On the nose it displays mild aromas of melon, mandarin and banana. In the mouth light, but balanced, with an agreeable finish. The aftertaste is very discrete, with the melon, the mandarin and the banana coming back to say goodbye.
This wine is made 100% with Vilana, a white grape variety grown primarily in the island of Crete, the southernmost of Greece. It is traditionally a workhorse variety, delivering light, delicately flavoured varietal wines with citrus and floral character.
This one is produced by Boutari, an estate first established over one century ago in 1879 by Yiannis Boutari, who was the first Greek winemaker to bottle red wine and ship it abroad.
Boutari is one of the top winery in Greece, known for preserving and reviving native grape varieties and modernizing viticulture in the country. By adopting international techniques, it has also played a critical role in the evolution of winemaking practices in Greece. Nowadays Boutari own six winery in some of Greece most famous wine regions.
This bottle I bought in Crete for slightly less than 6 EUR, I find it an easy to drink wine. For the price, it delivers fairly good quality, especially when compared with the Vilana produced by Kourtaki (of Retsina fame) under the label “Vin de Crete”, which costs the same but is a much more ordinary wine.
Country: Greece
Region: Crete
Grapes: Vilana
Type: White
Vintage: 2017
Producer: Boutari
Price range: Economic (<15 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 2/5