DIRECT PRESS April 2023 • THE RISE AND FALL AND RISE OF GREEK WINE

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The origins of so much of our wine culture come from Greece. From fermentation vessels to drinking cups, the sheer amount of distinct pottery from the era alone shows us how rich and complex a role wine played in the lives of the ancient Greeks. Wine was a huge part of religion and culture — they had Dionysos, an entire god dedicated to wine, after all — but wine also a tool for diplomacy with other countries and civilizations. The ancient Greeks spread their wine culture to the Egyptians, the Romans, the Celts, much of the Mediterranean, even up the Danube nearly to Austria, so it's a little surprising that Greek wine today does not have the central role one would expect given the outsize influence of the ancients. Much of what we associate with French wine culture is actually directly linked to ancient Greek wine culture, but these days many are introduced to Greek wine through cheap retsina, a wine made with added pine resin that can be distasteful enough to turn people off of Greek wine entirely. So what happened?

Read all about the resurgence of Greek wine in this month's newsletter!
 
Jonathan & Bruno

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