Saturday, November 01, 2014

 

A Fascinating and Comforting List

Peter Levi (1931-2000), The Hill of Kronos (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1981), p. 211 ("he" is George Pavlopoulos):
My journal for that day is full of Greek names for grapes, which he must have told me: phileri, which is a wine-grape; moschostaphylo, the low-growing musk-grape; korinthi, the currant-grape; tourkopoula, a plump grape; aïtonychi, eagle-claw; asproudi, a white grape; boidomati, cow-eye, a dark grape; tinachtoroyi, the shaker; roditis, the sweet pink grape of late summer; rompola, which makes Mr Averoff's admirable wine, I suppose; and the light-growing sabbatiano, the sabbath grape. There are many more: tsirichi; probatina; fraoula, strawberry, which is crisp and dry; ephtakilo, a long dark purple grape; kerino, the best of the yellow-greens; kokorarchido; sultanina; tsimpimpo; avgoustiati; kardinalios; violeti, which is American; razaki and santameriana, named after the Baron de St Omer, who held land near Pyrgos in the Middle Ages. I find this a fascinating and comforting list.



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