Greece 

Greece has a millenary tradition of wine production. The Greeks were the first to exploit and appreciate the qualities of the vine and therefore it is thanks to them that viticulture spread first in Italy and then throughout Europe. Wine was so appreciated by the Greeks that the god Dionysus became the god of wine and the grape harvest. The climate throughout the country is Mediterranean, with very hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Mostly, the vineyards are located near the coasts and on the slopes of the mountains. A large variety of native and international vines are grown in Greece, there are still more than 200 native varieties. White wines, red wines, rosés and countless liqueurs are produced. The noble native red grape variety is Agiorgitiko , others are Kotsifali , Liatiko , Limnio , just to name a few. Of the international red grape varieties Cabernet Franc , Cabernet Sauvignon , Cinsault , Merlot and Syrah are cultivated . The main white grape varieties are Aidani Aspro , Assyrtiko , Athiri , Roditis , Savatiano and international ones such as Chardonnay , Sauvignon Blanc and Ugni Blanc . Retsina is still today the most famous wine of Greece, internationally. It is a table wine, white or rosé, which owes its name to the particularity of being flavored by adding Aleppo pine resin to the must. In general, vines are cultivated in Greece on an area of approximately 110,000 hectares, but only half of the vines are used for the production of wine, the rest is used to cultivate table grapes and raisins. This factor certainly limits the development of quality enology, even if a new wave of enlightened producers has undertaken this path, with encouraging results.