Wines at a Greek Restaurant

Episode Transcript and Show Notes

Episode 21: Wines at a Greek Restaurant 00:00

Hello! And welcome to the Wine Pair podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and wine-pairing partner in crime - Carmela. And we are the Wine Pair.

Ok, Carmela, this week we are trying another new type of episode where we will focus on choosing wines in restaurants that are related to a specific cuisine. What do we mean by that? Well, when you go to an Italian restaurant, it probably makes sense to drink Italian wine. Same if you are in a French restaurant, or German, or Spanish, or Argentinian, or whatever. I know we all like to have our go-to wines that we love to drink no matter what the cuisine, but sometimes it is fun to try the wine of the country that the food is from if possible. And, if you travel around, you know that the beverages, like wine, often are created specifically for the food of the local region and they often go hand-in-hand very nicely. So, that is the theme of these series of episodes, and we thought we would start by learning a little bit about the wines you might find at a Greek restaurant. 

What do you think?

And, this should fit very nicely into the theme of our podcast - which is to find wines that are reasonably priced and easy to find. Any thoughts on why in this case?  

In this case, it fits because, very often, when you go to a restaurant, they will serve a house wine, and that the house wine will often be a wine from the country or region that the restaurant is either in or is cooking. House wines can be hit or miss, but at a restaurant, they are often the least pricey AND in some cases, are really really good. I think this is especially true if you are traveling in different countries and regions in Europe.

And, as a reminder to those of you out there in listening land, in every episode we taste and rate 3 wines that you should be able to easily find in your local grocery store or at a local restaurant and are priced under $20. We aim to release a new episode every week on Sundays, and if you want to make sure you never miss one of our shows then hit that subscribe button right now!!!, And if you are a regular listener, please give us a review and a rating on whatever podcast service you are using or on our website at thewinepairpodcast.com so that others can find us! And tell everyone you know about us. We mean it. Tell your plumber. Tell your hairstylist. Tell the person who checks your groceries. Tell your mail carrier. Tell your family doctor and dentist. Tell the person who gives you rude looks on the bus. Tell your best friend. Tell your third and fourth best friends. Text your grandma and let her know.  Tell them all!

Topic: Greek Restaurants and Greek Pizza in the Seattle area and in the US  04:38

Now, before we get to the wines in this episode, we are going to take our customary left turn and talk about something related to the topic at hand, but not necessarily about wine. And this week, as is appropriate for the title of this episode, we want to talk about Greek restaurants, at least as we have found them to be in our little corner of the world in Seattle. 

I will say that Greek restaurants in our area tend to come in two or three flavors - no pun intended - and sometimes the styles are combined. The first kind serves more traditional kinds of Greek dishes, and honestly, is a bit harder to find in the Seattle area. They will serve things like meat skewers called souvlaki, a baked dish called spanakopita which is like a delicious spinach pie with phyllo, beautiful Greek salads, and moussaka, which is like a Greek lasagna. 

The second kind is more of a fast food or quick serve kind of restaurant that serves gyro meat and falafel and hummus and babaganoush, sometimes in pita bread wraps called gyros. They are a sort of rich combination of Greek and other Mediterranean cuisines.

And the third kind I find really common in this area, and it is basically a Greek version of an Italian restaurant. They will serve pizzas and pastas along with some more traditional Greek favorites, but the Greek version of Italian food definitely has its own twist. 

We have a little Greek restaurant in our neighborhood that people around here just really love, and it is definitely this third kind. It is called Santorini Pizza and Pasta, so even though it is a Greek restaurant named after a beautiful Greek city and is definitely run by a Greek family, they serve what I would consider Italian food with a Greek flair - along with some Greek classics. It’s a cute little restaurant that is often packed and does a lot of take out, too, with a tiny kitchen and a very homey staff. Thank God they made it through the pandemic! Those are definitely the kinds of restaurants I think people were most worried about, but I think they did ok through it all. 

JUST A NOTE: We will be having links to different things we are talking about in our show notes and transcripts on our website, so you can refer to them if you want!

Santorini Pizza and Pasta link: https://santorinipizza.com/ 

But, if we take a look at the menu, they serve the same things that a lot of these Greek Italian or Italian Greek restaurants serve. Again, I am not sure if this is a Seattle thing or what, but in the pasta section they have the normal Italian fare - Fettucini Alfredo, Lasagna, Cannelloni, Gnocchi, Spaghetti and Meatballs. But, they also have a few twists like their Santorini Lasagna which has zucchini and eggplant (eggplant is very popular in Greek food, same as in Italian food), and a Greek Pasta called Hylopetes which has a “light” alfredo sauce.

