November 9, 2018

The Birth of Wine

Which Greek wine region is famous for the sweet wine vinsanto?

A. Crete

B. Attica

C. Thessaly

D. Santorini

Santorini is a volcanic island south of Athens that is famous for vinsanto, a sweet dessert wine reminiscent of the Tuscan dessert wine vin santo. To make vinsanto, the white grape assyrtiko and the red grape mandilaria are first spread out on mats to dry in the sun for one to two weeks. When they achieve a state referred to as half-baked, the grapes are fermented. Afterward, the wine is aged in barrel for a decade, giving it a mellow, rich flavor.

Binge-ing in Italy?

A friend once told me that when an Italian drinks too much, they don’t say he’s drunk too much; they say he hasn’t eaten enough food yet. By that standard, the residents of Alto Adige must be… Continue reading

Get WineSpeed

Join tens of thousands of other wine lovers. Get each week’s edition of WineSpeed delivered to your inbox every Friday. It’s fast. It’s free. It’s the smartest way to stay up to speed on wine.