Domaine Lyrarakis, Zazazu, Demi-Sec, Crete, Greece

Domaine Lyrarakis, Zazazu, Demi-Sec, Crete, Greece

Product: 10001366682
Place a bid
 
Domaine Lyrarakis, Zazazu, Demi-Sec, Crete, Greece

Buying options

You can place a bid for this wine on BBX
Place a bid
Sorry, Out of stock

Description

Fashioned from Vilana (50%), Vidiano (35%), and the indigenous Cretan Muscat (15%), this medium sweet wine is a lot of fun. Though a tad under 50 g/l residual sugar, this gently sparkling wine possesses good natural acidity, vivid apricot, zesty lemon, and modest 11% alcohol; all combining to provide balancing freshness, liveliness and zip. So, when to drink it? Madame Bollinger might disapprove, but I’d suggest that almost any occasion would be right, particularly after mowing the lawn, as a light aperitif, or with fruit-based desserts.
Demetri Walters MW, Hellenic Wines Specialist

I have to admit to this being one of my guilty pleasures for summer drinking.  I tend to think of it as grown-up Asti Spumante – white, sparkling, slightly sweet, with lovely refreshing acidity, but with more body than its Italian counterpart. A perfect summer drink that can be enjoyed on its own, or with a fruit salad.  The grape varieties include Muscat, but only in a supporting role to the local heroes Vilana and Vidiano, all carefully vinified by Bert Lyrarakis, a man determined to keep the vinous heritage of Crete alive, albeit with a modern twist.  I really should not like something this frivolous (the bottle design says it all), but I cannot help myself.
Martin Hudson MW, Wine Buyer

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

About this WINE

Domaine Lyrarakis

Domaine Lyrarakis

Domaine Lyrarakis, established in 1966, is located in the mountainous commune of Alagni (440 metres above sea-level), south of the city of Heraklion, in   Crete. The well-preserved 14th-century stone-presses in the fields around the winery are testament to the area’s long history of grape-growing and winemaking.
 
The winery is at the forefront of viticultural innovation, championing obscure local varieties such as the ancient white cultivars of Plytó,  Dafniand  Vidiano, that it rescued from extinction.
 
The winery’s extensive portfolio consists of a range of monovarietal wines (VidianoPlytó, MandilariAssyrtiko, Vilana, Thrapsathiri, Kotsifali) – some from single, “premium” vineyard plots, as well as blends of indigenous and international varieties (such as Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot). Quality remains key and the style emphasises fruit precision, purity and supple texture – placing the wines firmly in the modern camp, yet without flamboyance or exaggeration.





Find out more
Crete

Crete

Crete is the steam engine of Greek wine production, with 50,000ha and one bottle out of every five in the country. The influence of co-operatives is still strong, in contrast to the mainland Greece, where boutique wineries and independent producers have already had a revolutionising presence over the past two decades.

Wine styles have evolved from the heady, rustic, alcoholic, slightly oxidative reds of the past, to fresh, clean, forward drinking red and whites, thanks to modern techniques in both the vineyard and the winery and the development of new plantings in higher, cooler altitudes.

Local Grape Varieties

A significant white in Crete is Vilana, mainly in the appellations of Peza and Sitia. At high altitudes, it can give refreshing, dry, peppery and floral whites.

Other niche, traditional varieties include the dry aromatic whites Plyto and Dafni, saved from extinction by the pioneering Lyrarakis winery.

Kotsifali, the signature red grape of Crete, can be aromatic and high in alcohol. Mandilaria makes the perfect blending partner enhancing tannins and colour. It is often married together with Kotsifali, the latter may be also vinified with Syrah.

Another local speciality (especially in the east region of Sitia) is the red Liatiko, similar to the Aglianico. It can be vinified into delicious, dry reds, but the most promising way forward is sweet wines from sun-dried grapes.

Malvasia di Candia represents both a grape variety and an ancient wine style from Crete with its heydays dating back to the Venetian occupation of the island. This variety gives wines with rich aromas, intense grape & floral flavours. Its comtemporaty incarnation comes with “Malvasia di Candia Aromatica” clone in Crete.
 

Recommended Producers:

LyrarakisDiamantakis

Find out more
Other Varieties

Other Varieties

There are over 200 different grape varieties used in modern wine making (from a total of over 1000). Most lesser known blends and varieties are traditional to specific parts of the world.

Find out more