Most likely not, especially since I usually do not like Pinot Noir. Not dry enough, a bit raw, too fruit juice for my taste. But I had not yet sipped Argyriou Winery’s 2014 Pinot Noir.
Within the rustic stone and wood elegance of the lounge in the1872 farmhouse, Nikos Argyriou, handed me a glass. I inhale. My head is filled with the bright aromas of a basket of late summer berries – blackberries, blueberries, sour cherries, red currents, and cranberries. I don’t want to take my nose out of the glass as each swirl produced more perfume.
Then a real surprise occurred. Like the legendary volcanic fumes that influenced the Oracles of Delphi, hints of sweet tobacco waft through the berries. The combinations of aromas were extraordinary.
Then I took a sip and was rewarded with the flavors intensified on my palate, dry, but not acidic, and smooth as silk. Rarely does a dessert pop into my head as a food pairing with wine but at that moment I craved a fresh warm cherry pie. Of course full flavored hard cheeses, ripe stoned fruit – fresh apricots for instance – and wood fired roast meats with Argyriou Winery’s 2014 Pinot Noir (aged 10 months in oak) would make an excellent meal especially given the setting.
Argyriou Winery and Wine Tasting Guest house is located within the village of Polydroso. The original 1872 stone farmhouse blends right into this postcard perfect village on the north-western slopes of Mount Parnassus. The main feature of the area is the abundance of water creating a lush ecosystem. Polydroso is within the National Park of Parnassus, which is a protected biosphere.
Nikos Argyriou was born in Polydroso and is the 3rd generation of his family in agriculture and livestock breeding. Nikos is not the only Greek to transform the age-old tradition of making wines for home consumption into an estate winery. The winery today comprises parcels totaling over 290 acres. The ecological position of the region creates mountain air currents essential to prevent deadly diseases to the vines.
A variety of wine related events are held at the guesthouse, which includes six spacious rooms and a wine cellar tasting room. Although the winery is not open to public wine tastings, guests of the Argyriou Winery and Wine Tasting Guesthouse have the opportunity to arrange a variety of wine tastings and pairings with the local cuisine.
A tasting of three more Argyriou Wines did nothing to damper my growing interest in this winery.
Malagousia from the Delphi area grows at 450 meters/1,500 feet elevation on mountain slopes of clay with fine drainage. This ancient white grape, thought to have gone extinct, was rediscovered in the 1970s and is now one of the most popular for wine in the nation.
It has an aromatic bouquet of white wild flowers on a dry summer day with a touch of lemon zest. In the mouth the pleasant undertone of lemon zest continues to scent the light dry grape morphing into herbal notes of lemon grass and lemon thyme. The finish is smooth and slightly astringent. It would pair well with grilled seafood and mild cheeses.
White Oracle Monteio is 40% chardonnay and 60% assyrtiko. The dry sea grass notes of Santorini Island assyrtiko cuts through the traditional sweetness of chardonnay like a mixed drink and yet created a full bodied white. There was an aroma of sweet butter and unripe figs. In the mouth caramel flavors coated the palate as if pairing the wine with ripe figs, mild cheese and white currents (not a bad pairing). The flavors continued silky smooth down the throat. It would pair well with mild cheeses, pastas with white sauces and seafood.
I make no excuses to being partial to red wine. I simply enjoy the full flavor of dry aromatic liquid fruit. Argyriou Winery’s 2014 Pinot Noir had already changed my perception of that grape. So I already did not need to be predisposed to Red Oracle Monteio (2014) – 80% Cabernet, 20% local Mavroudi. Cabernet ranks among my favorite reds, and the deep color and rich ripe fruitiness of Mavroudi are made to pair. Yet like with the Pinot Noir I was not expecting an extraordinary taste experience.
It had the rich aromas of ripe berries, hints of tobacco, unsweetened chocolate yet subtle aromas as well of cloves, allspice and nutmeg emanating as if used as a rub on slowly roasting meat. My palate was bathed in these flavors as they blended with roses and ripe plumbs. Balanced tannins kept earthy and sweet in check as the wine slid down the throat dissipating its complex silky liquid flavors.
Delphi, Polydroso and the National Park of Parnassus are, like Argyriou Winery and Wine Tasting Guesthouse all year destinations with a major ski center. In the summer the beaches of the Corinthian Gulf are an easy day trip. Wine, agriculture, natural beauty helped create the millenniums old Greek civilization and the same forces draw increasing international attention to the extraordinary abundance of this land.
When you go: Polydroso is not a day trip from Athens – 6 hour drive. It would be a part of exploring Delphi and the Corinthian Gulf. Here are driving directions from Athens from Google Maps
Disclaimer: the author was a guest of Iniohos Hotel & Restaurant, Delphi and the Argyriou Winery and Wine Tasting Guest house. Travel arrangements were made by the MTCgroup, Athens
You can read more articles by Marc d’Entremont at:
Travel with Pen and Palate 
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