CLEAN MONDAY WINES
The wines of Clean Monday
Raise your hand if you don't want to see meat again for the rest of the month and feel that the fat and the charcoal smoke have soaked the skin! Calm down, Clean Monday is coming and the most delicious seafood appetizers, with traditional but also new technology recipes come to revive the taste, as long as they are paired with the best wines!
1. Raw Fish Spread or Tarama salad
Kyriaki's tarama salad is the most delicious in the Cyclades, but unfortunately, years of friendship failed to reveal the recipe, so every time the tarama salad is simply "very nice, but not like Kyriaki's". The classic white and lemony, with its characteristic aroma and rich creamy texture, needs acidity but also balance. It wants juicy fruit and elegant notes of retsina, accompanied by high acidity, which is all that Retsina Amphore Nature 2023 of Tetramythos Winery has. The tarama salad must be handmade, so pinch it in the salt shaker, and you won't regret it, if you want something more daring, try Debina from the Glinavos Estate.
2. Crab salad
The crab has a special and very delicate flavor profile, which changes slightly when the mayonnaise salt and pepper are added. The taste is subtly sweet, with a greasy kiss from the mayonnaise that a classic barrel-aged Chardonnay will be needed, with a buttery character and freshness of fruit like The Paring Chardonnay 2018.
3. Grape leaf rice rolls or Ntolmadakia
Ntolmadakia and Aidani bites! A food pairing that never loses, since it's like they were made for each other. The dish is rich in herbs, has intense vegetality, but also a bit of lemon, and will match uniquely with the delicious and multidimensional Aidani 2022 from Hatzidakis Winery.
4. Fried squid
The pan screams oiliness and the squid rich texture and salty taste. Its crunchy element in combination with the rest needs crisp acidity and nerve, which will give a refreshing breath between bites and leave a citrus freshness. Panochori Old Vines 2023 from the Sarris Winery and the Ionian Breeze are just what you need.
5. Grilled shrimp
Here are the simple things. Salt and pepper, grill, lemon. And you don't need anything else since the shrimp has all the deliciousness in its skin. An ideal choice is Mountcloud 2022 from Navitas Winery, but if you want something in white, go to France and specifically to Bourgogne Aligote Les Grands Champs 2021 Guy Amiot, with its oily feel and soft minerality adding extra stars to the combination.
6. Mussels steamed with wine
Juicy, richly flavored dish with a naturally salty taste and intense vegetality that usually comes from parsley in most recipes. In the most exotic version, coriander is added, and here comes the magic. Freshness calls for a wine with good acidity, fruit intensity, and nice vegetality. Hey, what's Meow Meow doing on the tiles? The Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna 2022 from Craggy Range.
7. Oysters
A little wine, a little sea, and my oysters, and just leave me in Vlyhada beach Santorini, forgotten, like Vougiouklaki in the Astero role or Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Assyrtiko of Santorini is heard from the loudspeakers for the ultimate Rumble in the Jungle. The acidity, minerality, lemony flavors, and salty dimension of Assyrtiko, squeeze in the corner and mercilessly hit the umami and the lemony taste of the shells creating the ultimate taste feast. Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2022 from Gaia Winery without a second thought.
8. Octopus
Grilled with olive oil and lemon, it has that signature charcoal smoke and chewy texture that will pair perfectly with The Knack Project's The Longtail 2020. If they are cooked with a little tomato in the pot and short pasta, the Whispering Angel by Chateau d' Esclans is ideal.
9. Halva
Halvas (referring to desserts) are my favorite. I have never understood why this concoction must be consumed only on Clean Monday. It may seem a bit tasteless to some, but if you add 2-3 drops of fresh lemon to the simple, white one with a little almond, you have the ultimate gourmet. Pair it with the slightly sparkling and musky Tyrnavos Sparkling Muscat. The mixed chocolate halva will pair nicely with Euphoria 2021 from Dourakis Winery.
Happy Koulouma and don't be afraid to experiment with flavors, The Koulouma menu is the best opportunity!
Christina Tsogka
