Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world dating back some 6,500 years. The geographical anatomy of the country, its climate and soil serve the brewing of some 300 elegant indigenous wine varieties, marked for their distinct flavour and most of them exist since 3000 BC. There are 40 wines produced from the Greek varieties and are marked as products of Appellation of Origin. Some of the most well known is Moschofilero, Agiorgitiko, Asyrtiko, Xinomauro, Maurodafni, etc. Many of the grapes grown in modern Greece are grown there exclusively and are similar or identical to varieties grown in ancient times.
The uniqueness of Greek wines is coloured in mythology. There is an ancient legend explaining why the rich, dark, soft and mysterious wines from the region of Peloponnese taste that way. The very vines, on which the unique grapes grow, were stained by the blood of the lion that Hercules slew, according to the Greek Mythology.
There are also, international grape varieties cultivated in Greece, which are marked as products of controlled Appellation of Origin, because of their unique taste. All the international and well known varieties cultivated in Greece have a unique flavour because of the Greek climate, the plentiful sunshine, the low or average rainfall and the moderate fertility soils. Greek land has a variety of different locations to grow wine varieties, and their microclimate gives to the wines different flavours. In Greece you can see vineyards from the valleys, to the high mountains, from Macedonia to Crete and from the dry islands of the Aegean to the fertile islands of the Ionian Sea, all of them of incomparable flavours enhanced by local spices and aromas.
