Greek winemaker profile: Digenakis Wines of Iraklio, Crete

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Digenakis Cretan Wines

Nutshell...

Company Name:

Digenakis Cretan Wines

Location:

Iraklio, Crete

Owner:

Ioannis Digenakis

Products:

Marisini White

Aeriko

Marisini Red

Kernos Red

Nymphaios

Cabernet

To contact this company click here

Ioannis Digenakis opened his négociant business in Iraklio, Crete in 1992. Wine is selected and purchased from producers in Iraklio and Sitia in Crete and Argos in the Peloponessos. The products are distributed fairly widely on Crete and the mainland.

The wines:

Marisini White 1999 (Sitia)
A blend of Vilana, Thrapsathiri and Muscat, it has a complex, floral nose. It is dry, well balanced and brimming with peachy fruit.

Marisini Red 2000 (Sitia)
Made from 100% Liatiko, a grape whose wines are not known for their deep tones, this wine has surprisingly rich color extraction. Its nose is vinous and gnarly, the middle palate a tad weak, the finish more fruity and long.

Aeriko 2000 (Peloponessos)
A blend of Moschofilero and Roditis, this has green apple on the nose and palate, good body but an austere profile generally. Distinctly a fish accompaniment.

Kernos Red (Iraklio)
Light in color, with brown tints and dried fruit on the nose, this wine has many attributes of dry sherry. Tanned leather fruit shows signs of controlled oxidation, a feature which makes the wine seem more in the aperitif than the food wine category.

Nymphaios 1998 (Peloponessos)
This wine, a blend of Cabernet and Agiorgitiko, has a light, herbal nose. Color is also light with purple rim. Slight, wet vintage body, but cherry comes through on palate and finish.

Cabernet 1998
This is a true Greek Cabernet, with eucalyptus and cedar dominating light fruit. A soft and pleasant drink, nonetheless.

The Digenakis company is a modest operation, housed in a small suite in a residential area near the outskirts of Iraklio. In a country increasingly comfortable with estate wines, one suspects an ethnically-oriented bottler faces an uphill battle. We will be following the fortunes of this interesting venture over time.

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