Kamal Kouiri joins us from New York to discuss Greek wines, history, styles, and unique spirits. He is the Director of Operations for Ousia restaurant, and an enthusiast and advocate of Greek wines.
Kamal Kouiri
Director of Operations, Ousia
Kamal Kouiri has been with the Livanos Restaurant Group for over 15 years. During his time as Wine Director of Molyvos, Kamal continually developed the solely Greek wine list to include over 600 bottles. As a result, Molyvos is home to the most extensive selection of Greek wine in the United States, and has received numerous wine-focused awards. At Ousia, this passionate purveyor of Greek viticulture expands beyond his beloved Greece to share his latest finds from regions throughout the Mediterranean. In addition, Kouiri also stocks over a dozen different kinds of ouzo, the national aperitif of Greece, as well as a handful of handcrafted spirits like Tentura, Tsipouro, and Mastiha, among others. “I always enjoy being able to educate our guests a bit while also encouraging them to try something new that pairs perfectly with our food. After all, you can’t really experience a taste of the Mediterranean without the appropriate accompanying wine or spirits,” he says.
Kouiri’s enthusiasm for Greek wine flourished during his extensive time spend at Hellenic vineyards. During his time traveling throughout the country he met with winemakers and grape growers, acquiring an understanding of their distinctive philosophies and methods for producing wine. He has an extensive knowledge of more than 74 indigenous grape varietals grown throughout the country and prides himself on introducing labels and a plethora of varietals that are exclusively available at Ousia. Kouiri’s vast knowledge expands beyond the borders of Greece to the surrounding countries, such as Italy, France, and Spain, which are also well-represented on the wine list. Boasting 250 bottles of wine, 30 of which are available by the glass, and 10 unique dessert wines, Ousia’s selection has a taste for every guest.
In order to sustain his knowledge of the latest innovations in vinification, Kouiri travels to Greece at least once a year to tour different wineries and meet winemakers. He also uses this time as an opportunity to attend the annual wine festival.
Kouiri’s work and his dedication to wine has been recognized by Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, and more.
Full-length Bio provided by Wagstaff Worldwide
A Greek wine warmup (2:48)
Kamal gives us a foundation on the geography, climate, and vineyards of Greece. Did he say over 3000 islands? Yes he did. While only about six are actually inhabited, most of us can only name three.
There are also over 300 indigenous grape varieties in Greece, with about 50 in use. Yet the wines made with these grapes are versatile and ideal for food.
Sounds like Greek spirit (6:00)
When you first walk into Ousia, the bar in the center of the establishment grabs your attention. (At least it did Val’s – because – kid in a candy store.) In this segment Kamal explains the spirits program run by Johnny Livanos, and speaks of libations the likes of which we’ve never heard on this show!
From the extensive Ouzo category to unique spirits like Tsipouro and Tentura, the cocktail experience at Ousia is a #W25Challenge dream spot.
The most unique wine on the list at Ousia? (8:58)
A combination of Retsina and an orange wine, complete with skin contact and malolactic fermentation of Assyrtiko grapes. Normally made with Savatiano, Retsina is made with pine resin added during fermentation. The low-intervention orange (or amber) wine is the first of its kind and produced by Kamara estates. http://www.kamarawinery.com/. We want this too. Now.
Greek wine in the US (12:20)
Yes! Kamal breaks down the history of the wine consumption and perceptions in the US beginning in the 1960’s and 1970’s – all because of tourism.
Yet he’s witnessed a quality evolution over the last two and a half decades, including in Greece among wine-making techniques. While Kamal feels there is still work to be done, he is confident that many of the wines he serves and has tasted are world-class quality and worthy of the finest wine lists – particularly the dessert wines.
We agree.
All work and no play (15:32)
It’s no secret that running a top-notch beverage program is hard work and involves long hours. But Kamal makes time for fun. He loves nature and being outside, hiking and biking. Originally from Morocco, he enjoys returning there and hiking in the Atlas Mountains. Being an avid traveler also inspires his passion for experiencing food and culture.
We did take this opportunity to pick his brain on Moroccan wines while we were at it. He was happy to oblige us with the state of the industry and a recommendation (which we actually had on the show).
Stop and thaw the rosé (18:10)
It’s embarrassing wine story time and Kamal came to play! In this segment he shares one of those good old fashioned “you had one job” stories about an unintentional frosé.
You know who you are, and you know what you did. And thank you, because it made for a great story.
Stalking Contacting Kamal (20:00)
Final words from Kamal during this interview are very wise. Really think about the year or so it takes to actually produce a wine, “Go with your heart” and give it a chance.
Instagram @greekwineworld
Twitter at @KamalKouiri
Pod Quiz! (22:47)
Last week we asked about: What is the Queen of England’s (Queen Elizabeth) favorite cocktail?
The answer: Gin and Dubonnet
Dubonnet is a sweet, fortified and aromatized red wine based aperitif.
It was created in France in 1846 and the recipe is a proprietary blend of wine, herbs and spices.
Cocktail Recipe = 1 part Gin, 2 parts Dubonnet, 1 lemon slice and 3 ice cubes
What’s so interesting about Dubonnet? The Dubonnet sold in the US is not the same Dubonnet that the Queen drinks! Pernod Ricard makes the European Dubonnet and has the super secret recipe
In the US, Kentucky-based Heaven Hill owns the domestic rights to the “brand”, and has since 1993. Sadly, our US version has been inferior in taste compared to the Euro version. But last year, in the summer of 2018, Heaven Hill introduced an improved formula.
Some fun links:
This week’s Pod Quiz: When we mention a wine from Basque country, to which country(ies) are we referring?
Shoutouts (28:15)
Thanks to Kamal Kouiri, our outstanding guest today, as well as Lindsay Walus, account supervisor at Wagstaff Worldwide who organized this interview.
Cheers to WTSO, Our Show Sponsor! (28:33)
One of the reasons we like WTSO is because their collection of wines is great for expanding our collections of wine. They have age worthy wines that get us excited, and they also have fun wines to have on-hand for opening now.
Go to your listener page at: weeklytasting.com/W25 to sign up and get started! Or just go to our web page and click on the link. Or just click on the WTSO logo on the top right of this web page
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Patreon Love (29:08)
Thank you to our patrons who support us on our Patreon crowdfunding platform! Head up – our 200th episode is on the horizon, and we have something special planned for you, with the help of WTSO!
Connect (31:06)
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