Greece
Greece is the oldest wine-producing region in Europe. In classical times, the trade in wine became extensive, it was transported from end to end of the Mediterranean; Greek wine had especially high prestige in Italy under the Roman Empire. In the medieval period, ‘Malvasia’ wines exported by the Venetians from Crete, Monemvasia and the Cyclades, fetched the highest prices for any wines in northern Europe. The trade of sweet Greek wines to the west largely died out after the Cretans Wars between Venice and the Turkey. However it continued to Russia until at least the late 19th century and revived to France in the 20th Century. The Island of Samos actually has 25% of the French domestic ‘Vin Doux Naturel’ market!
Modern Greek wines can now compete once more in the international market in terms of quality and are starting to be exported again. Surprisingly though, not to the countries that have traditionally used Greece as a holiday destination. British and other northern European visitors to Greece are generally too used to drinking Retsina and basic ‘barrel wines’ in Tavernas to see beyond these. Wine drinkers in Russia, the USA and Australia for instance, haven’t had the same experience and don’t have the same prejudice to overcome.
One of the great strengths of Greece is the extraordinary number of local grape varieties, how well these are adapted to the hot climate and just how good they are. Other recent advances are the large investment that has been made in the wineries and the arrival of a second wave of younger qualified wine makers.
Many of the Greek vineyard areas are uncannily beautiful. I have visited most of the wine regions of the world and truly some of the Greek vineyards rate as among the most breathtaking. Nemea, the great red region of the Peloponnese is a great example. The view from the top at Koutsi must be for 50 miles in every direction, over the wild moutains of the central Peloponnese, or over Mycenae to Nafplio and the Agean. Somewhere amongst the cypress trees, olives and vines, under one of these limestone crags Hercules slayed the Nemean lion. I have probably slightly over-egged this, but this is the most extraordinarily evocative place. The dense dark wines from Semeli, Driopi and Gaia are pretty wonderful too.
Nemea is just one example, Santorini is another, being one of the most dramatic places on earth and great too for its whites, sweet and dry. The Cretan vineyards below Mount Ida and the Macedonian vineyards of Naoussa count as idyllic too.
The excuses for not drinking Greek wine normally run like this: “25 years ago I had a foul retsina”. – Well 25 years ago New Zealand mainly made a bad copy of Liebfraumilch. “I’ve never heard of the grape varieties…. can’t understand the labels…. haven’t heard of the regions…. didn’t actually know they made quality wine”. – No more feeble excuses – get tasting!
So far, A&C have never organised a ‘land based’ wine tour of Greece, but one is in the pipeline for 2011. We have however had 5 wine cruises here since the mid 90s, including one in the summer of 2009 on the Star Clipper.
Click here to go to Greek Wine Notes
See also the Private Wine Cruise in the Agean in Tailor Made Holidays.
Light Drizzle, 8C, Athens
New Wines of Greece
23 - 30 October 2011
Athens to Malta Wine Cruise 2010
11 - 20 July 2010
Greek Wine Cruise
6 - 13 June 2009
Super Yacht Cruise Sicily to Greece
8 - 16 June 2006
