Dionysos is, as you already know, a friend of mine...

Dear regular reader, you know me as one who appreciates wine and all it gives us - yes, including the alcohol! - in helping to make our lives more pleasant, interesting, even challenging. You also know all about my devotion (my friendship, anyway) to Dionysos, the ancient Greek god who was all about wine and all to do with it - yeah, my kind of god. This I have expressed over the years through my membership of 'The Friends of Dionysos', a  group of wine lovers who pay homage to the god of wine by organising occasional, very special, dinners in selected restaurants featuring rare wines from Greece and the world, coupled with interesting food.

Each occasion is different, unique, with the YT (yep, him again!) imprint all over them; matching wine with food as perfectly as possible is not an easy task but one which YT excels in, giving all attendees experiences they would never have otherwise. Most of the time I feel fortunate just having good wine and decent food and, so long as the flavours don't clash, I'm a happy bunny. Not YT, though, for he is a real perfectionist, known throughout the world of Gastronomy for this rare skill.

The other day about forty members and guests gathered in downtown Athens at a smart/casual restaurant called 2Mazi (two together, a reference to when it was originally set up as a collaboration of two well-known Greek chefs; one, with notoriously itchy feet, is no longer there). The space is elegant, the food was good and, on occasion, exceptional, perfectly complementing the outstanding wines, which were:

1.Karanikas sparkling wine 2014 Extra Brut 0% from the north of Greece, 100% Xynomavro (sour black) grapes, blanc des noirs and, crucially, with no dosage (added sweetener). This is an exceptional wine made by the 'champagne' method and as good - if not better - than many sparklers from more famous areas, including Champagne. Delicate, complex green apples dominated nose and palate, still very young, classy, complex and long. Before you rush to the shops for a bottle, be advised that they are hard to find anywhere but well worth the effort! This gorgeous little number vied for dominance with the tartare of tuna, garnished wish organic rocket and 'traditional garnish' - I'm as much in the dark as you are there...

2. The red wine was a mere youngster, the Cuvee Olivier 2015  from the organic, biodynamic domaine Thierry Navarre in the Languedoc. This is a small domaine punching well above its weight and doing a great job preserving not only the local environment but obscure local grapes as well. Our wine was all spicy red fruit on the nose and palate, still a juvenile but opening up nicely, full of the richness and sunshine of the area, slightly rustic in a refined way. The blend of grape varieties - what we would call a 'Rhone blend', syrah/carignan/cinsault/grenache - makes this a juicy mouthful, a ripe bit of pleasure in a glass, something I'm sure Dionysos would have found appealing. Good Languedoc wines are not only a sheer pleasure to drink now but keep on getting better, and all at prices that do not make our eyes water, unlike some of the better known Appellations of France. Yummy, and a perfect foil for the veal cheeks with potato mousse and red pepper 'caviar'.

3. A great distillate is a joy unlike any other yet we were privileged to have a choice of two. Lucky swine that I am, I managed to try both and they were simply outstanding, paring with a dessert that was as interesting to taste as it was pretty to look at - a white chocolate flute with a sesame crisp, a spice crumble, melon and a fig sauce. The first one was a Marc de Vin de Paille from the Jura (Domaine Desire-Petit Papillin) which exhibited a lot of the characteristics of Vin de Paille (a ripe sweetness without being overtly sweet, unlike its progenitor) with a solid alcoholic background and finish. The Cognac, Cuvee 20 from Domaine Lheraud, was, as expected, a cracker - a 20-year old cognac of distinction, finesse and that extra bit of age that allows cognac to show its class. Complex, powerful, still very vigorous, with vinous overtones and a punch to finish, this is a glass to linger over under ideal circumstances, which these were not - I managed to savour it anyway...

At times like these, dear reader, when you read of my gastronomic adventures, I bet you wish you were me... You are not, alas, so keep reading!