Had this wine while dining at Zaytinya, in Washington DC near the MCI Arena. Cost us $30.

1999 Paranga Fiorina is a dry red wine that is made from a Greek native varietal known as Xinomavro and is then blended with Merlot.

I still had a cold when I had this, but my sense of smell was a bit better and my ears were starting to open up. Anyway, take my thoughts on this based on my condition at the time...

I took no formal notes, but I initially got roasted meats amd mince along with some forest on the nose. The forest carried over into the taste, along with a delicious pepperiness that seemed to go rather well with the mezzes (aka tapas) that we were having. Interestingly though, it transformed itself into a really nice and fruity wine after being open for about an hour...

All in all, I would rate this an86, maybe even an 87. Perhaps I might be over or underestimating my rating based on how unexpectedly good it was (ie rated too high) or how impaired my smelling and tasting was (under rated it).

But it was fun to try something completely different.