Greek Whites 'Smack of Sunshine'

In honor of the Olympics, Eric Asimov set out to rediscover Greece's white wines for the New York Times. He found whites just subtly different from the made-to-be-drunk young bottles of Italy and Spain, fermented from "unfamiliar, indigenous grapes grown nowhere else." The moschofilero varietal dominated the tasting, including the panel's No.1 pick: a 2007 Tselepos that "smelled like roses and tasted like grapefruit."

Asimov noted that fewer wines were spoiled by the preservative sulfur dioxide than at his previous tasting 4 years ago. The alcohol content for many remained pleasantly under 12%, and freshness was never an issue. Ready the fish and the capers: Greek's whites join "the popular genre of cool, crisp, refreshing wines that immediately improve any Mediterranean-style meal." (More wine stories.)