A Shard of Greek Sunshine 

BY NEAL MARTIN | JUNE 29, 2021

In my obituary for Harry Gill, I mentioned that our last conversation concerned a long-proposed tasting of wines from his beloved homeland, Greece. He was always holding court at the bar of his restaurant, serving and celebrating Greek wines in his own inimitable way. Some did not quite match his enthusiasm, but every now and then I discovered an absolute gem like the Assyrtiko from Hatzidakis Winery that could whisk you away to a sun-kissed Mediterranean island on the rainiest winter afternoon.

Though Harry is no longer with us, he had already organized delivery of these wines prior to his passing, and so I resolved to publish notes on these two dozen bottles. Naturally, it would be foolish to draw general conclusions from this small number, but Harry’s selections showcased the quality being produced and perhaps revealed where the wines are not quite so successful. Though we associate Greece with hot summers, in fact it is blessed with cooler mesoclimates due to altitude or exposure, especially on its multitudinous islands.