In fact, remember the Old Spaghetti Factory? They are still around, in fact, they are in a ton of states (California, Oregon, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri). We don’t have one in the city of Seattle anymore, although I totally remember it and where it was, but they still have about 5 restaurants in the state. Anyway, they have a past there called Mizithra cheese spaghetti, and Mizithra cheese is Greek, not Italian. I won’t mention names, but a girl I dated in college loved that dish. That’s when I knew it was over between us. You tell an Italian that your favorite dish at an Italian restaurant is a Greek dish?!? I’m not so sure. I mean, it’s good and all, but come one. 

Old Spaghetti Factory link: https://www.osf.com/ 

Ok, back to our little Santorini restaurant. In the Pizza section of their menu, they have the usual suspects: Veggie, Marinara, meat covered pizzas, etc. But, they also have some that are clearly Greek inspired. For example the Aegean which has feta cheese (is it feh-ta or fey-ta?). They have the Odyssey, a nod to the Greek epic poem by Homer, which has feta, eggplant, gyro meat, and kalamata olives, which are Greek olives, and are freaking good. And there are people who LOVE their pizza. I know I am a fan. It may not be my first choice in terms of style - I like the thin, more traditional style, but,I am always happy when I have a Greek Pizza. 

HOWEVER. We cannot leave this conversation without going through some questions on pizza!!! 

Ok, Carmela. We are going to do a little interview with you about pizza!

• We’ll start with some easy questions about styles of pizza. To make things easier, the main difference, although not the only difference, is in the CRUST
• What is New York Style pizza?
  • According to Wikipedia: The crust is thick and crisp only along its edge, yet soft, thin, and pliable enough beneath its toppings to be folded in half to eat.
  • The closest to New York Style here in Seattle is a place called Pagliacci Pizza
• What is Chicago Style pizza?
  • According to Wikipedia: The crust is very deep, resembles a pie more than a flatbread,  the crust itself is thin to medium in thickness, it is baked in an iron skillet or a round, steel pan that is like a pie pan, and the toppings are assembled "upside-down" from their usual order on a pizza. The crust is covered with cheese, then toppings, and sauce on the top
  • We have had Lou Malnatti’s pizza delivered to us all the way over here in Seattle by —- Carmela?!?
• Now they are going to get touch harder
  • What is Neapolitan style pizza?
    • Generally smaller, thin crust, usually made in a brick oven, but definitely made in a hot open flame oven, a lot of sauce and very few toppings, sometimes none, sometimes just mozzarella di bufalo, and the crust wilts. 
  • What is Detroit style pizza?
    • According to Wikipedia: it is a rectangular pizza with a thick crust that is crispy and chewy. Often baked in rectangular steel trays designed for use as automotive drip pans or to hold small industrial parts in factories. Cheese goes to the edge. Served in rectangular slices
  • What is Old Forge pizza?
    • This is a real thing that I did not know existed until we visited our son who was doing summer theater at the Scranton Shakespeare Festival - https://www.scrantonshakes.com/ 
    • A whole pizza is not called a pie but a tray — the pizza is baked on rectangular metal pans, and there are no slices, just cuts. The crust is light, crispy on the bottom with a chewy center. There are two types of Old Forge pizza: red and white. The white is stuffed with dough on top and bottom and no red sauce. Just cheese and other toppings
    • Link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/food-and-wine/2017/02/08/old-forge-pennsylvania-pizza/97592600/ 
• Do you know what Greek Pizza is? I will give you a hint. It has something to do with how the pizza is cooked as well as in what it is cooked.
  • I think of Greek Pizza like pan pizza
  • It is cooked in a shallow pizza pan, with lots of oil the pan, which makes a puffier, crisper, and more oily crust. The sauce is a bit thinner than traditional sauce, and is left on the stove to stay warm and is put on the pizza warm before baking. 
  • Link: https://www.greekboston.com/cooking/pizza/

What is your favorite style of pizza of all of the pizza’s above?

What are your favorite toppings? 

Now, there are lots more things that we could talk about in regards to pizza, but we’ll save those for later days - like where you can find real Italian pizza, how best to cook pizza, the best flour to use, etc. 

But we need to get back to the topic. So I’ll just say a few things:

First: send us your thoughts or links on great Greek restaurants and we will add them into the show notes on our website

Second, when you are in a Greek restaurant, even a Greek restaurant that is Italian inspired, I feel like you should be drinking Greek wine. And these folks have Greek house wine on the menu for sure. So we are going to cover that. 

Finally, we have ordered some food from a couple of local Greek Italian restaurants

• A pizza from Santorini Pizza & Pasta called The Santorini: https://santorinipizza.com/ 
• Some other treats like greek salad, a dish called florina, Spaghetti Mizithra, and chicken and lamb souvlaki from a place called Taki’s Mad Greek: https://takismadgreek.com/ 

We have links in our show notes on our website and will have photos on our Instagram

Anyway, let’s get to tasting so we can see what we think. Are you ready? 

