Grapes – Kotsifali & Mandilaria
Production and Maturation – 12 months maturation in new French and American oak barriques.

Tasted by Nick Stokes –  1^st March 2014

The medium ruby red had light aromas of cranberry and cedar. It had a nutty flavour, but lacked fruit. The 13% medium bodied wine had good acidity but the tannins were quite harsh. Although ageing may soften the tannins I don’t think it has enough fruit to keep it going much longer than the end of the year.

Kotsifali is a Cretan variety giving soft, spicy, broad wines and is best blended with something more powerful. The Mandilaria provides this power and makes a dark, tannic wine. The exact percentages are unknown to me in this 2010 vintage, but the Mandilaria and oak aging will certainly have contributed to the big tannins in this wine.

Mediterra Winery – Creta Olympias S.A has been making wine since 1973. It is located in Kounavi in the Peza appellation zone. It was acquired by DEMCO Group whose owner Demetres Contominas  a successful businessman in the insurance and media sector, but he is also a passionate wine connoisseur. The company has had major restructuring and millions of Euros invested in new technology. They now export over 30% of their production to 23 countries worldwide.

Critics comments

Jancis Robinson Review December 7^th 2012 in the Financial times.

Suppliers – Oddbins £9.75