#flyingolivefarms

Back from the dead?  Risen again? Better yet- The Big Comeback!

Many of the classic grape vines have long and colorful pasts, just as the Greek God of Wine, Dionysus. In matters of Wine, producing and consuming, there can be no question that the Greeks were ahead of the game for many centuries compared to the rest of Western Europe. 

Monemvasia Winery was founded in 1997 and was famous from ancient times.. not only for its privileged location and its well-known fortress-castle “Castro” but also for its “reputed Malvasia wine.”  From the 12th century and for five hundred years, Malvasia wine dominated the Eastern and Western markets; never before was a wine so famous for so long.

During the ottoman times, Greek subjects did have wine but were not encouraged the craft of creating it..... years of unfortunate neglect, many of the indigenous Greek grape varieties were verging on extinction by the middle of the 20th century. 

But, Monemvasia Winery is back and thriving!  With ancient grape varieties and modern techniques, Mr. George Tsimpidis is in effect to preserve the legacy of the grapes local to Lakonia, which is the south-eastern finger of the Peloponnese... and the birthplace of #Vrisi36!

This particular wine shown has been presented-

Medals: Concours International du vin-Thessalonique Greece 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 - Monemvasios red 2000 - Silver - Monemvasios red 2001 - Gold - Monemvasios red 2002 - Gold - Monemvasios red 2003 - Silver - Monemvasios red 2004 - Gold - Monemvasios red 2005 - Gold - Monemvasios red 2003 - Silver - Monemvasios red 2006 - Silver - Monemvasios red 2006 - Silver - Monemvasios red 2006 - Gold Brussels wine Expo 2004 - BEST BUY Quality / Price Monemvasios 2001

Finger Lakes International Wine Competition 2004, 2008, 2009 - Monemvasios Cava red - Silver - Monemvasios Cava red - Silver - Monemvasios Cava red - Bronze

Selection Mondiales Des Vins 2004 & 2007 - Monemvasios red 2001 - Gold - Monemvasios red 2003 - International Seal of Quality - Monemvasios white 2005 - International Seal of Quality

Citadelles du vin 2004 - Monemvasios 2002 - Gold Trophy Prestige

Mundus vini 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 - Monemvasios red 2002 - Silver - Monemvasios baricke 2000 - Silver - Monemvasios red 2004 - Silver

Decanter world wine  Awards 2005, 2007, 2008 England - Monemvasios red 2002 - commended

Challege  International du vin 2006 France - Monemvasios red 2004 - Bronze

Balkans International Wine Competition 2013

  If you have ever had the privilege of having real feta ,you instantly know what a good feta and what a bad feta is.  First off, American made feta’s are made with cow’s milk, which is not the true recipe for soft, creamy feta.  Secondly, feta crumbles, are non-existent in the land where feta originated. You just take the fresh feta and crumble it yourself, if the creamy texture allows it.

First I must say, Greeks know their cheese; some stats place the Greeks as the highest consumers of cheese in the world, consuming  about 50-65 pounds of cheese a year. And half of this consumption is feta.

If you want a real feta and not a dry salt block (leave that for the cows) then look for feta made in Greece-it’s the only one that is real feta. There are numerous misinformed folks  wrongly describing feta as a white, salty cheese made in different parts of world with different types of milk and various countries claiming ownership. Feta is Greek and it is acknowledged as that by the European Commission due to a variety of factors. If you want feta, choose Greek, if you want some sort of salty white cheese-you can choose something else.

Make sure it only contains sheep’s milk (and maybe some goat’s milk), rennet and salt. It should not contain anything else nor should it contain cow’s milk. Feta made with cow’s milk can crumble easily (that’s not a good thing), may develop a sour taste and does not leave a pleasant aftertaste. Also it is more likely to become mushy and have a bad odor.

Tiny holes on top and white.  If you read your label and it reads "product of Greece" you are more than likely good to go! The Greeks don't pretend to make cheddar and the rest of the world shouldn't pretend to make feta.  Americans are good at making many things, but feta is for the Greeks.  Remember yogurt?  When Greece introduced us to their recipe the yogurt world was turned upside down.  Fage did a great job helping us out with that!  Now, everyone wants greek yogurt.  The recipe is different and the milk is different.