If the entire world of wine consisted solely of Greece, it would still be an endlessly fascinating planet to explore. It would take you to paradise islands, exotic beaches, and high desert-like mountains. It would... Read More

If the entire world of wine consisted solely of Greece, it would still be an endlessly fascinating planet to explore. It would take you to paradise islands, exotic beaches, and high desert-like mountains. It would take you through a tapestry rich in indigenous grape varieties grown nowhere else in the world.

And it would also take you through the full range of modern wine styles. For not only does Greece produce standard red and white still wines, but it can also – it turns out – produce world class sparklers!

It is hard to imagine a better pair to do so than Annette Van Kampen and Laurens Hartman, a Dutch couple who trained in Champagne and then set up the Domaine Karanakin. In the same way that Champagne is the coolest wine region of France, Karanakin is located in the coolest of Greece. It’s called Amyndeon, and it’s a region of mountains, lakes, complex soils, and sparse vegetation.

Here, Karanikin grows what may be Greece’s greatest grapes: Xinomavro, in red, and Assyrtiko, in white. Like in Champagne, red and white grapes are grown (biodynamically) just at the edge of where it’s possible to make them fully ripe, and then they are blended to produce a sparkling wine using traditional Champagne methods.