Remember this gem from my adventures at the 2012 Boston Wine Expo?
Well after a little networking, I had the pleasure of meeting the folks behind “My Big Fat Greek Wine” and learning what they’re all about.
My family was pumped. Obviously.
I met with Nikolaos Mastorogiannakis (and you guys thought MY name was difficult!), the president of Hellas Import Ltd., the number one importer of Greek wines in the United States. It was clear right away that Nikolaos has extensive experience in the international wine market, a deep knowledge of the wine production process, and of course a love and passion for Greek wines.
It was in 2008 while at a wine expo in New York that Nikolaos began to realize that the main obstacle for Greek wines in their attempt to enter the US market was due to just how unfamiliar Americans were with Greek wine appellations and varietals. I mean, think about it. Greek words are hard to read, nevermind pronounce! Where are these grapes from? What does this label even mean? As Nikolaos said in our meeting, “It was all Greek to them!”
For these reasons, Nikolaos was lead to create the unique “umbrella brand” that is now known as My Big Fat Greek Wine. With a name that helps people remember, My Big Fat Wine offers their international audience products with eye-catching labels and a strong competitive advantage due to their unique indigenous varieties. And having an honest consumer approach doesn’t hurt either!
Here’s the lowdown on the three different kinds of wine that My Big Fat Greek Wine currently offers:
Agiorgitiko
Variety: Agiorgitiko 100%
Type: Dry red
Region: Nemea-Korinthia
Characteristics: Bright, clean, red color; fruity & fresh aromas; soft and round in the mouth, has a long refreshing aftertaste.
Serving Suggestions: Perfect accompaniment for pasta with red sauce and meat dishes. It could also be very nice on it’s own or with salads, based on tomatoes or meat.
Savatiano
Variety: Savatiano 100%
Type: Dry white
Region: Kithaeronas Slopes
Characteristics: Yellowish color with lemon and citrus blossom aromas, good weight in the palate, lively acidity
Serving Suggestions: Pairs well with many hors d’oeuvres, lightly cooked foods, and recipes based mainly on seafood and fish.
Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay 100%
Type: Dry white
Region: Kithaeronas Slopes
Characteristics: Bright yellow color with lively citrus & tropical aromas. Smooth and well-balanced with a crispy acidity.
Serving Suggestions: The very pleasant, complex aroma expresses its power from the very beginning. It opens with an exotic fruits palette, followed by vanilla and honey.
Nikolaos also informed me that they are working to expand the MBFG line to include three new reds (Merlot arriving in April, Cabernet, and Xinomavro arriving in Fall 2012) and three new whites (Retsina which has already arrived, Assyrtiko arriving in April, and Moschofilero by the end of the year). The entire line is expected to become available by the end of 2012!
Something else I learned during my meeting is that Hella Imports, Ltd. often stocks the Greek church festivals in the New England (and beyond) area! When Nikolaos asked me if I’d ever been to a church festival before, I had to laugh. Not only have I been to them, but I’ve worked at them, helped plan them, and my family pretty much runs one every year! Too funny. I will now have a new-found appreciation as I purchase a Mythos beer or a cup of Greek wine during the summer festivals I like to frequent.
I left with a bag full of fun things! And three bottles of their three current flavors to try. Pretttyyy awesome.
It was nice to enjoy a glass (or two) the other night while lounging on Jen’s our new-old couch!
And you know what? I’m by no means a wine connoisseur, but my impressions of each flavor were pretty spot on with their descriptions above. I like red wine better so the Agiorgitiko was my favorite. I’m not a huge Chardonnay fan in general, so I liked the Savatiano better for a white wine. One thing that stood out to me about all three was that none of them were TOO sweet. Tim tried these with me too, and while normally he doesn’t like white wine, he really liked the Savatiano. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing that one again in our apartments soon!
If you want a review from folks just a taaad more versed in wine knowledge than I am, take a look at some of the awesome things Wine Enthusiast Magazine had to say about My Big Fat Greek Wine’s current and soon to come flavors:
Giveaway Time!
While I unfortunately can’t giveaway free wine for legal reasons, I can certainly give away some Big Fat Greek shwag!
One lucky F&F winner can win the following:
- My Big Fat Greek Wine tank top (it says “Wine me up and turn me Greek!” haha!)
- My Big Fat Greek Wine glass
- My Big Fat Greek Wine opener
- My Big Fat Greek Wine cooler
All you have to do to enter this giveaway is leave a comment on this post telling me EITHER which flavor of wine you think you’d like the best OR what you think the best part about being Greek would be!
Only that first comment is required, but I like to offer extra chances to win by doing any of the following:
- Like BOTH Fitness & Feta and My Big Fat Greek Wine on Facebook (add as friend).
- Post the following on your personal Facebook page: “I want to win some Big Fat Greek stuff from Fitness & Feta!” and then link to this post.
- Follow Fitness & Feta on Twitter.
- Tweet the following: “I want to win some Big Fat Greek stuff from @FitnessandFeta!” and then link to this post.
- Subscribe to Fitness & Feta via the “Sign Me Up” button.
- If you have a blog, mention this giveaway in your own blog.
Make sure to leave a separate comment for each giveaway entry you choose to do, that’s the only way they will count.
Contest ends Sunday night 3/11 at 7pm. I will announce the winner on Monday. Good luck!
Disclaimer/Disclosure: I did not receive any financial contributions for this review; however, I did receive free products from the company so that I could test them out and then tell you my thoughts. All opinions are my own.
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