Brief overview of the Greek wines we chose 19:00

We have selected three Greek wines, and I will tell you, it is honestly very hard to find Greek wines. You would think there would be more of them around, but I had a really hard time finding them in what I would call normal wine shops. My guess is that if you went to a specialty wine shop, you may be able to find more, or they would be able to find you more, but it was really hard. However, you should have no problem finding some of these wines, or at least these types of wines at online wine shops like wine.com and Total Wine. 

The first is an Assyrtiko (Ass-SEER-tiko), which is one of the most famous grapes and wines of Greece, and probably the Greek wine you will find most often. The wine is a dry white wine that is dry, light bodied, with high acidity (making it a great food wine), and relatively high alcohol for a white. It is most famously from the island of Santorini - yes the same name as the little Greek restaurant we have been talking about. This is a pretty uncommon grape in Greece, but is grown almost nowhere else.

The second is a Moschofilero (Moe-Show-FEEL-Arrow) which is another dry white wine, although one that can be a touch sweeter than the Assyrtiko, and is made from the Moschofilero grape. It is from the region of Mantineia (man-tih-NAY-uh) which is close to Tripoli. It is a little less acidic, has a little more body, and a little more alcohol than the Assyrtiko as well. Sometimes it is made into a Rose’, but we have the white wine. Sometimes compared to Pinot Grigio. 

The last is a red wine called Agiorgitiko (As-Jor-SHE-teek-o) which is a popular wine from Greece, and like the rest of these wines, the grape of the same name is basically not grown anywhere else. It is the most widely planted grape in Greece. Interestingly, the grape is sometimes called the St. George. It is a dry, medium body, medium tannin, low acid wine that is sometimes compared to Merlot. So, I am a little worried about it. I do think it is a pretty common wine to find in a Greek restaurant, and I think if you ask for the “Greek red” wine, you are likely to get this wine. 

Now I did want to have a Xinomavro (TSEE-no-mav-roe) on this show, which is known as the Barolo of Greece, but it is very hard to find, and tends to be a bit more expensive than our $20 limit. I have had it only twice, and the first time the bottle we had of it seemed corked. So, that one is on my bucket list for a future date. 

There was another wine that I was curious to try called Retsina (RET-sin-nuh), but decided against it for now. It is a white wine that has a pine tree resin added to it and it can be an oily and menthol tasting experience. Generally considered by some to be a wine to avoid, which is why I am intrigued by it. If you are at a Greek restaurant, I may suggest you avoid it. 

All right, let’s get to it! I am excited for this episode because this is another opportunity for me to learn.

Wines and Ratings in this Episode  22:51

Wine: Greek Wine Cellars Assyrtiko

Region: Greece, Santorini

Producer: Greek Wine Cellars

Year: 2020

Price: $19.99

Retailer: Total Wine

Alcohol: 13%

Grapes: Assyrtiko

What we tasted and smelled:  Pear, apple, lemon, citrus, melon, stone, pith. Like a Pinot Grigio.

Food pairing with: Greek salad, chicken, fish, Mizithra pasta, Greek charcuterie board, feta, soft cheeses, falafel, hummus, tzatziki. Goes really well with food, especially lighter foods.

Rating: Joe  7 Carmela  8

Wine: Hermes Moschofilero

Region: Greece, Mantinia (man-tih-NAY-uh)

Producer: Hermes

Year: 2020

Price: $14.99

Retailer: Total Wine

Alcohol: 12.5%

Grapes: Moschofilero

What we tasted and smelled: Flowers, rose, rose petals, potpourri, herbs, menthol, fresh air

Food pairing with: Garlicky foods, garlicky pasta, garlic bread. Not as good of a food wine.

Rating: Joe  5 Carmela  5

Wine: Kotrotsos Agiorgitiko

Region: Greece, Nemea (nuh-MAY-uh)

Producer: Kotrotsos

Year: 2018

Price: $17.99

Retailer: Total Wine

Alcohol: 13%

Grapes: Agiorgitiko aka St. George

What we tasted and smelled:  Rose, plum, black cherry, pepper, tobacco, sulfur, matchstick, black pepper. Juicy. Great party wine. Crowd pleaser. Similar to Merlot. 

Food pairing with: Pizza, grilled meats, red meat, grilled vegetables, strong cheeses, Gyros, Souvlaki. 

Rating: Joe 7      Carmela  6

Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

Carmela - Assyrtiko

Joe - Agiorgitiko

Taste profiles expected from these wines:  40:48

• Assyrtiko
  • Lime, passionfruit, beeswax, flint, saline
  • Citrus, lemon, tropical fruit, orange blossom, jasmine, ginger, thyme, honey, vanilla
• Moschofilero
  • Potpourri, honeydew, pink grapefruit, lemon, almond
  • Rose, jasmine, lemon zest, spicy, peppermint
• Agiorgitiko
  • Raspberry, blackberry, plum sauce, black pepper, nutmeg
  • Baked cherries, cedar (cigar box), oak, exotic spices including cinnamon, warm stones, dried herbs

Outro and how to find us  42:50

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