Wine regions of the world 12 Greece

Out of all the wine producing country that you have in Europe it must be one of the oldest. And as so much of Ancient Greek culture was taken on by the Romans and then pushed all over there empire that it would look like the Romans invent wine.  The fact that neither of them did and it probably first was produced in Georgia around 7000 BC. Or Greater Iran dated 4500 BC or Armenia 4100, but defiantly not the Greeks or the Romans.

But having said that Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world, dating back to about 6,500 years ago. In fact it can be said that Greece influenced the rest of Europe.  The ancient Greeks where pioneers in viticulture and wine production. And evidence shows that by trade and other methods that what are now France, Italy, Austria and Russia to name a few where shown how to by the Greeks. It was the winemaking Celts, Etruscans, Scythians and ultimately the Romans who then carried it on.

In researching this I found a rather lovely quote that goes “The peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine.” By Thucydides a Greek historian, on olives and wine no maths and philosophy think of that.

But take all that into consideration and you never really think of Greek wine.  Why is that, is it because you just never think about it because it is bad, no. Or is it because you never think about it because you have that snob value that it is the thing you drink on holiday. Cheap plonk that you drink on a hot day, from a barrel to the table.  Whatever the reason are the fact is that like any wine producing count it has a wide range of wins that would please the most decreeing palate.

You have any number of wines growing in the full sun but other grown up mountain sides to keep them cool. There are main wine regions and the islands all producing wine all very different but the main thing you need to remember is that you have four kinds of clarification .

First Table Wines or Επιτραπέζιοι Οίνοι , table wine does not include any information identifying the region, the grape varieties used or the vintage year. They are sort of brand name and known for their consistent quality from year to year.

Then you have Regional Wines or Τοπικοί Οίνοι  a sort of better quality wine  not so mass produced .

And then you have  VQPRD Wines with Appellation of Superior Quality or Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Ανωτέρας Ποιότητος , or  ΟΠΑΠ

And Wines with Appellation of Controlled Origin  or Οίνοι Ονομασίας Προελεύσεως Eλεγχόμενης,  or ΟΠΕ, which is only used for dessert wines.

Now to my shame or the fact that I have never got round to drink that much I am guilty of only drinking the off Greek wine.  But want I can say is that what I was first told still stand true. Greek wine is hard to pronounce but easy to drink. So next time you go wine,  go Greek.