably high acidity, despite the specific climatic conditions of the Island. This fact is an essential factor for accomplishing flavour balance in dry white wines. This is a bone-dry wine with strong character: full-bodied, well-structured with crisp acidity, distinctive minerality and delicate honeysuckle aromas. Gaia Wines (Santorini) began production in 1994 with 9,800 bottles of Thalassitis white wine, which quickly became established in Greece and abroad as an example of unique Santorini wines. Today, Gaia operates two wineries: one in Koutsi, Nemea, which is the heart of the company, and one in Exo Gonia, Santorini. Gaia?s goal has been and still remains today to expand and highlight the quality characteristics of the native Greek grape varieties and to achieve their recognition in international markets. By expanding the potential of the Nemea Agiorgitiko and the Santorini Assyrtiko over the years, Gaia has created a line of wines that have earned numerous international distinctions and have won over both Greek and foreign consumers. Paraskevopoulos is arguably the country’s most visible oenologist, a respected winemaker, influential teacher and poster boy for a modern, urbane wine industry. After his university studies in Greece, he spent five years in Bordeaux, earned a Ph.D., then returned to make a name for himself as Greece’s most ubiquitous consulting oenologist. As head of Greece’s most prestigious university oenology program, much of the country’s emerging winemaking talent has felt his influence. The wind being so relentless as to threaten the survival of youthful vines, an ancient, though hardly simple, solution is now a famous tradition on the island: vines are trained to grow in a ‘stefani’ (crown), a round basket the middle of which provides a haven for hanging clusters of grapes. 2018 was a challenging vintage with difficult climatic conditions. As a result, the yields were lower than previous years. Vigilance in the vineyards and winery ensured the wines have retained the high quality and varietal characteristics. Food recommendations: Seafood, salads, grilled fish.

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