PDO, PGI, and Porto Carras

Just back from a fun, informative and, well, sizzling week in Thessaloniki hosted by Greece and the European Union (yes, the trip was sponsored). The aim was to learn more about the protected designation of origin (PDO) Slopes of Meliton and the protected geographical indication (PGI) Sithonia. Sithonia forms the second of the two “arms” that jut from the southern edge of the Halkidiki area.?

The PDO Slopes of Meliton region is a roughly circular area around Mount Meliton (which is about 120 kilometres southeast - more or less - of Thessaloniki). Within its boundaries lie the impressive Porto Carras Grand Resort and the equally impressive Domaine Porto Carras winery. The latter was the place I was there to check out.

The winery’s tag line is “New Era,” and it was explained by CEO Sergei Smirnov that this stood for a “new approach to everything.” And it’s not just a new approach to Greek winemaking. “New Era starts with people,” he noted, adding that the “connection between grapes and people matters.”

After a walk through some of the Domaine’s 450 hectares of organic vineyards we retreated (somewhat mercifully) to the cool winery to taste through a range of impressive wines. These included a trio of crisp, fresh, melon/peach/mineral Assyrtikos, two vintages of the ripe, tropical, baking spice and baked apple-tinged Chateau Porto Carras Le Grand Blanc (a blend of Malagousia, Assyrtiko, and the red Limnio) and a lemony/cherry/stone fruit Blanc de Noir (100 per cent) Limnio.

At our first of many great dinners (this one at Salonica inside the Makedonia Palace Hotel, where I had the good fortune of staying at during the course of my stay) I was able to try the refreshing lively and intense Blanc de Blancs, the nougat/honey/apricot-laced/slightly peppery Malagouzia Classic (vinified from the grape of the same name that was saved from virtual extinction by some forward-looking winemakers).?

Also tasted was a smoky/black cherry/sandalwood-scented Limnio and the flagship Chateau Porto Carras. The wine - a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Limnio, and Merlot - was definitely one of (if not the) best Greek reds I’ve experienced. Ripe, full, and complex, it showed notes of cassis, cedar, spice, graphite, and wet slate; as close to a Medoc as you can get outside of Medoc.

The trip had many other vinous and gastronomic highlights as well, but if the main mission was to showcase PDO Slopes of Meliton, PGI Sithonia, and the wines of Domaine Porto Carras, it was a success indeed. “The quality of our wines comes from a combination of the sun, the slope, and the sea,” Sergei revealed as our tasting session wrapped up. “Everything here is balanced.”

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