Greek food

egg whites???

Chef ED,

I think he meant white wine.....

Zane,

Are you looking for red or white ? Any dish in particular you would like to pair this with ? Is it a Greek wine per se your looking for ?

 I think nothing would be nicer in my opinion to bring a nice Greek wine ....but that is just me. I also wish my sister was with me to confirm this but she is there......but we have the same taste in wine.

A few from Greece....

Argyros Atlantis white Santorini: has a lemon-honey aroma, goes with just about anything but sides best with fish

Vatistas Malagousia : wonderful white, peach and lime notes ending with a spice

Gerovassiliou Malagousia : hints of melon and spice , very aromatic

France:

Riesling – Alsace

or a nice Sauvignon blanc

From Burgundy : there is always Chablis Grand Cru and Corton Chalemagne

Loire Valley: San Cerre

Pouilly Fume

And from the Rhone valley : Condrieu

From the States....well nothing beats a California Chardonnay wine with their hints of pineapple, citrus and peach notes....they are classic.

And for the another Classic : Taft Street Winery : Their Pinot Noir...great.

a few thoughts,

Chef Petals has some good choices, but I wouldn't go with a Riesling or any Alsatian, or a Traminer either.  Too sweet, too flowery. 

Any nice, reasonably dry Mediterranean or Adriatic style will do. 

California Chardonnays have become very oaky over the last generation or so, but with Greek food that would actually work well.  So, another h/t to Petals.  You don't want something that's just going to roll over and die.

Most white burgundies, whether, French, Californian, Oz, Chile or wherever would be fine.  Chablis is great, but the inexpensive grand crus run close to $80 a bottle, besides you don't need the aging potential..

Anything with fume or gris on the label would probably do it as well.

A nice crisp Italian like a Pinot Grigio (speaking of giris), Frascati, or even a Soave.

Greek food, especially the type we see at parties, is often garlicky and salty.  Don't waste your money on anything expensive, because it will be as overwhelmed as a newly single orthodontist, with his own practice yet, at a Jewish wedding.  On the other hand, don't go too cheap -- you want to stay a couple of steps better than "Two Buck Chuck."  

I recently tried a white wine from Nemea (in Greece) called Semeli Mountain Sun which was pretty impressive.  At $12/bottle, it's probably at the top of your price range.  Nice bright taste, good for an elegant party centered around fish or chicken, and quite reasonable in that context.  

BDL

Zane, just the fact that you made an effort and brought the wine will impress your lady's friend. Don't obsess on it.

Some of the Spanish whites would go fine. Just keep away from those on the sweetish side.

Question: I know you specified whites, but I wonder why? For a party at which I was unsure of what would be served, I'd opt for a red as being more versatile. Something like a Pinot Noir or Malbec can be paired with a broad range of foodstuffs. If you give some thought to the possibilties of what will be served (lamb and chicken being likely proteins, for instance), a red might make more sense.

I'm not familiar with sangiovese, Zane, so have no opinion. What's it taste like?

In Greece we have a saying:  When in doubt always serve retsina.  It's flavorful, can hold up as well as any white or red wine and gives you that extra oomph of greek yumminess.

Retsina was my immediate thought, KK. But it's kind of an acquired taste, and I don't know as I'd bring it to a party where the guests are mostly non-Greek.

Are you back from your trip?

Sangiovese wines tend to be soft, something like California Merlots.  Not, in my opinion, a great choice. 

In whites, you're probably looking for something dry, crisp, and with a fair amount of acid.

In reds, you want something big and robust but not necessarily expensive.  If it's a little juicy, like a Zinfandel, that's good too.  Since you're buying for drinking now, it doesn't make sense to pay for "legs." 

There are plenty of Spanish wines which would be just fine -- whites, reds and even roses (Spanish roses tend to be pretty dry, actually).  Riojas jump to mind. 

Wines of the sort you're looking for come from all over the world.  I wouldn't bother with a great deal of searching or paying extra for anything specific.  You're looking for good quality vin ordinaire -- the types of wines that are frequently recommended for outdoor parties with grlled foods.  Don't overcomplicate it. 

Retsina is wine flavored with pine pitch.  While some people happen to like it, a lot of people -- especially Americans -- don't.  If you're only bringing one wine, don't bring retsina.

You could bring a bottle each of white and red.  No one says you have to finish them, corks go in as well as out.

Maybe we should have started with the idea that pairing is all about bringing together a particular wine with a particular dish or set of dishes.  "Greek food" is just too general for anyone who knows about either to get specific with wines.  If you're looking to build the meal around wine, or are purchasing a wine for an elevated level of cooking -- the choices will be quite different than if you're buying a wine for grilled seafood and mezze.  

The more specific you are, the better we can help with specific suggestions.  So far all we know is "Greek food," and you prefer whites to reds but your GF may not.  That's not much to go on.

But even that's got to be seen in the perspective that none of us knows everything about every wine, wines change a great deal from year to year, and none of us shares your tastes exactly. 

Hope this helps,

BDL

.....corks go in as well as out.

They do? Wow! Who'd a thunk it!

Nah! He's just joshing wit ya.

We eat a lot of mediterranean food. Not only big flavours, but a huge diversity as there are so many dishes.The meze alone is like a funfair in your mouth, which has made pairing a process of keep trying till we get a good all rounder.

If its just us we stick to red and go For a beefy Sth African Shiraz. Swartland is a goody goes great with curry too btw. If we've got folk over the white is a simple Californian chardonnay Turner road. Both are quite cheap and do the job nicely

KY my brother,

Some things are worth mentioning even though they won't necessarily make sense to the listeners/readers, or contrariwise are obvious. 

Besides, give yourself some credit.  Not everyone is as much of an expert on in and out as you.

'Nuff said,

BDL

Anything from Santorini.

Retsina is an acquired taste.

If you are going Greek then you bring Greek wines end of disucssion. I am Greek and that is how it is you don't bring wines from California as some have suggested. Sorry to step on your toes but Greeks are proud of their wines even if they are consider the bottom of the barrel by most.

Zane bring a bottle of Moschofilero which is produced by Boutari. It is one of the best wines around and everyone will enjoy it.

http://boutariwines.com/whites/moschofilero/

Kreitkos is also another good one.

http://boutariwines.com/whites/kretikos/

This wines sounds good. I guest, I have to try one. Is there any red wine also available? I have checked those links and found that, it is all white?

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeMadeCook 

This wines sounds good. I guest, I have to try one. Is there any red wine also available? I have checked those links and found that, it is all white?

http://boutariwines.com/red-wines/

Thanks ABE, I wish I could learn how to make wines.