Three of Greece's most highly regarded wine cellars - Kir-Yianni, Domaine Sigalas and Samos, a co-operative founded in 1934 - announced their presence on the Bulgaria market with a wine tasting evening held at the Sofia restaurant Gourmet Club Classic on June 5.

Together Stelios Boutaris of Kir-Yianni and Belvedere Bulgaria, the wines' official importer, hosted the dégustation, at which were present wine industry specialists and business players, media representatives from the field of wine and gourmet, vinophiles and friends.

Before the actual tastings started, Boutaris introduced Greece as a wine-producing country, both past and present. While today Greece has more than 500 wine wine producers, 100 or so of whom sell abroad, he said, 10 years ago there were only about 300, and back 20 years ago, only 50 to 60. This change can be credited to a return to the drinking of wine, seen notably accompanying the emergence of modern-style restaurants. And while the country is home to about 300 indigenous grape varietals, Greeks themselves tend to prefer international sorts, like cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay, with non-Greeks falling for the charm of native grapes like assyrtiko or xinómavro.

The country claims about two per cent of the global wine production, making "Greece's future in the production of quality wines", Boutaris said. No mechanical farming techniques are used, he said, in deference to only hand harvesting. Small vineyard holdings of an average of one hectare country-wide also have small yields, particularly on Santorini and Samos, of 20 to 25 hectolitres of grapes per hectare of planted vineyard.

Until recently, given the base from which they started, more money had been going into the physical wineries themselves. Now, more money is going to the vineyards.

Talking about the grape varieties themselves, Boutaris said that assyrtiko, a white grape, had a high level of acidity and did well in coupages, or blended wines, had a unique mineral character and could benefit from up to 10 years of ageing.

Xinomavro, which grows in the north of the country, and agiorghitiko, which flourishes in the south, were two of the better known red sorts, he said. While agiorghitiko made a fruity wine with good, ripe tannins, there was more of a "love-hate relationship" when it was a question of œnologists and xinómavro, Boutaris said. "It is a challenge to make a great wine" from the grape, but when they're good, they're good.

The first wine tasted was a Santorini Sigalas assyrtiko 2005, made from organic grapes. Its aromatic nose, high acidity, good structure, minerality, balance and long finish was complemented by crostini with smoked salmon and salmon egg caviar.

Following was a Santorini Sigala assyrtiko oak barrel 2005, also organic, accompanied by mini-tarts with avocado mousse and a shrimp. The wine was minerally, with notes of dried matter and leather, balanced with a high acidity, oak and vanilla.

Third was a Kir-Yianni Rámnista xinómavro 2003. "What makes this excellent is that they are experimenting with Burgundian methods (for this wine)," Boutaris said, the piégeage allowing high extraction. It had a "unique nose" of dried tomatoes, cherries and olives. It was served with cubes of medium-rare duck with pomegranate juice and walnuts.

A Kir-Yianni Dyo Elies (meaning "two olives") merlot and syrah and xinómavro 2005, accompanied by slices of plum wrapped in proscuitto di Parma and roasted, came next.

Rounding off the night's presentation were two dessert wines - a Samos Vin Doux 2005 made from a special variety of muscat grape that grows only on the island and which recalled rose lokum, and a Samos Nectar 2000, also made from muscat.