Semeli Feast 2012
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As its name suggests, this is a great food wine from a producer founded in 1979. It is made from the aromatic and indigenous Moschofilero grape common in this part of Greece. It's vibrant, fresh and has fine intensity, laden with ripe yet elegant exotic fruits and musky spice. A lovely long finish too.
Since 1979 an evolving tradition in winemaking excellence
Founded in 1979, with deep roots in time-honored winemaking traditions and eyes on the future, the Semeli Estate produces wines of exceptional quality offering consumers best value for money. The sunny Mediterranean climate and the extraordinary terroir, combined with the expert craftsmanship of their winemakers and the successful blending of indigenous and international varieties, result in wines of distinct character that have earned the respect of experts and captured the hearts of wine lovers worldwide.
Semeli Estate ranks among the country’s most advanced and significant wine-related developments … in the heart of a unique Greek terroir
Their privately-owned hillside vineyards span 30 hectares, while another 90 hectares are grown by affiliated local winegrowers. This allows for continuous quality control throughout the growing season - an absolute must for consistently producing great wines. Their state-of-the-art 4,200m² facility in the Nemea winemaking country, which can produce up to two million bottles annually, is a benchmark winery at a national level both in terms of innovative layout and excellent services. Designed with respect for the natural environment and built on a vineyard covered hillslope with a long reputation of producing vintage grapes, the Semeli winery reflects their holistic approach to modern winemaking. The Semeli-owned vineyards and those grown by affiliated winegrowers span more than 250 acres in the PDO areas of Nemea and Mantinia, as well as in other parts of the Peloponnese. To ensure the best grape quality possible, the Semeli-owned vineyards are currently in the process of transitioning from conventional to organic cultivation. In the next five years Semeli Estate plans to double its company-owned acres and develop ideal terroirs for the cultivation of well-known Greek and international varieties, as well as rare indigenous ones, which will produce unique single vineyard/single cru wines of exceptional quality.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
A picturesque Mediterranean nation with a rich wine culture dating back to ancient times, Greece has so much more to offer than just retsina. Between the mainland and the country’s many islands, a wealth of Greek wine styles exists, made mostly from Greece’s plentiful indigenous varieties. After centuries of adversity after Ottoman rule, the modern Greek wine industry took off in the late 20th century with an influx of newly trained winemakers and investments in winemaking technology.
The climate—generally hot Mediterranean—can vary a bit with latitude and elevation, and is mostly moderated by cool maritime breezes. Drought can be an issue for Greek wine during the long, dry summers, sometimes necessitating irrigation.
Over 300 indigenous grapes have been identified throughout Greece, and though not all of them are suitable for wine production, future decades will likely see a significant revival and refinement of many of these native Greek wine varieties. Assyrtiko, the crisp, saline Greek wine variety of the island of Santorini, is one of the most important and popular white wine varieties, alongside Roditis, Robola, Moschofilero, and Malagousia. Muscat is also widely grown for both sweet and dry wines. Prominent red wine varieties include full-bodied and fruity Agiorghitiko, native to Nemea; Macedonia’s savory, tannic Xinomavro; and Mavrodaphne, used commonly to produce a Port-like fortified wine in the Peloponnese.