November 5, 2021

ALPASION “Grand Chardonnay” 2019

(Chacayes, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina) $18

Lovely tropical aromas of mango and papaya, nice balance of oak with a hint of lemon to finish. Can’t beat the price.

89 points BK

Available at Linwood Wine and Liquor

What country has a famous wine region where women are not allowed?

A. Portugal

B. Greece

C. Israel

D. Georgia

Mt. Athos—where no woman has ever set foot—is located on the easternmost of the three “fingers” that make up Greece’s stunning Halkidiki Peninsula. Greek Orthodox monks have made wine continually on Mt. Athos for more than one thousand years. Known in Greek as “Holy Mountain,” the wine region is home to twenty monasteries—there are no other residences—and some 1700 monks who live an ascetic, isolated life. Only men are allowed to reside there or visit. Indeed, in order to maintain its males-only policy once Greece was admitted to the European Union, Mt. Athos had to be given a special exemption from the EU regulation stipulating the free movement of people across borders.

“We have 90 wines by the glass, typically about 30 rieslings. We offer our guests two sips of riesling, one off-dry and one trocken, then walk away. More than 50 percent of the time, they choose the one with more residual sugar, and that’s great! We want to rock people’s worlds. Tell them stories about who is making the wine and where it came from, not screaming about sugar levels.”

**— Paul Grieco, owner of New York’s Terroir restaurant, as quoted in Science Makes a Mockery of Tasting Notes by Kathleen Willcox (Wine Searcher May 3, 2021)**

ALPASION “Grand Chardonnay” 2019

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