Comfort fine dining and wine in Greece

Yiannis: How did you become a wine afficionado?

Gikas: Basically, with my involvement in gastronomy, and especially fine dining, which is what I deal with, I was introduced to the concept of “good living” and thus acquired culture. As you might imagine, I did not come from a very affluent family that enabled me to frequent expensive restaurants. Through my love for gastronomy I started going out, going to restaurants and slowly grasped the meaning of wine. I think gastronomy and wine go hand in hand.

Yiannis: Is there a single moment that you would consider as your trigger experience with wine?

Gikas: I have to say that sommelier Socrates Ioannidis taught me a lot when we were working together, for six years, at the historic Boschetto restaurant. When there was some good wine from a customer, Socrates would come and taste it with me as we worked. So, this is how I slowly began understanding more about wine. These memories go back at least fifteen years...

Yiannis: Could we talk about Greek cuisine, and if so what are its elements?

Gikas: This is a question that has tortured many cooks, journalists and others who are involved in gastronomy and food. Personally, I do not like labels; why narrow things down so they fit into a specific box, I do not see the point. What are the boundaries of Greek cuisine? We've had so many conquer this country, Venetians, Turks, we also have so many other influences, like from Pontos. We are in fact an amalgamation of all these elements, and if we absolutely want to define Greek cuisine I would say that it is a combination of its terroir and its products.

Let's look at a classic example to understand the mix. Pastitsio, which is also a famous dish at Aleria, has an Italian name and is comprised of pasta; an idea that originated in the Ionian Islands, which had Venetian influences, and traveled to Athens. We loved it so much that we consider it our own, synonymous with Greek cuisine. There is Greek cuisine, but I would say that under certain conditions and with an aspect that is focused basically on the products of its land.

Yiannis: How important is wine for Aleria?

Gikas: It is a very important part, because we offer a total experience and wine is its main ingredient. Of course the wine list was not put together lightly; the owner Nikiforos Kehagiadakis has a passion for wine and after much discussion and our good cooperation, we ended up with a wine list of about 200 labels, which caters to different budgets . It's part of the experience. I see foreign customers especially, who feel charmed and happy to have tasted Greek cuisine and Greek wines.

Yiannis: Which are your favourite spots for food and wine? In any order you prefer.

Gikas: I have several different places I enjoy. 'Kritikos' for its top meat, and 'Kavos' at Isthmia for its amazing fresh fish. I like Nolan very much at noon and in the evening, and of course Spondi and Funky Gourmet. I have different choices for the different days of the week and for the different hours of the day. As far as wine is concerned, I have fun at Lithinon, in Saronida, and Oinoscent. Both have many interesting choices of wine.