SGOUROS – OLIVENÖL UND WEIN aus Griechenland

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Have you ever been to Greece? More specifically, to Corfu? No? What a shame! You should. Because besides being the second largest of the Ionian Islands and the seventh largest in Greece, Corfu has even more exciting things to offer. For example, it's the origin of some of the most delicious specialties, such as the finest olive oil and excellent wines. Since I'm a big wine fan – as you probably already know – I've also done some research on Greek wines. That's how I came across the products of the Sgouros family and got in touch with them. Sgourades is the village founded over 400 years ago by the Sgouros family, located on the southern slopes of the Pantokrator massif at an altitude of around 400 meters. And it's from this village, where every family owns their own olive groves, vineyards, fruit and vegetable gardens – mostly for their own consumption – that the wonderful olive oil comes that I'd like to tell you more about today. Furthermore, I want to tell you about two excellent wines from the Athanasiou winery in the Peloponnese.

First, let's talk about the olive oil: Managing Director Spyridon grew up in Sgourades himself, helped out in the olive groves from childhood, planted his first olive tree over 20 years ago, and can still admire the typical small, black fruits of the Lianolia-Kerkyra olive on it today. Just over two years ago, the idea of his own company for fine olive oil and wine from Greece was put into action. But what is so special about the olive oil from the Lianolia olive? First and foremost, its origin: Corfu. Throughout history, Corfu has been influenced by various cultures. For example, in the 16th century, the Venetians offered a bounty of 360 drachmas for every 100 olive trees planted to secure their own oil supply. Little by little, Corfu's dominant wine culture disappeared, and entire forests of olive trees covered the island. Today, there are approximately 4 million olive trees.

The main growing region of the olive oil I tasted, namely that of the Lianolia-Kerkyra olive, is revealed by its name. Kerkyra means Corfu in the local language. The trees of this olive variety grow very tall, thrive in the poor soil, and prefer Corfu's rainy winter climate. They produce small, very late-ripening olives that are jet black when fully ripe. From these, the mild-tasting, golden-yellow oil is pressed. To produce extra virgin olive oil, the olives must be harvested from the trees while unripe or semi-ripe. This is done by combing the olives from the trees using long poles with rakes attached. To ensure the trees produce a bountiful harvest again next season, they are pruned back extensively. The harvested olives are collected and transported to the oil mill.

Before the oil is bottled and filled into the bottles, one of which I now keep in my kitchen, samples of the olive oil are sent to an accredited testing laboratory in Athens for analysis. There, the olive oil is tested for its quality grade and any potential contaminants. If the oil analysis results are perfect, bottling begins at a certified bottling plant. This single-varietal olive oil, made exclusively from Lianolia olives, is the highest quality grade, "Estra Virgin Olive Oil"—meaning: it doesn't get any better. This is also evident from the fatty acid content of a maximum of 0.81 Tp3T, which must not be exceeded for this designation. Specifically, the Sgouros olive oil I'm writing about comes from their own cultivation and from mountain farmers based on Corfu.

If you've now developed a taste for olive oil, or simply value good oils in general, you should definitely try Sgouros olive oil from Corfu. The oil is available in 1-liter or 0.5-liter bottles. For restaurants or people who need a lot of oil, 3-liter canisters will also be available starting next year. You can buy the oil at online shop You can buy them from Sgouros, but also at (for example) craft markets in the region. The same goes for the wine, which I'd also like to introduce to you, as I ordered it, tasted it, and definitely found it to be good.

Now for the wine: This also comes from a Greek family, more precisely the Athanasiou family. This wine – a fantastic red wine made from the Agiorgitiko grape, as well as a delicious white wine made from the Moschofilero grape – both from the Athanasiou winery – has been available since May 2015 through the Sgouros family website. But what makes this wine so special, given that there are countless wines out there? Let's start from the beginning. In creating their wines, the Athanasiou winery is committed to both tradition and modern viticultural knowledge and technology. The wine bears the label of the highest Greek quality level – OPAP (Onomasia Proelefseos Anoteras Piotitos) – as well as the organic seal of Greek agriculture. The Moschofilero grape variety, necessary for the white wine, grows in the Mantinia appellation. This area stretches north of Tripoli in the province of Arcadia along European route E65. Arcadia itself, a mountainous region, lies in the heart of the Peloponnese. Because the agricultural land is situated at high altitudes, the grapes for this wine ripen only from late September to early October. At this time, the grape skins are reddish, yet they are still classified as white wine grapes. The winery that produces this wine is located in the Nemea wine region – about 35 kilometers southwest of Corinth in the Peloponnese. This high-quality wine is produced in modern facilities using state-of-the-art technology, and every step of the production process is overseen by trained oenologists – from harvesting and fermentation to aging and bottling.

This wonderful Greek red wine is made from the finest red grape variety of southern Greece: Agiorgitiko. Special care is taken in the production of this organic wine. The finished wine impresses with its deep red color, velvety texture, and subtle aroma of fresh red fruits. A 0.75-liter bottle of Nemea 2013 | Agiorgitiko | Athanasiou costs €12.50. I personally prefer white wine, but there are days when a glass of red wine complements a great meal. I actually really enjoy this red wine; it's smooth and pleasantly light on the palate. If you buy six bottles, you'll receive a discount of 20% in the online shop. The white wine – Moschofilero 2014 | Athanasious, as mentioned, is made from the Moschofilero grape, which ripens in the highlands of Arcadia in the Peloponnese, and I find it exceptionally good. It tastes very fresh, slightly floral, and in my opinion, ideal with fish and a light sauce. It has a natural, not-too-intense acidity and a delicate aroma of rose and lemon blossoms. You can order a 0.75-liter bottle to try for €11.50.

My personal conclusion: Both the red and white wines offer excellent taste and value for money. The olive oil also lives up to its promises. The price (0.5l/€10 | 1.0l/€15) is reasonable, especially since there's a clear difference in quality. Whether used as a dressing or for frying fish or vegetables, I could clearly taste that this is a good olive oil and therefore a high-quality product. I'm curious to hear what you think. So, if you're a wine enthusiast, enjoy cooking with good oils, or even just garnishing salads, then consider the wonderful wines from the Athanasiou winery and the oil from the Sgouros family/company. If you like giving gift baskets filled with food, you can also purchase them in various combinations in the online shop.

I will buy this product again: Yes. While there are cheaper olive oils available, the quality of this one is clearly noticeable in the taste. The wine also has a high recognition value and is worth buying.

Tested product: Sgouros – Wine & Olive Oil
Address: Wilhelm-Zerr-Str. 40, 83059 Kolbermoor
Website: Sgouros

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