Drink the Same Wine as Aristotle at Opa’s Greek Wine Dinner

When we visited Greece a few years ago, we met vintners who were being forced to rip flourishing vineyards out of the hillsides, thanks to protectionist EU policies that designated Italy and France as the winemaking countries and relegated Greece to olive-oil-only status. It was a near-horrifying shame, especially because most Greek wines we tried were excellent. Plus, some of the varietals growing today were around back when Aristotle was alive to write about them. You can explore all of this at a special wine dinner at Opa on Tuesday, July 23.

The prix-fixe meal at the Midtown Village taverna features four courses of Mediterranean cuisine, each paired with a different Greek vintage, and runs $45 per person. Check out the menu below and call for reservations (215-545-0170).

Opa Greek Wine Dinner, July 23

Watermelon Apricot Salad
cucumbers, arugula, basil, mint, feta, toasted almonds, citrus vinaigrette
Chateau Mercouri Foloi, 2011 Peloponnesus

Lavraki (European Sea Bass)
summer vegetable fricasée of corn, tomatoes, potatoes, yellow squash, white sine beurre blanc
Gai’a Ritinitis Mobilis Retsina, NV, Peloponnesus

Beef Tenderloin
wine-butter-roasted fingerlings, braised leeks
Porto Carras Limnio, 2010, Cotes du Meliton

Cheese Plate
manouri, kefalotiri, Dodonis feta, crispy pita, spoon sweets, honey, fruit mustard
Vin Doux Musca, 2010, Samos