7 unknown facts about Greek Wine


7 unknown facts about Greek Wine

You can find a large number of vineyards scattered throughout Greece. Hence, Greek wine has received a lot of positive attention in the recent past as well. Green wine has been extremely popular among European neighbours for a longer period of time. Here are some of the lesser-known facts about Greek wine. If you are about to purchase Greek wine, you are strongly encouraged to pay your attention to these facts as well. Then you will be able to uncover some lesser-known facts and make a better decision while spending your money on Greek wine.

  • Greek wine has a proud history

The history of about Greek wine dates back all the way to 4000BC. In fact, that’s where wine production started in Greece for the very first time. This took place in the northern region of Greece. Since then, numerous civilizations that existed in Greece perfected the wine-making techniques. Along with that, Greece was able to become the center for wine within the country as well.

  • The wine was considered as the nectar of the Gods

In ancient Greece, the wine was considered as the nectar of Gods. During the times of celebration, people went ahead and offered wine to the Gods. In fact, Dionysus was the Greek god, who was in charge of harvesting grapes and producing wine. He was also the god for ritual madness, fertility and religious ecstasy. Winemakers back in the day worshiped this God to get a better wine production at the end of the day.

  • Death and rebirth of wine

During the Ottoman Empire, which lasted for 400 years, wine went out of existence. That’s because the Turks didn’t prefer the consumption and production process of wine. As a result, winemakers scattered throughout Greece were forced to abandon the vineyards. Along with that, Greece lost the dominating position that it had as a winemaker. However, winemaking in Greece received lots of attention from the 1970s. That’s where a large number of winemakers came back into Greece and started their activities. They promoted Greece as a world-class winemaking country. More than 80% of the wineries that you can discover in Greece as of now were formed within the past 20 years.

  • Unique variations of wine

In Greece, you will be able to discover a large number of unique wine variations as well. In fact, there are more than 200 different variations of wine. They include Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko and Savatino as well. Greece is the only country in the world where you can discover these different variations of grapes. Hence, wine made out of those grapes are native to Greece and you will not be able to find them in any other place out there in the world.

  • Greece has perfect environmental conditions for wine productions

Greece is a country that has got a rich as well as a varied terroir. The mineral rich islands, lush valleys and mountains are perfect examples to prove the above-mentioned fact. Soil that you can find in Greece is well-watered and fertile. You will be able to see Greece receiving lots of warmth and sunshine during the summer season. Hence, you can discover all the perfect conditions that are needed for the production of wine in this country.

  • Greek winemakers are dynamic

One of the most prominent aspects that you can discover in Greek winemakers is that they are dynamic. In other words, these winemakers are continuously looking for new methods in order to end up with securing the best possible results. Due to the same reason, we can also see how the vineyards increase their productions, along with quality. Only high-quality wine can age well. The Greek winemakers are aware of this fact and they work accordingly to ensure it.

  • Greek wines have won many international awards

Greek is an award-winning wine producer. During last year’s Decanter World Wine Awards event, Greece was able to secure the Platinum award for the best wine. In addition to that, the country could achieve two other Platinum awards and nine Gold awards as well.