spaswinefood: A winemaker who is showcasing Greek wines to the world

Anna Aga is part of a new generation of winemakers and viticulturists who are putting Wines of Greece on the map. Since Anna's graduation from TEI of Athens Oenology and Wine Making she has worked as winemaker in Greek wineries and abroad (Domaine G. Kokotos, Société Rémy Panier, Antonopoulos Vineyards, Domaine Theotokis, Domaine Evharis, Oenotria Land C. Lazaridis, and Domaine Zacharioudakis). Anna utilizes these rich background experiences in her position as winemaker at Kokotos Estate, a boutique winery in Stamata, East Attica, near Athens.

Anna, Pouring Kokotos Estate Wines © Spaswinefood

I first met Anna online in the #winelover community and later online in her role as Social Media Manager for Wines of Greece. Anna is quite at home in the social media world where she is actively engaged in promoting Greek wines.

Let us take a look at some of the wines made by Anna Aga. It is important to note that some of Kokotos Estate's wines are produced from grapes grown in their organic certified vineyards in Attica. Those organically certified include their Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

Cinque Wine Bar
My introduction to Kokotos Estate wines was during a visit to the Cinque Wine Bar, Athens. I was in Athens for the 4th Anniversary #Winelover celebrations when I tasted Kokotos Estate wines at the Cinque Wine Bar. The two wines (one white and one red) that I tasted were:

1. Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014

Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014 © Spaswinefood

This well made Savatiano was a wonderful introduction to Kokotos Estate wines. Savatiano, the pre-dominant grape variety in Attica is well-known for its use in the making of Retsina. However, when Savatiano is a well made white wine, like this one, it has status in its own right. Kokotos Estate is known for wines produced from international grape varieties, such the red wine that I tasted.

Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 © Spaswinefood

The very day I was at Cinque Wine Bar two young women dropped by the wine bar. They ordered Kokotos Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I asked why they selected this specific wine. They said it was their favorite. After this introduction I looked forward to sampling more Kokotos Estate wines.

Museum of Wine
Our last morning adventure, as part of the #winelover celebrations, included a visit to the Museum of Wine in Pallini, just outside Athens. After greetings were exchanged we took a brief tour of the museum. Next, we tasted wines from producers who are members of the Wines of Athens Association.

Museum of Wine, Pallini © Spaswinefood

Anna was one of the winemakers pouring wines at this event.

Anna pouring Kokotos Estate Wines for #Winelovers © Spaswinefood

I tasted the following wines:

White Wines
1. Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014

Savatiano G. Kokotos 2014 © Spaswinefood

This was my second time tasting this wine. Since Savatiano is a new wine for me it was important to taste more than once.

2. Kokotos Estate, Agrimi 2015

Kokotos Estate, Agrimi 2015 © Spaswinefood

This wine is made from Roditis 60% & Savatiano 40%.

3. Kokotos Estate, Perdika sto Ampli 2015

Kokotos Estate, Perdika sto Ampeli (Partridge in the Vines) 2015 © Spaswinefood

This wine is made from 100% Assyrtiko.

4. Kokotos Estate, Tris Tris Parades 2015

Kokotos Estate, Tris Tris Parades 2015 © Spaswinefood

Tris Tris Parades gets its name from a bird around the grape vines that eats the grapes. It makes a "Tris Tris" like sound. The wine is made from 60% Gewürztraminer and 40% Roditis.

5. Kokotos Estate, Chardonnay 2014

Kokotos Estate (Ktima), Chardonnay 2014 © Spaswinefood

Rose Wine
6. Kokotos Estate, Klefta Kissa 2014

Kokotos Estate, Klefta Kissa (Thieving Magpie) 2014© Spaswinefood

Klefta Kissa is a rose wine made from a blend of Merlot 70% and Cabernet Sauvignon 30%.

Red Wines
I did not have enough time to tasted all of the wines during the wine tasting. However, during lunch I managed to re-taste Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 and sample the 2012 vintage for the first time.

7. Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 & 2011

Kokotos Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 & 2011 © Spaswinefood

Yes, lunch at the museum was a great opportunity to checkout more wines. This time with food.

What a fabulous morning it was at the Wine Museum with Attica producers, like Kokotos Estate. The Attica area is known for producing Greek varieties, such as Assyrtiko, Athiri, Agiorgitiko, Malagouzia and Savatiano. The popular international varieties from this area include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

Anna #Winemaker #Winelover
It is important to note that Anna is also an active member of the #winelover community.

It has been exciting to get to know Anna in her multiple roles as winemaker and social media manager. I am always delighted to meet a female winemaker. In this particular case I was thrilled to discover Kokotos Estate winemaker Anna Aga. We are indeed lucky to have Anna in the #winelover community. She is not only an advocate for Kokotos Estate wines, the Greek wine community but also the #winelover community.

Worldwide women winemakers are rare. Earlier when I checked the statistics for California I discovered that women account for only 10% of the winemakers (see University of California, Davis and Women Winemakers of California). Hopefully, that figure maybe about to change, as suggested in Lucy Shaw's article. Worldwide there is room for talented female winemakers. Winemakers like Anna bring not only new energy but also new direction to the wine world.

I just know there will be an invitation to taste more Greek wines or to visit Greece soon. Spaswinefood is looking forward to more stops along the Greek Wine Trails. Check out my travels at Spaswinefood.

Sharon

February 2016
Athens, Greece

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Thursday, March 24, 2016

A winemaker who is showcasing Greek wines to the world

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