Let’s explore 3 ancient white grapes from two of the oldest winemaking regions in the world.
The Earliest Winemaking in the World
The Caucasus Mountains region (modern-day Georgia & Armenia) has the earliest evidence of grape wine production in the world although new evidence also suggests the Levant region may be just as old. There’s evidence of wild vitis vinifera grapes in Armenia dating back 1 million years ago while large scale production of wine in Armenia dates back at least 6,000 years ago. On a smaller scale, wine production in Georgia dates back 8,000 years ago. The Levant has evidence of wine production dating back 7,000 years ago. Finally, other Mediterranean settlements like in Sicily and Greece go back around 6,000 years ago too. This is what we know now. Archaeologists will probably continue to discover more evidence of ancient wine production in the future.
Despite their history, most of these regions still aren’t on wine lover’s maps or in many wine shops. Georgian wine has gotten some notoriety, especially with orange wines being trendier, and Sicilian wines are also relatively trendy. However, for this sampling, I put together some ancient whites from Greece and Armenia. All three I had very little to no experience with in the past. Are they worth seeking out?
3 Ancient Whites
I love the trend of wine regions focusing more on forgotten or less common native grapes. It creates more diversity and choices for consumers while bringing intrigue to those regions and their cultures.
The first grape I’m going to sample is called Voskehat, which is native to Armenia and can only be found there. It’s the most popular white variety there as a varietal wine or in blends. It’s grown in all of Armenia’s wine regions. It often has white floral notes with citrus, stone fruit notes or tropical fruit notes depending on the terroir and vintage. The grape itself dates back at least 3,500 years.
The next bottle I’m tasting has both a variety name and wine style name. The grape is Roditis. It’s only found in Greece, where it is one of the more popular white varieties throughout the country. However, it’s most famous for its use in Retsina, a wine influenced by the flavor of resin. The practice is said to have come from the practice of sealing amphorae with pine resin dating back at least 2000 years ago until the Romans started to use barrels to keep wines from spoiling. Nowadays, it’s made throughout Greece with Roditis and other local varieties.
Finally, I’m trying out a variety called Malagouzia. It is a native, ancient Greek grape that was nearly extinct 50 years ago, but has made a comeback. It’s mainly found in Central Greece and Greek Macedonia. It’s a high yielding grape, so to get the most out of the grape, producers have to work on reducing its yields for more concentration. This is why you may have a lot of variance in terms of style and quality.
Tasting Notes
2020 Zulal Voskehat Armenia Vayots Dzor
50-year-old ungrafted vines grown in volcanic rock at 5,000 feet above sea level in Vayots Dzor. Stainless steel. Really leesy, doughy with smoky minerally notes on the nose. Plus white floral notes. Somewhat tropical. Melon. Really interesting nose. The palate is medium-bodied with a medium texture. Palate is more fruity and floral driven. Medium-low acid but it’s still a refreshing wine. Definitely something different from more common white varietals. 91
NV Gaia Ritinitis Nobilis Retsina Peloponnese
Roditis grown in higher elevations. Vinified in stainless steel. Resin comes from Aleppo pines, which is added to the must during fermentation. Super clear pale yellow. Nose is all pine. Like pine scented cleaner. The palate is less piney. Lots of pine upfront but underneath there’s fruit. Sort of medicinal too. Medium-light body and medium-low acid. Somewhat bitter finish. Minty but low in alcohol at 12.5%. Not really my cup of tea. Just too much pine. I could use more acid too. Not something I’d want to drink a lot of. I don’t know how it compares to other Retsina, so I’m not going to rate this since it’s sort of its own genre. On the second day, I drank it colder and the pine notes either faded with time or from being colder. Maybe it was hummus with pine nuts I drank it with that helped the fruit flavors come out more. But it was more enjoyable this time around but still not my thing.
2022 Alpha Estate Malagouzia Xelones (Turtles) Vineyard Florina, Macedonia
Grapes are from 600m above sea level. Destemmed. Cold soak, skin contact and temperature controlled fermentation. Aged on lees for 2 months with regular stirring. The flavor profile reminds me a bit of Muscat but less sweet and fresher. Lots of floral notes. Ripe white stone fruit. Melon. Medium-bodied with some somewhat round, creamy texture. Medium alcohol. Medium citrusy acid. Touch of herbal spice. 91
Conclusion
The Malagouzia and Voskehat were unique but can be easily enjoyed by all types of drinkers with many types of food, especially Mediterranean food. The Retsina is an acquired taste though. However, it could be enjoyable cold in small quantities on a hot day in Greece with some Greek tapas. Give me a trip to Greece, and I’ll drink a whole bottle. On a cold, rainy, winter day in California, I couldn’t find the appeal.