Greece
Though it has world's most ancient tradition of winemaking, Greece
has lagged behind other parts of Europe until quite recently. Today,
though, Greek wines are beginning to bounce back
Though it has world's most ancient tradition of winemaking, Greece
has lagged behind other parts of Europe until quite recently. Today,
though, Greek wines are beginning to bounce back
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In terms of viticulture, Greece has about a thousand years on just about any
other country. In fact, it was a recognizable civilization long before Rome was
anything more that a city state and eons before France was even a place. And
yet in terms of wine production, Greece today ranks behind Russia and even
China, and until recently not much better a reputation. You can probably blame
retsina for that.
But productivity is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to wine, and
Greece's 3500-odd-year tradition of wine-making is palpable. Ancient Greek
literature is filled with references to wine, Dionysus was the ancient Greek's
god of wine (analogous to Rome's Bacchus), and even today ancient sunken
ships reveal Greek wines stored in amphorae, or clay pots. Later, Greek wine
was highly prized by the citizens of the Roman Empire, which conquered
Greece in 146 B.C. (And you can bet your sweet drachmas that wine wealth
probably had something to do with it.)
A Century of War
The 20th century was not kind to either Greece or the Greek wine industry. The
Balkan wars, followed by World War I, the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922,
World War II and occupation by the Germans, followed by one of the least
pleasant civil wars of the 20th century and a nasty dictatorship did a number on
the industry that it has only recently recovered from. Despite these difficulties,
however, the Greek ministry of agriculture founded its own Wine Institute in
1937.
As tourism grew in the 1960s, retsina, the sweet, resinated white wine became
linked internationally with Greek culture, which tended to dim the reputation of
Greek viticulture in the eyes of oenophiles abroad. Although retsina has been
made in Greece for at least 2700 years, it actually held a small place in Greek
wine culture until the '60s.
Today, however, under the guidance of the Greek Appellation system, enacted
in the early 1970s, and with more than 400 indigenous varieties of wine grape,
Greek wine is again gaining a favorable international reputation.
The Greek climate is good for vineyards, which enjoy warm summers with
semi-arid conditions. It's true that most wines exported today are owned by
bigger companies, which produce a passable product, but smaller wineries
are producing higher quality wines, though these are seldom exported. Typical
indigenous grape varieties include white like Assyrtico and Moscofilero and
reds such as Agiorgitiko and Xynomavro.
Regions
The basic Greek appellation system is two-tired and categorizes wines thus:
The main wine growing regions of contemporary Greece include:
Aegean Islands
Crete
Limnos
Paros
Rhodes
Samos
Santorini
Central Greece
Attic
Epirus
Zitsa
Thessaly
Rapsani
Ankhialos
Ionian Islands
Kefalonia
other country. In fact, it was a recognizable civilization long before Rome was
anything more that a city state and eons before France was even a place. And
yet in terms of wine production, Greece today ranks behind Russia and even
China, and until recently not much better a reputation. You can probably blame
retsina for that.
But productivity is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to wine, and
Greece's 3500-odd-year tradition of wine-making is palpable. Ancient Greek
literature is filled with references to wine, Dionysus was the ancient Greek's
god of wine (analogous to Rome's Bacchus), and even today ancient sunken
ships reveal Greek wines stored in amphorae, or clay pots. Later, Greek wine
was highly prized by the citizens of the Roman Empire, which conquered
Greece in 146 B.C. (And you can bet your sweet drachmas that wine wealth
probably had something to do with it.)
A Century of War
The 20th century was not kind to either Greece or the Greek wine industry. The
Balkan wars, followed by World War I, the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922,
World War II and occupation by the Germans, followed by one of the least
pleasant civil wars of the 20th century and a nasty dictatorship did a number on
the industry that it has only recently recovered from. Despite these difficulties,
however, the Greek ministry of agriculture founded its own Wine Institute in
1937.
As tourism grew in the 1960s, retsina, the sweet, resinated white wine became
linked internationally with Greek culture, which tended to dim the reputation of
Greek viticulture in the eyes of oenophiles abroad. Although retsina has been
made in Greece for at least 2700 years, it actually held a small place in Greek
wine culture until the '60s.
Today, however, under the guidance of the Greek Appellation system, enacted
in the early 1970s, and with more than 400 indigenous varieties of wine grape,
Greek wine is again gaining a favorable international reputation.
The Greek climate is good for vineyards, which enjoy warm summers with
semi-arid conditions. It's true that most wines exported today are owned by
bigger companies, which produce a passable product, but smaller wineries
are producing higher quality wines, though these are seldom exported. Typical
indigenous grape varieties include white like Assyrtico and Moscofilero and
reds such as Agiorgitiko and Xynomavro.
Regions
The basic Greek appellation system is two-tired and categorizes wines thus:
- Appellations of Origin of Superior Quality
- Controlled Appellations of Origin
The main wine growing regions of contemporary Greece include:
Aegean Islands
Crete
Limnos
Paros
Rhodes
Samos
Santorini
Central Greece
Attic
Epirus
Zitsa
Thessaly
Rapsani
Ankhialos
Ionian Islands
Kefalonia
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Macedonia
Amyntaion
Goumenissa
Naoussa
Peloponnesus
Mantinia
Nemea
Patras
Amyntaion
Goumenissa
Naoussa
Peloponnesus
Mantinia
Nemea
Patras
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