Finesse

Used to describe a wine with elegance and BALANCE. The term implies that the wine is polished and sophisticated. Hearty, rustic country wines would not be described as having finesse, while a well-made Champagne or top white Burgundy might be.

Which of the following indigenous Greek grape varieties is red?

A. Agiorgitiko

B. Assyrtiko

C. Malagousia

D. Savatiano

Agiorgitiko (ah-your-YEE-tea-ko) in Greek, means St. George. An important, widely planted Greek red grape, it is the source of Nemea, a spice, earthy, dried-cherry-flavored wine from the Peloponnese peninsula. The grape variety has nothing to do with a widely used rootstock also called St. George.

“As surprising as it may seem, wines are like fabrics with multiple and diverse physical aspects that may be pleasant or horrifying. There are smooth wines and rough wines, supple wines and stiff wines, harsh wines and velvety wines. As with fabrics, these impressions stem from their physical constitution.”

—Pierre Poupon,
French wine writer, in his book Plaisirs de la Dégustation

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