Hidden gems of Europe's wines

There are some great surprises and fantastic bargains to be had with wines from places you wouldn't expect

Greece, Turkey and Slovenia are perhaps better known for sunshine than serious wine. Traditionally associated with wines that might have tasted good on a balmy holiday but certainly weren't associated with subtlety when brought back home, these three nations are now producing wine of quality.

There are some great surprises and bargains and, with so much choice and value in the supermarkets, it's important that the on-trade takes advantage and continues to promote itself as the best place to try something new. Serving by the glass is a great tool to promote sales of lesser-known wines, as it encourages customers to experience different types of wine economically.

TURKEY

Sevilen, run by the third generation of a Bulgarian immigrant, has not only brought in advanced techniques, but tied these with traditional hand harvesting and double sorting, ensuring excellent grape quality.

Sevilen employs a French consultant from Bordeaux and it certainly shows in its wines. Its top wine is Fume Blanc 900, which is similar to a white Bordeaux, and it also produces a zestier Sauvignon Blanc with lots of New World charm. Both these wines offer a different Sauvignon style: Fume Blanc pairs well with elegant food, while Sauvignon Blanc is better suited as an aperitif or with Chinese food.

Having experienced red wines from Sevilen too, it is apparent that the winery is striving for clean, fresh, modern wine that is well suited to lighter, delicate food. It's certainly a dramatic departure from what you would normally expect from Turkey, or wines to go with traditional Turkish foods. Sevilen is available from £10 a bottle.

GREECE

Greece has been hitting the headlines in the wine world, and its produce is winning prestigious wine awards. Top names are Gaia Wines, Lyrarakis, Argyros and Domaine Gerovassiliou.

One of the wineries making waves is Gaia, particularly its Wild Ferment Assyrtiko. This is very much in a Semillon/Sauvignon style with lots of freshness followed by a lovely

buttery and wild herb finish. It is priced at £12 a bottle at www.hallgartendruitt.co.uk.

A slightly more unusual wine worth noting is Viognier from Domaine Gerovassiliou.

It offers a hint of perfume on the nose, then a long, elegant, honeyed beeswax flavour, freshened up with spring flowers and spices. It's very Australian in style and exceedingly good value at below £10 a bottle from www.hallgartendruitt.co.uk. All too often a Viognier can be dull, but this wine is vibrant and exciting and is guaranteed to bring a smile to customers.

There are also plenty of interesting and well-made reds from this region. However, the vibrancy and excitement for the customer is in the white wines.

SLOVENIA

Slovenia is another area with some star wineries, not least Marjan Simčič. The vineyard is on the Italian border and half of its vines are across the border. There is an agreement between Slovenia and Italy: wherever your winery is constitutes your wine of origin, even if some of your vineyards are in another country. This may get reviewed under EU laws, but it still stands at the moment.

Marjan Simčič is a family estate that's been around for five generations. It's now run by Marjan, who has spent time working in France before returning to take over the vineyards. Clearly, he is passionate about the soil that these vines grow on, as he keeps up many of the old, traditional methods set up by his father and grandfather before him.

They believe that this area is very special with ideal climatic conditions - in his words, "The Mediterranean shakes hands with the Alps", meaning that the grapes feed from the natural water and minerals.

Since 2007 Marjan has also been producing some top Cuvée from his vineyards under the label Opoka - the most stunning of which is Opoka Chardonnay 2009. This is like a very opulent Puligny Montrachet; deep golden in colour, with dried fruit and honey on the palate, followed by a lovely elegant vanilla hit with a long, lingering flavour. It is drinking perfectly now, especially with grilled wild sea bass with some freshly shaved truffles.

The Opoka Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is another wine worth searching out. It gives off delicate white flowers on the nose, then lingers into a complex flavour of ripe pears and grapefruit.

The Opoka range is in the higher price bracket (£25 upwards), but other Marjan Simčič wines start from below £10 a bottle. The vineyard also produces a lovely sweet dessert wine, while the Opoka reds - particularly the Merlot - are outstanding. This vineyard is getting a cult following.

MATCHING FOOD WITH GREEK WINE

To me, it's important not to match wine to the food from that country. The Greek wines mentioned are made for international food styles; they are exceptional wines and will match great food.

I would recommend the Wild Ferment Assyrtiko with clean dishes, such as carpcaccio of diver-caught scallops and asparagus with pea olive oil (pictured). The wine will help freshen up this dish and the clean flavours of the scallops and asparagus will not overwhelm it.

The Viognier would go well with poached lobster with saffron and carrot risotto, as the brightness of the Viognier will cut through the richness.