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Wine Making In Greece

Grapes cultivation and wine making has existed in Greece since the late Neolithic period with domestic cultivation becoming widespread by the early Bronze Age. Wine has been an important part of Greek culture for thousands of years as the numerous archeological discoveries throughout Greece have revealed. The ancient Greeks knew well the nutritional value of wine as it became an inseparable part of their daily regimen. Wine also played and important role in the evolution of the local economy.

The origins of wine-making in Greece go back 6,500 years and evidence suggesting wine production confirm that Greece is home to the second oldest known grape wine remnants discovered in the world and the world’s earliest evidence of crushed grapes. Tania Valamoti, a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at Greece’s Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with her colleagues Chaido Koukouli-Chrysanthaki and Dimitra Malamidou excavated four homes at a Neolithic site called Dikili Tash in north-eastern Greece (Makedonia). In one of these houses they discovered grape remains. If the charred 2,460 grape seeds and 300 empty grape skins were used to make wine, as the researchers suspect, the remains might have belonged to the second oldest known grape wine in the world, edged out only by a residue-covered Iranian wine jug dating to the sixth millennium B.C.

In Crete there is evidence, found on artifacts, that wine was known to the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. The earliest evidence of winemaking in Greece is a stone foot press at Vathipetro, a Minoan villa on Crete, dated to 1600 BC, four thousand years ago. Many fascinating insights into the culture of wine were also discovered in the Minoan village of Myrtos near Ierapetra.

Ancient Greeks considered that wine was a gift from the gods and worshiped Dionysus as god of wine. Festivals honoring Dionysus were held during winter months and were celebrated by performing arts and wine drinking. Vineyards, grapes and wine drinking festivities were painted on hundreds of ancient Greek artifacts of clay, marble and metal.

The Greeks traded their wines throughout the ancient world by ship inside sealed amphorae. The first evidence of this was given by Homer. The wine amphorae were tall and pointed at the base allowing for efficient storage and transportation. This system enhanced the equilibrium of the ship and allowed for greater quantities of wine to be transported. Also, the storage in amphorae had its benefits because it allowed them to store wine for long periods thus creating brilliant aged vintage wines. Each city-state used a different style of amphorae allowing us to determine the largest wine trading centers in ancient Greece.

The Greeks also realized the important influence of local ecosystems on the characteristics of wine and were the first to create their own Appellations of Origin. Some of the most famous wines to be traded with their Appellations of Origin were Arioussios Oinos from the island of Chios, Thasos from Northern Greece, Mendeous Oinos from Mende of Chalkidiki and Maronian from Thasos. The system of different Appellations of Origin was taken very seriously and strong penalties were imposed on violators of these laws in order to ensure the authenticity of these wines.

The ancient Greeks can be credited with much: the elevation of wine to a deeply-rooted cultural phenomenon; an apparent technical mastery of wine production; and the development of a sophisticated and archetypal level of commerce, all of which have had a profound effect on Western notions of wine and culture.

During the Byzantine years the viticultural tradition continued to flourish in the ancient winemaking regions of Greece. Orthodox Christianity was closely associated with the consumption of wine. However, the decline of wine cultivation started during the end of the Byzantine empire and grapevines were virtually vanished during the Ottoman empire. Greeks being under the Ottoman rule for five centuries lost their continuity in tradition of wine cultivation. At that time only a few areas in Greece cultivated wine and it was mostly in regions around monasteries. This fact led to a long period of wine culture with minimal standards of taste and quality.

Wine Making In Modern Greece

In 1937, a Wine Institute was established by the Ministry of Agriculture of Greece. However, wars, demographic shifts, economic problems, and other conditions retarded the development of the modern wine industry until the 1950s.

During the 1960s, retsina , which had never been a defining part of the Greek wine culture, suddenly became the national beverage. With rapidly growing tourism, retsina became associated worldwide with Greece and Greek wine.

However, many in government and the industry realized that the future to a successful industry lay elsewhere. Greece’s first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard was planted in 1963. In 1966, a winery was established which was devoted to producing export-quality wines. In 1971 and 1972, legislation established appellation laws. A quality wine revolution occurred during the decade.

In recent years, the Greek wine industry has undergone enormous improvement with serious investments in modern wine making technology. The new generation of native winemakers is being trained in the best wine schools around the world and their efforts are paying off as Greek wines continue to receive the highest awards in international competitions as well as the recognition they deserve throughout the world.

Article by Yannis Samatas of www.explorecrete.com. Read about Peza, the wine-valley of Crete