Konstantinos Lazarakis MW and President of the certified organization WSPC discusses about wine tourism and food & wine pairing.
Interview Curation: Executive Chef Koveos Konstantinos
K.K: As one of the 2 Greek Masters of Wine have you considered writing a book, which has nothing to do with “Wines of Greece” published formerly but be something in a worldwide level?
K.L: There is a 3rd Greek Master of Wine. Her name is Olga Karapanou,a resident in United States of America. She is daughter of Mr. Karapanos, owner of Achaia Clauss. She has wed an American citizen and resides there. She has built an esteemed company and she’s thriving.
I have not considered such thing. In fact, the meaning of writing a book ,financially speaking, equals to a “suicide”. When I wrote my 1st book (wrote actually 2 of them) which was published in 2005 bearing the title “Wines of Greece”. It was then republished with some changes and updates in 2018. Back then, in 2005 I was out of work for 1,5 years. I can surely say that this “opened up” many doors for me. The book was written as a tribute to Greek wines. My “debt” to be a book, which until then nothing ever existed. I believe that there are colleagues of mine, whose job is this exactly. To travel to the world, go from town to town and meet winemakers. I personally, have many business obligations here in Greece and I believe I am not good at writing such a book. If I ever get retired and while sitting at home with my slippers I will eventually write a book that will have to do with the way we love, talk and see wine. A theoretic one, speaking about my experiences in general. Nothing more.
I think that food & wine pairing is a bit overrated.
Konstantinos Lazarakis MW
K.K: What is the kitchen which according to your point of view flavors are combined satisfactory with wine?
K.L: Shall we head back? I think that food & wine pairing is a bit overrated. For instance, when 20 Sommeliers find themselves in a table testing 10 different wine etiquettes is difficult to be unanimity. There are evidently cuisines such as Mexican and Chinese, which are the exact opposite. They are difficult to be paired with a specific wine. All in all, there are certain things , which are better in pairing in comparison to others.
I would like to stress out that Chefs ,back in the old days, were trying hard to create and pair their dishes with a wine. Another thing, which occurs is this. A Chef was preparing a meal in the past, let’s say a fillet with a thick red wine sauce(demi glace) and a creamy potato, a rather plethoric dish I would add. A wine offers acidity, tannins and richness.
Having professionally visited the best restaurants in the world I’ve reached the conclusion that Chefs create complicated and fine dishes, which are too perfect to be paired with a wine. I had visited NOMA restaurant with my wife, who is a light drinker. We chose a degustation menu accompanied by wines or fresh juices. I can tell you for sure that I enjoyed much more “juice pairing” than wine. Back in the days for example, we used to dine in French restaurants by selecting a 3 course menu, which was too easy to pair with a wine rather than a contemporary degustation menu. It is almost impossible to achieve in that case a proper wine pairing.
K.K: Do you believe that Greece’s wine tourism is sufficiently promoted?
K.L: Clearly not.
Greece’s winemakers are doing their best, developing fine wineries but this is not enough. A family for instance should have the opportunity to visit a winery. The family’s father will be tasting wines while the mother will enjoy wellness activities and the children can enjoy moments of fun in a kids club. This is the first matter.
The next one concerns the lack of wine tourism’s clear vision. To set an example , in France or Italy (Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Tuscany) attract visitors especially for wine tourism. However, they can find a whole ” travel package”. In Greece, wines are not that popular in order for them to become an attraction. We should communicate that along with the sun and sea. There are undoubtedly many wineries worth visiting.
At this point, I would like to share a personal experience. Some colleagues of ours, who visited in the past one of the most prestigious hotels in Athens when they asked to arrange a winery visit, reception clerks acted in a surprising way. Nobody had ever asked a similar thing before. It is shame indeed because Athens along with Vienna are considered to be capitals of accessible vineyards( such as Markopoulos, Mesogheia and Megara).
A good example is Santorini, which has taken advantage of it by promoting and communicating it effectively. Beyond a beautiful sunset, visitors are looking for something unique to do. They look for wineries and most of them become Greek wines’ ambassadors.
I personally think that the number of people visiting Greece for wine tourism do not exceed 1000 people per year.
They look for wineries and most of them become Greek wines’ ambassadors.
Konstantinos Lazarakis MW
K.K: With which specific local or worldwide grape variety would you describe yourself?
K.L: Probably with Madera. It sours at first contact. On the other hand, I think that getting to know it, easier becomes to understand it. Persistence and patience are the key elements for its creation. It is a wine with a longterm planning. A footrace rather than a speed race.
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Konstantinos Lazarakis MW
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