About Greek Wine

Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. The earliest evidence of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced on a household or communal basis. In ancient times, as 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, wines exported from Crete, Monemvasia and other Greek ports fetched high prices in northern Europe.

In 1937, a Wine Institute was established by the Ministry of Agriculture. 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, leading us to the wines presented, above.

From wikipedia.org