We have recently been blessed with a number of exquisite Greek wines - this is a great delight for me as I had been looking to expand that section of our shop! These wines come from all different parts of the country, showing off the wonderful variety Greece has to offer but with some common themes - indigenous Greek grape varieties, planted at altitude.

Diamantakis Vidiano 2023 - £16.95 

Located in the foothills of the Psiloritis mountains on the island of Crete, Diamantakis is a relatively young winery founded by the family of the same name in 2007. Their vines range from 400-700m and are influenced both by winds from the Aegean sea and the limestone bedrock they are planted in.

This is a charming, fruity dry white made from the local Vidiano grape. A little softer in acidity compared to the more well-known Assyrtiko variety, it shows a pretty aroma of pear and quince with a touch of almond and wild herbs. On the palate there is a lovely balance between soft stone fruits and a nice citrus character through the finish. A great wine to enjoy with some nibbles or with simply cooked fish dishes.

Dougos Winery Rapsani 2022 - £24.50 Organic

In the Tempi Valley, on the slopes of Mount Olympus, Thanos and Louiza Dougos organically cultivate the traditional varieties of the Rapsani region. Planted in iron-rich schist at up to 700m altitude, they grow Xinomavro, Krassato and Stavroto. Xinomavro is more well known from Naoussa in Macedonia to the north, where it produces ageworthy if somewhat austere wines. In Rapsani, it benefits from a slightly warmer climate and its two blending partners (by law, Rapsani must be a blend) to give a more supple and approachable style of red. They age their blend in a mixture of French and American oak for 12 months, using only minimally toasted barrels to avoid overpowering the natural aroma of the wine.

Savoury, herbal and complex - notes of cedar, rosemary, dried flowers and red cherry on the nose. Medium-bodied, it has a balanced structure with ripe tannins and a nice firm acidity in the finish. This makes for a superb food wine - especially tomato-rich dishes like moussaka or bouyiourdi (baked feta in tomato sauce).

Ktima Kissa Mavrioros Malagousia 2023 - £21.99

A father and son team run this excellent small winery in the Black Mountains of Ziria in Corinth on the Peloponnese. George was the first in a family of winemakers to establish his own plantings here, and his son Dimitrio, after studies in California and Australia, has taken the helm in the winery.

Among the different varieties planted is Malagousia, a grape that was rescued from extinction by Professor of Oenology Vassilis Logothetis and his student, eminent winemaker Vangelis Gerovassilou in the 1970s. Malagousia is a highly aromatic variety, which can lose acidity if planted in the wrong place. The altitude (800m) of Ktima Kissa's plantings mitigates this, giving a lovely balanced wine.

Bold and aromatic, with white peach, lime, pineapple and blossom notes bursting from the glass. On the palate you find quite a full-bodied and textured white wine, with some waxy and toasty character alongside lovely stone fruit notes. A white wine suited to strong flavours, think garlicky prawns or goat's cheese.