Join Christina Boutari at the Disneyland Resort from May 25-27 for Opa! A Celebration of Greece, featuring music, dance, art, food, history and more! Festivities will take place in both “it’s a small world” Mall in Disneyland park and Paradise Gardens in Disney California Adventure park. Mickey Mouse will even be there in his Fustanella attire!

Christina Boutari will be speaking and appearing events through the 3-day celebration.

Click here for event and registration details.

Events include dinner with Christina Sunday evening:

Celebrate Greece! A Culinary Experience with Greek Celebrity Chef Argiro Barbarigou and Greek Winemaker Christina Boutari

Join Greek celebrity chef Argiro Barbarigou and Greek winemaker Christina Boutari as they host a special, separately-ticketed culinary event featuring an amazing array of modern and classic Greek dishes paired with exceptional Greek wines. Then, relax and enjoy an after dinner viewing of the exciting nighttime spectacular, World of Color.

Date: May 26, 2013
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Golden Vineyard Winery at Disney California Adventure Park

Click here for event details.

Boutari wines will be the official wine sponsor of the 2013 Gabby Awards to be held in Los Angeles on May 25, 2013.

This year, the Gabby awards will raise funds for the people of Greece, with proceeds benefiting “Project Hope for Greece” that supports sustainable and transparent charities that help people impacted by the country’s financial crisis.

Christina Boutari will be in attendance and is one of the event’s official greeters.

From the Gabby Awards website:

The Gabby Awards were created to celebrate those Greek North Americans who strive to be the very best at what they do. Whether in business, philanthropy, the arts, education or other areas of interest that our awards cover, we celebrate the pursuit excellence as a core Greek ideal and are inspired by people who pursue excellence.

The name “Gabby” comes from the acronym “Greek America’s Best and Brightest Stars” and the Gabby has quickly become the top achievement awards for Greek North Americans. The awards are based on a purely meritocratic system that involves a 100-member Academy that determines the nominees, followed by a popular vote via the internet.

Founded in 2009 with a gala event in Chicago and hosted every two years — the Gabby Awards have become North America’s premiere weekend celebration for Americans and Canadians of Greek descent. In 2011, the awards ceremony took place at Ellis Island, in the very location where 12 million immigrants passed through on their way to becoming U.S. citizens.

Above: Winemaker Roxane Matsa makes one of the most coveted wines in Greece, Malagouszia from the Attica appellation (outside Athens).

“2012 Boutari Malagouzia ‘Matsa’ Attica Greece,” writes acclaimed Chicago wine writer Bill St. John, “very distinctive and inviting, with its combo of rosewater, citrus, apricot and basil in aroma and taste; silky smooth, but also crisply defined; versatile with many foods.”

Click here for the rest of his article on “odd grapes” and the other wines he recommends.

Click here to read Shelby Vittek’s excellent article for Table Matters on wines “Coming of Age.”

On Boutari Naoussa, she writes: “Made from xinomavro, a Greek grape known for its aging potential and rich tannins. Menthol, leather and dried cherries on the nose with dried herbs and spice in the mouth. Masculine but smooth, with mild tannins on the finish. Aged for a total of four years, of which two were in French oak.”

Shelby, we loved your work with 1 Wine Dude and are excited to see what your next move is!

The Boutari winery on Santorini, where Vinsanto is made.

92 POINTS 2008 Boutari Vinsanto

The 2008 Vinsanto was bottled in 2012 from sun dried grapes (90% Assyrtiko, 10% Aidani) after two years of barrel aging. For what amounts to fairly young Vinsanto, this is superb. This is not terribly concentrated or rich, but the acidity is mouthwatering, making this invigorating and often exciting as well as delicious. It is zesty, very fresh and perhaps even a touch shrill when too cold. But there is an utterly scrumptious and very intense finish, with the acidity ramming home the sugar and fruit, dribbling their pure flavor and sweetness over the palate as the mouth waters. Ultimately, I liked this a lot. German wine lovers may gravitate to it, given that tension between fruit, sugar and acidity. The 14.5% alcohol gives this some wallop at times, but that may be an issue for the future, if it is one. There were 3,333 cases produced. Drink now-2025.

90 POINTS 2009 Boutari Naoussa

The 2009 Naoussa, Boutari’s regular Xinomavro, has been a very nice value of late, sometimes seeming like quite a deal. So it is again—although take note of some differences this year. It generally receives modest oak aging (around 12 months in 225L French oak, used 3 to 4 times), which tends to help the Xinomavro shine through. Granting that sensory memory is a fragile thing, this seemed to me rather different at this stage of its life than recent prior vintages, less round and civilized, a bit tighter, earthier, less fleshy, a trend I think that I have seen in some other 2009s. Indeed, Chief Oenologist Yiannis Voyatzis later wrote to me that the vintage led to wines with a bit more astringency and a bit less color and roundness. If you don’t mind a little rusticity (or even prefer it), this worked it all out quite well. The oak was beautifully integrated early on, hardly affecting the wine at all. The light color, purity and earthy nose give this a very Nebbiolo feel, a very old world, old school sensibility, with fine acidity and intensity. It is excellent, traditional and well done in its own way and style. Some may prefer it; some might prefer the riper style of, say, the 2007. You may like both. I did. It should age well and be great as a food wine, too. You can approach this if you must, but it really needs a few years of cellaring to come together. Drink 2015-2024.

90 POINTS 2011 Boutari Malagouzia Matza

The 2012 Malagouzia Matsa is from the Attica region and a vineyard originally known for Savatiano. Tank aged for 3 months, it is typically a very interesting Malagouzia. This year’s version is certainly quite invigorating, while never losing its footing. Of the Malagouzias in this report, this is piercing and focused wine is likely my pick, if only by a slight margin. Bright and relatively full bodied for the grape, but not particularly lush, it has a crisp and moderately intense finish, with modest herbaceous notes in the background. Focused and fresh, this drinks beautifully and should age for a few years. It will provide a wake-up moment in warm weather. It will always be at its best young, though, so don’t think this must be cellared. There were 2,667 cases produced. Drink now-2015.