With air, this wine reveals aromas of raspberry, cherry and sweet spices.  Then flavors of blackberries, plums and black cherries are joined by spice, warm earth and winter notes of pine and mulling spice. The medium tannins are thorough and the acid is juicy in this medium weight, food-friendly red.

WINE INFORMATION

The earliest archaeological evidence of winemaking in the Greek world comes from 3000 BC tombs in Crete containing grape seeds, paintings of wine presses, and sets of wine cups. By the Mycenean period (1600-1100 BC), the wine trade was sophisticated and well organized. By the eighth century BC, Greece had introduced grapes and wine to her colonies and trade expanded into northern Europe and the Black Sea. It continued to flourish in the Roman and Byzantine eras, but declined seriously during 400 years of Ottoman rule. Greece declared independence in 1821. A brief return to the vine was halted by 20th century wars. It was not until the 1960s that Greek industry started to recover; the first modern laws were passed in 1971, and improvement and growth followed. Greece has over 300 known varieties of indigenous grapes, including Aghiorgitiko.

George Skouras, proprietor, oenologist and winemaker of Domaine Skouras, was born in Argos, a city in Peloponnese that has been inhabited for over 3000 years. In the early eighties, he studied agriculture in Dijon, France where a local winemaker introduced him to Burgundy wine. As a Dijon University graduate, he worked for French, Italian and Greek wineries.  He is now committed to producing high quality wines using both indigenous and French varieties in his native country.

Aghiorghitiko is the most important grape variety at Skouras.  Also known as St. George, the name is derived from the town where it is thought to have come from “Agios Georgios” or Saint George.  Grapes for this wine come from vines with an average age of 24 years.  The wine is fermented in stainless steel, then aged in second-use French oak barrels for twelve months, followed by a few months of bottle aging prior to release.  

Charcuterie, Cheese, Chicken/Turkey, Duck, Grilled preparations, Hearty stew, Lamb, Mushrooms, Roasted Root Vegetables, Sausage, Tomato Sauce, Vegetables