THE WINE OF GREECE

Greece is the first country in the Mediterranean basin, after Turkey, where vines and wine arrived from Asia in the years around 2000 BC.

It was the Phoenicians who brought the vine and wine to Greece, only later did the ancient Greeks bring the cultivation of the vine to the Italian peninsula through their colonies in southern Italy (Magna Graecia).

Among the most important wine regions in Greece we remember Macedonia, Thessaly, the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands and Crete. It is here that the country’s most important wines are produced and these are the areas that have historically identified Greece with wine.

The territory of Greece is particularly suited to the cultivation of vines, both in terms of orography (mountain and hilly areas which ensure a good temperature range) and in terms of latitude.

In Greece, native vines, estimated at around 300 different varieties, play a prevalent role. International grapes are a small part and are often mixed with local ones.

Among the native white grape varieties we remember Assyrtiko, Moschofilero, Moscato, Robola, Roditis and Savatiano.

Among the native black grape varieties we find Agiorgitiko, Kotsifali, Limnio, Mandilari, Mavrodaphne, Negoska, Stavroto, Krassato and Xynomavro.

The vineyard area extends for approximately 100,000 hectares, with a production of around 2.6 million hectoliters, of which only a small part has a designation of origin. 70% of production is made up of dry white wines, followed by reds (15%) and sweet whites.