@Elloinos #1 Greek wine for 2011: Boutari Naoussa
Posted January 24, 2012 by Do BianchiCategories: accolades, Boutari, Naoussa, Social Media
Tags: Elloinos, Markus Stolz
In his roundup of value in Greek wine for 2011, top Greek wine blogger Markus Stolz, author of Elloinos, picked Boutari’s 2007 Naoussa as his NUMBER ONE wine.
Here’s what Markus had to say about this bottling, a great vintage from one of the most collectible appellations in Europe today:
If I had to pick just one Greek wine as the red hot value of the year, this would be it. Refinement and balance best describe the wine. It is quite frankly a steal, and given its wide availability, this should be marketed as a showcase for Greek wines. I have no doubt that this can be cellared for many years to come, an outstanding effort.
Click here for the rest of Markus’ picks…
#FollowFriday @Boutari
Posted January 20, 2012 by Do BianchiCategories: Social Media
Happy #FollowFriday! 
#ff @MariaKaramitsos @DelphiGreek @BuyGreek @KaritasM @vintuition @deanandbek @petereconomides @branjo67 @GeorgieProut
One of our favorite Greek restaurants in the U.S.: @DelphiGreek (Los Angeles)
Posted January 17, 2012 by Do BianchiCategories: Boutari, Los Angeles, California
Tags: Roozbeh Farahanipour, Westwood, Delphi Greek, Los Angeles, UCLA
Today’s post is a shout-out to one of our favorite Greek restaurants in the U.S., Delphi Greek in Westwood (Los Angeles, California).
It’s not one of our favorites just because the food is delicious and very reasonably priced.
It’s not one of our favorites just because the wine list is a veritable temple to Boutari.
It’s not one of our favorites just because the owner searches all over the world to complete his “library” of Boutari wines.
No, it’s because the simpatico owner Roozbeh Farahanipour is an Iranian freedom fighter who uses his office at the restaurant as his headquarters in his virtual campaign to fight for the Iranian people’s freedom. Roozbeh is one of the nicest people in the business that we know and it’s remarkable to think that he’s been imprisoned in Iran, he’s been tortured, and that every day he continues to serve up great Greek cuisine with a smile for the many UCLA students who live in his neighborhood.
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Santorini winery one of the “ten architectural wonders of the wine world” @WineSpiralPro
Posted January 12, 2012 by Do BianchiCategories: accolades, Boutari, Santorini
From the Wine Spiral Project…
Fitting with the quaint white structures of Santorini’s cliffsides, this winery in Megalohori, Greece includes an administration area, an exhibition and sales building and “Tholos,” the domed structure pictured above. Tastings and audio-visual presentations happen inside, but the real treat is outside, with the contrast of the buildings against the greens and blues of the island. Designed by Yannos Yanniotis.
“Don’t be xenophobic of Xinomavro” @MikeMadrigale @BarBoulud
Posted January 10, 2012 by Do BianchiCategories: Boutari
Sunday night (January 8) at Bar Boulud (NYC), sommelier Mike Madrigale poured Boutari Naoussa from magnum. Pretty friggin’ cool!
@GreekGateway interview with Christina Boutari
Posted January 6, 2012 by Do BianchiCategories: Boutari
Jonathan Bliangas: Tell us about some of the challenges or benefits that come with having a winery located in a climate and landscape like Greece, and more specifically Santorini.
Christina Boutari: Greece has an excellent climate for many products, especially wine. Specifically, however, when it comes to Santorini, we are talking about a location with a very unique climate and a very unique soil made of volcanic rock. As a result, what we get is a very unique wine. Santorini is a warm, dry, and windy island. This can sometimes be a challenge when it comes to producing wine. As a matter of fact, the vineyards in Santorini were traditionally formed in the shape of round baskets. This was done to shelter the grapes from the heat and wind. It’s a very different way of growing grapes, and to my knowledge, Greece is the only country that practices this method.
We can’t wait to try @StellasRichmond
Posted January 3, 2012 by Do BianchiCategories: Boutari, Our recommendations, restaurants
From the department of “so much great food, so little time”…
We can’t wait to try Stellas in Richmond Virginia.
Simply Stella
By Tanya Cauthen
Richmond Magazine
Richmond culinary legend is far from retired.
To anyone who has met her, she is simply Stella. During her 40-plus years in Richmond, Stella Dikos has become a culinary icon, whether she was at The Village, Joe’s Inn, the eponymously named Stella’s, or her daughter and son-in-law’s restaurants — Sidewalk Cafè and 3 Monkeys, to name a few.
Born in German-occupied Greece in 1942, Stella was 4 when her mother died, and her father was a hard-working tailor. “He pushed me; he expected so much of me. I think that’s why I work so hard,” she says, before adding, “We weren’t rich.”
When presented with a marriage proposal by Stavros Dikos — a young man from a neighboring village who had gone to America to create his future — Stella saw new possibilities for her life. She came to the United States on May 10, 1962, joining Stavros at his restaurant, The Village. Stella learned the business by doing a little bit of everything and realized she had found her calling. “I discovered I loved people and they loved me,” she says, beaming. She and her husband worked hard and started a family — they had a daughter, Katrina, and a son, Demietri.
The Dikoses sold The Village in 1980 and helped expand Joe’s Inn, owned and run by Stella’s brother, Nick Kafantaris. Eventually it was time for something new, so in 1983 they opened Stella’s on Harrison Street. In 1995, the Dikoses closed Stella’s. “It was time,” Stella says. She focused on her family and young grandchild.
But within two years, Stella’s was reborn at a new Main Street location — as a partnership between Stella and her daughter. The restaurant had a nice run until 2005, when, in a seemingly sudden move, Stella’s closed again. “My husband was ailing,” Stella explains. “I needed to take care of him.”
Of course, Stella hasn’t stopped cooking. She can still be found most mornings prepping food at 3 Monkeys, which is owned by Katrina and Stella’s son-in-law Johnny Giavos. “I need to feed people,” Stella says, smiling. “It’s what makes me happy.”
@RobertMParkerJr Wine of the Day: 2004 Naoussa
Posted December 19, 2011 by Do BianchiCategories: accolades, Boutari, Naoussa, Social Media
Tags: Naoussa, Robert Parker
Boutari’s 2004 Naoussa was Robert Parker’s “Wine of the Day” yesterday.
Here’s what Wine Advocate reviewer Mark Squires had to say about the wine and vintage (April 2010, WA 188), giving it 90 points.
The 2004 GRANDE RESERVE has powerful aromatics, a touch of funk and a touch of game, plus more intensity than the ’06 regular reviewed this issue. Focused, complex and earthy, despite the time in oak, this is quite elegant in the mid-palate, has a crisp, somewhat astringent finish and develops slowly but beautifully in the glass. I think it will fulfill the promise I see. It is not for those who want smooth and sexy—at least not yet. It should hold very well, although it is quite approachable now. Drink now-2024.
Boutari is one of Greece’s old line wineries, famed in particular for its work in the North with Xinomavro. It should be noted that Boutari does a fine job with whites elsewhere (i.e., Mantinia and Santorini), producing reasonably priced wines with fine balance and some distinction.
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