Krasi Finally Opens a Greek Restaurant!
Bet you that got your attention. “What do you mean Krasi finally opens a Greek restaurant?” Let me explain: Lots of folks have a very stereotypical view of Greece. When you ask someone to describe Greece to you, they tend to talk about blue seas, windswept islands, seafood, fishing boats bobbing in the water, whitewashed houses with blue doors… you know, that Greece. And let’s face it folks, Krasi is a DIFFERENT Greece. Krasi is about lesser-known regional dishes from across the Hellenic world and, of course, wine. Lots and lots of wine. Krasi means wine. Literally.
So, the folks at Xenia Greek Hospitality (that’s us) have finally opened a Greek restaurant that everyone will recognize. A restaurant that focuses on the cuisine and wine of the Aegean. The Greece from the brochures and the travel shows. A new restaurant named Kaia.
Now as the wine director for Xenia, I got to have a blast and develop a list totally separate from Krasi. You see, Krasi has wine from everywhere in Greece, even Cyprus. At Kaia, this delicately curated list will contain only wines from the Aegean Sea. Yup, nowhere else. So, you will get to sample some of the most historic, mythical, and delicious wines the world has ever known. Let me tell you a bit about it. Follow along below…
The Aegean is home to many intriguing wine-producing islands and has been for millennia. In the ancient age, Aegean wines were the envy of the Mediterranean and Europe, there were simply no better wines being made anywhere. When everybody else could barely even say wine, the Aegean Greeks were making wine as wicked as the hook of a Pharrell song. The wines of the Aegean continued to be brilliant in every way until the Ottoman occupation of Greece. This effectively shut down the commercial side of Aegean wine for centuries. Now, private production of the wines continued and there was a small amount of wine sold as the opportunity for financial gain occasionally outweighed religious feelings toward alcohol, but by and large, the storied history of Aegean wine was at an end.
Fast forward to the 1990s and amid the Hellenic wine revival, no island was more important to that revival than Santorini. Producers like Sigalas, Argyros, Gavalas, Hatzidakis, and Koutsoyannopoulos brought forth an array of incredible wines produced from the now world-famous grape Assyrtiko. Suddenly, Santorini was considered one of the greatest wine regions in the world and Assyrtiko was now one of the world’s greatest grapes. Nowadays Santorini wine-wise is as hot as Santorini is weather-wise in August. Scorching.
Suddenly, the Aegean exploded. Islands that had been quietly producing wines in the shadows were thrust into the spotlight. The number of islands is too many to list. Suffice it to say that ancient vineyards were being revived by intrepid winemakers and the wines that they began to produce were simply astounding. Although the Aegean is dominated by hot, dry, and windy conditions, there are a wide array of microclimates that allow for numerous styles of wines to be produced. Those microclimates combined with scores of indigenous grapes being grown frankly all over all the islands has brought consumers a cornucopia of wines in a rainbow of colors, styles, and flavors. At Kaia, it will be our pleasure to present these wines to you.
The list at Kaia will be a list marked by diversity, ever-changing selections, and loaded with wines that will complement the glorious foods coming from the kitchen. The producers of the Aegean are largely organic or biodynamic in their farming practices and produce microscopic amounts of wine with artisanal care and artistic flair. These wines reach back across history to bring back an age where once again Aegean wines will be the envy of the world. At Kaia we are excited to be part of the Aegean wine renaissance, and we invite you to come taste wines that will beguile and enchant the wine lover. The Aegean has risen from the ashes like a Phoenix; come enjoy the fiery return at Kaia. Don’t worry, Krasi won’t be jealous. They are a proud parent. Trust.
— Evan
Check out Kaia here.