Market Watch, November 2019

NOVEMBER 2019 MARKETWATCHMAG COM MARKET WATCH 95SOMMELIER SPOTLIGHTA Singular Focus On GreeceKamal Kouiri of Livanos Restaurant Group brings the Mediterranean to ManhattanAt New York City restaurants Molyvos and Ousia wine director Kamal Kouiri pictured has leaned into his love of all things Greek curating Greek focused beverage programs at each concept If perseverance pays off proof can certainly be found in the 750 Greek wines on the list at New York Citys Molyvos Its the largest exclusively Greek wine program in the country says wine director and general manager Kamal Kouiri as well as the culmination of his 25 year love affair with all things Greek Kouiri also serves as wine direc tor at Ousia a sister restaurant in the six property Livanos Restaurant Group and has coaxed the list toward a singu larly Greek focus Ousia opened on 57th Street just off the West Side High way in 2016 Since launching Kouiri has been steadily adding Greek wines to its 320 bottle selections 42 180 a 750 ml Ousias 30 40 wines by the glass are priced at 12 18 Both Molyvos and Ousias lists are comprised of 60 red and 40 white offerings Greek winemakers made quality white wines before the reds which were too heavy on the oak and somewhat over extracted Kouiri says Now the reds are showing a better balance between oak fruit and acidity True to their origins both restaurants offer ouzo an anise flavored aperitif thats popularly known as Greeces national drink 10 at Ousia 10 15 at Molyvos and tsipouro an unaged Greek brandy Ousia offers a tsipouro tasting flight of three 1 ounce pours for 17 and individual expressions from 10 20 Molyvos features tsipouro in cocktails 12 15 like the Blood Orange Martini made with Tsilili tsipouro of Thes saly Cointreau liqueur and blood orange juice For the average customer Greek wines require a bit of a crash course in regional varietals before anyone feels comfortable ordering Guests are intimidated because they have never seen the names of many Greek varietals Kouiri says To counter this Ousias new wine list describes each varietal listing its prime growing regions viticulture and terroir Staff training and customer approach can also help Were very open minded with customers and dont over sell Kouiri adds We pour 1 ounce samples to taste as an exploration Were taking them out of their comfort zone so we try to give them a taste To help customers make a wine decision Kouiri draws a parallel between better known regions or varieties and their Greek counterparts We take into consideration the fruit profile acidity minerals and texture he explains If a customer loves Sancerre for example hell recommend a 2017 Gaia Thalassitis Assyrtiko from Santorini 72 a 750 ml if Sangiovese a 2017 Ktima Mitravelas Agiorgitiko from Nemea 60 if Burgundy a 2015 Hedgehog by Alpha estate Xino mavro from the Amyndeon appellation in Florina 60 and if Cabernet Sauvignon a 2014 Ktima Argyros Mavrotragano from Santorini 90 To keep things fresh Kouiri frequently rotates wines by the glass I dont leave a wine on for six months because I want to showcase other wines and continue to build our list he says Top bottle sellers at Ousia and Molyvos include the 2016 Domaine Papagiannakos Old Vines Assyrtiko from Attica 60 a 750 ml the 2016 Lantides Estate Golden Vines Cabernet Sauvignon from Pelopon nese 47 the 2016 Ktima Gerovassiliou Malagousia from Epanomi 68 and the 2017 Wild Path Gentilini Robola from Kephalonia 60 Looking ahead Kouiri says Greek rosé is part of the trend and is becoming a year round choice for patrons He also plans to add more natural and organic wines to his wine lists noting that sparkling wine is showing more traction not just as an aperitif but as a meal pairing There are great spar kling wines from northern Greece notably the Amyndeon appellation as well as in Arcadia the heart of Peloponnese he says The Molyvos sparkler selections by the bottle include the Tselepos Villa Amalia Brut Méthode Traditionnelle from Arcadia 68 and the Domaine Karanika Brut from Amyndeon 82 mwJean Deitz SextonMW1119_