• GREEK WINEMAKERS’ BEST CHANCE TO GRAB U.S. MARKET

    par | Juin 29, 2011

    From TALIA BAIOCCHI, Special to THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
    Mantineia, the Peloponnese, Greece — Sunday, June 26, 2011

    This should be the time to be a Greek winemaker.  The country is amid a quality revival of world-class wine regions from the islands to Greece’s northern border.

    But no matter the centuries since Sophocles ruled the stage, the Greeks still remain disposed to a good old ancient bout of reversed fortunes.  The trouble this time? The economy.

    Wine sales within the country are down more than 40 percent over the past 12 months, threatening a newly revived industry that, until recently, sold 90 percent of its production at home.

    Yet this pinch might provide a push for Greece to make a lasting impression elsewhere in the world.  Potential tragedy may well be averted.  « Before, Greek winemakers wanted to see wines exported, but there wasn’t enough of a reason to put that much effort in, » says Markus Stolz, an export agent in Greece who is working with several U.S. importers, including Oakland’s WineWise.  Now there’s certainly a reason.
    (suite…)

  • ΣΕ ΠΕΙΣΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΚΡΙΣΗΣ, ΤΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΚΡΑΣΙΑ ΣΚΟΠΕΥΟΥΝ ΨΗΛΟΤΕΡΑ

    par | Déc 21, 2010

    DESPITE CRISIS GREEK WINES AIM HIGHER

    By DANIEL J. BERGER

    « In the wine business the situation in Greece is serious but, I believe, ultimately promising » Ted Lelekas wrote in a post last July, posted again on Oct. 4. On the occasion of a Greek wine presentation I went at the OIV* in Paris to check how consistent his say-so was.

    Yiannis Paraskevopoulos from Gaia Wines, which he founded together with Leon Karatsalos early in 1994, was in charge of a short Greek wines panorama on this Nov. 29 presentation handled by the Greek embassy in Paris. Both an agronomist graduated from Thessaloniki University and an œnologue from Bordeaux, he is currently one of the top Greek wine experts. (suite…)

  • GREECE, ITS WINE AND THE CRISIS!

    par | Oct 4, 2010

    By TED LELEKAS

    lelekas-telegourmet_hr2

    I know that a lot of friends have been very much concerned about the vicious way in which the global financial crisis has impacted Greece, and the repercussions on Greek wine as a result.

    So I will take this opportunity to put everyone’s mind at ease, starting by saying that, as every cloud has a silver lining, I strongly believe that the crisis will benefit Greek wine, at least in the long run.

    Let me explain: when all the fuss about the crisis erupted — and, as you’d expect, it was grossly exaggerated by the mass media — most people initially felt very insecure and uncertain about the future.  Even hardcore oenophiles refrained from going out, attending wine tastings and events, and in general enjoying their life as before.

    I’m happy to report, however, that things are nowhere near like this nowadays.
    I’m not saying that they are back to their pre-crisis normal — and they shouldn’t be.  But what we’re now seeing is a positive turn towards efficiency and value, which are notions that —admittedly— we didn’t use to pay too much attention to before. (suite…)

  • PARKER & Co PUBLISH LATEST GREEK WINE RATINGS

    par | Jan 11, 2010

    By TED LELEKAS

    robert-parkerShortly before Christmas, the latest list of rated Greek wines was published on erobertparker.com. The list was put together by Mark Squires, wine critic and a member of Robert Parker’s expert team, who has been assigned to cover the wines of Israel, Greece, Lebanon, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania.

    The list contains 109 rated wines from wineries across Greece. 15 of those were deemed « oustanding« , in other words received a rating of 90-95/100. Interestingly enough the top 3 spots were won by dessert wines, and namely by the 2003 Vinsanto by Domaine Sigalas in Santorini (94/100), the 2003 Vinsanto by Santo Wines in Santorini (93/100), and the 2003 Muscat de Rio by A. Parparoussis in Patras (92/100). Further dessert wines, including a Grand Reserve bottling of Mavrodaphne, Greece’s historic fortified wine, have also received top marks, and claimed their place in the « outstanding club lounge » of this year’s ratings. (suite…)

  • THE GREEKS LAND IN PRIORAT!

    par | Nov 23, 2009

    mtonvin_priorat

    By TED LELEKAS

    It was an unforgettable wine trip. 5 days traveling along the magical path of the wines and gastronomy of Catalunya.
    I had the pleasure of escorting a group of my seminar students and their friends/spouses on our first (of many, I hope) wine trips to Spain.

    We arrived in Barcelona on October 28th, a day of national celebration for Greece. The beautiful city of Barcelona served as our base – and I made sure that we had plenty (although there can never be enough) time to explore its own wine and gastronomic treasures. (suite…)