May 20-22 at the 39th London Wine Fair 2019, Greek wine producers participated for the first time under the collective brand name Wine of Greece. With the aim of satisfying a now mature British market with fine Greek wines, the collective of wineries showed off new indigenous varieties at the expo.
According to the reports from London, the Greek wines were very popular among the sommeliers, importers, and journalists, some of whom were said to have “fought” for a place in the Greek Masterclass on the event sidelines. The Geek kiosk was one of the stars of a show that included over 14,000 wines from 32 countries. Some 40 Greek producers participated in the exhibition to highlight the delicate flavors of wines from Crete, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, and small individual vineyards from all over Greece.
One of the largest masterclass sessions at the London Wine Fair was the “Greek wines: indigenous varieties & fascinating terroirs”, which will be presented by wine writer and consultant, Yiannis Karakasis MW & Head Sommelier at 67 Pall Mall, Terry Kandylis. In addition to wine, the Greek kiosk also featured a selection of alcoholic spirits made from vines, such as tsipouro, which is becoming more and more popular.
A few of the Greek wineries exhibiting included Avantis Estate Winery in the center of Evia Island, MINOS – Miliarakis Winery from Heraklion Prefecture on Crete, Raptis Christos in Leontio Nemea, Diamantakis Winery from Kato Asites on Crete, Nikos Douloufakis, also from Crete island, and Mitravelas Estate – the oldest winery at Nemea, and the Wines of Crete collective, to name a very few.