Editor's Note: This is the first in a two part series by Bill Stobbs on Greek wines. Have more questions on the subject? Comment below and let us know!

While I often eschew both the media at large and the topical wine media for always having to be on the lookout for the new and next big thing, I must also admit that as a simple wine lover I enjoy exploring wine areas and facets that are new or at least largely unfamiliar to me.

Lately, somewhere in the back of my mind, I’ve had this vague but often-present need to taste and understand the wines of Greece a little better. Now, the enjoyment of Greek wine is hardly new, reaching back as it does beyond the dim undulations of Homer’s “wine-dark sea.” Nor is it exactly the next big thing except in as much as there currently seems to be a minor renaissance in quality winemaking in Greece as well as a burgeoning cult-following throughout much of the world.

I’m far from being an expert on Greek wine, and that’s the reason I decided to do some research. For this blog I’ll speak about the history of Greek wine and I’ll continue next time with a kind of beginner’s guide to Greek wine and grape varieties.

Most of us know that Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing areas of the world, and winemaking there dates back to the Bronze Age. We also know that wine became a dominant factor in their trade and economy. The Greeks introduced vines and winemaking practices to countries that have long since surpassed them in international recognition for wine, such as Italy, Sicily, France and Spain. So what happened? Why did this small country that dominated the ancient wine trade become little more than a footnote as far as the international market is concerned?

Let’s begin at what we know of the beginning. Proper winemaking practices probably came to Greece from Egypt and quickly grew in quality and popularity. Greece has a moderate climate, plentiful sunshine, low average rainfall and moderately fertile soil–just perfect for those grape vines. And so as the early historian Thucydides indicates, “The peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine.” Festivals and celebrations that worshiped Dionysus, the god of wine, became widespread and eventually reached almost all parts of the Mediterranean. Symposia were held (intellectual gatherings to discuss philosophical subjects) at which wine was used (in moderation) to stimulate intellectual clarity and spiritual awareness. In medicine Hippocrates used wine as a cure for fevers, to ease convalescence and as an antiseptic, as well as an analgesic, a diuretic, a tonic and a digestive aid.

 

And, as stated, Greece eventually brought vitis vinifera vines to the rest of Europe. Exactly what those vines were is largely unknown, but it is known that many Italian grape varieties such as Moscato, Malvasia, Trebbiano, Aglianico, Greco di Tufo and Grachetto originally came from Greece. Vinsanto, that delicious naturally sweet dessert wine that we usually associate with Italy, originated–both the wine and the process–on the Greek island of Santorini. Hence the name.

The reason for Greece’s fall from grace as a major wine producer seems to have been a series of mishaps over many centuries beginning with the 400 year Turkish Occupation. The Turks discouraged winemaking during those centuries. Even in 1821, when the occupation ended, the retreating Turks burned many of the Greek vineyards. Soon afterwards it became more profitable for Greek farmers to grow currants rather than wine grapes. When French vines became ravaged by phylloxera they were forced to buy Greek currents in order to increase production and strengthen their own wines. But by 1900 the French wine market was back on its feet, and the Greek market for currants collapsed. By that time phylloxera had also completely destroyed the Macedonian vineyards and done considerable damage to other Greek wine areas. The 20^th century offered little respite to winemaking with the Balkan wars, two World Wars, and the Greek Civil War.

Hopefully, despite all their economic woes, the 21^st century will mark the beginning of a new age of internationally recognized quality wines from Greece.

To be continued...

Bill Stobbs, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Supervisor

Follow him on Twitter @abcwinebills