Bringing Back Greek Wine Memories in Tarpon Springs FL

When we take our annual trip to the Gulf of Mexico each year, we also make a pilgrimage to the Sponge Docks at Tarpon Springs to soak up authentic Greek food and fishing culture and re-explore the shops in the lively sponge-dock village.

But this time we found a new gem to explore and this place took us mentally back to our amazing visit to Katakolon, Greece and the Mercouri Estate vineyards.  Katina’s Greek Market is stuffed with delicacies imported from Greece including several varieties of Greek Wine and Beer, and I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that we had to stop by and do some wine tasting! 

We tasted more than a half-dozen different types of whites and reds which were all pretty good, but the red my palate loved was the Costa Lazaridi Oenodea Cabernet Sauvignon Agiorgitiko Syrah 2009

The website vivina.com reviews the wine as “dark red color with violet edges. The scent opens fine in typical Rolland-Nose: Blackcurrant, dry brush and dish (coconut, vanilla, butter, cinnamon, rubber) and a fat, apple-like acidity. ….. Delicious, soft fruit in the mouth with very juicy, dark red berries. It is a soft wine, but the structure is still ok grip with fine acidity and medium full-bodied dark fruit. The finish has good concentration, ok acid cadence and soft tannins. Leather and English licorice in the aftertaste….”

I have to agree with this assessment and we bought his last three bottles on the spot! 

But the wine that brought back our fabulous memories of our Mercouri Estate tour was the Mercouri Estate 'Foloi' Roditis & Viognier 2012.  The wine was exactly as I remembered from our wine tasting in the lovely garden of the estate!

Reviews say that wine has a “typically elegant mid-palate, yet it has quite enough solidity, plus some grassy notes and a crisp, sunny and invigorating demeanor.”  This is an accurate description of the refreshing wine so I bought a case with visions of sipping this crisp wine on our deck even in the chilly fall weather! 

And yes we had to buy a couple of the beers Jim and I had sipped back on those hot summer days in the Peloponnese; nice crisp Pils Hellas and Mythos.

Now, let me tell you more about our visit to the Mercouri Estate in Katakolon, Greece! 

Mercouri Vineyards is near the Greek village of Korakohori on the Peloponnese peninsula and the winery is lovely with an old Italianate residence which stands gracefully, its faded pastel stucco walls draped with ivy and stone buildings that house the winery and lush gardens dotted with antique vineyard equipment, populated with colorful peacocks, and surrounded by tidy rows of grape vines that seem to go on for miles. 

When we gathered in front of the visitor center we were greeted by a huge friendly St. Bernard who seemed to be keeping an eye on the peacocks.

The estate was founded by Theodore Mercouri, a wealthy cotton merchant from Egypt in 1860 and in 1870, Refosco grape vine trimmings from Italy were planted and the first wine was produced under the name Mercouri.  The first modern winery was established in the 1930’s and now the fourth generation of the family remains involved in wine making. 

They have experimented with planting of several varietals including, the red varieties; Avgoustiatis, Mourvedre, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and Grenache and the white varieties; Malvasia Aromatica, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon Blanc, Tourkopoula and Viognier.  Those that worked well became part of the blend for the wines they produced.

The tour of the winery takes you back through time to the old days of hand operated wooden presses and oak barrels, stone wine amphora and rooms that look as if their occupants from early in the century just walked away for a moment, where a beautifully laid table and grandfather clock still wait for them. 

The tour ends at their spic and span modern facility equipped with stainless steel vats bottlers and the storage rooms filled with rows upon rows of oak barrels and which smelled of wine and yeast.

The actual tasting area is a lovely area behind the winery where you can sit at tables under tall shady trees and eat samplings of the estates olives, spicy sausage and bread with olive oil, while the gracious host and vintner tells you about the intricacies of the wine you are sipping.  After the tasting, we headed directly into the purchasing area to buy a half-case of our favorites. 

Alas……only a couple of the bottles made it home since we drank most of them sitting on our balcony outside our stateroom on our cruise ship watching the sun set over the Ionian Sea.  We simply couldn’t resist and wished we had sent a case directly home! 

Jim and I agreed that the day had been wonderful and I personally thought that Katakolon was one of the most fun and interesting ports of call during our Mediterranean Cruise with Holland America.

READ THE FULL ORIGINAL POST FROM OUR EXCURSION TO OLYMPIA, MERCOURI ESTATES AND KATAKOLON HERE!