50 Great Greek Wines: Athens Sept 9-12

This idea of 50 Great Greek Wines (50GGW) slowly 'fermented' in my mind and was the reasonable evolution of my involvement with Greek wines. I have come to know many Greek producers over the years, and whilst talking to them and tasting their wines, I slowly began to share their concerns. What could help Greek wine gain recognition and a market share outside Greece? That is, how could Greek wine become more identifiable and diverge from being placed in the generic category of "The Others"?

That's the main reason I started karakasis.mw. To strengthen the voice of Greek producers in the world of wine. My articles are inspired by the authentic stories of people who want to stand out with their wines. I often felt like I was bringing treasures to the surface that the whole world absolutely had to share in. My joy grew even bigger with every new discovery, with every new effort by an 'unknown' producer who laid his soul in the vine and cellar.

The 50 Great Greek Wines (50GGW) is the development of this endeavour and it's not just another contest. In fact, it has little in common with classic wine competitions. Firstly, wines are bought from the market, so that everyone can participate equally. Secondly, particular emphasis is placed on assembling the group of judges. It will consist exclusively of leading tasters, who are not only knowledgeable of Greek wine but are passionate about it. In order to ensure the reliability of the competition, no member of the organizing committee or the judges is permitted to maintain a commercial relationship with any of the competing wineries. If such a case does exist, the particular member of the judging committee cannot evaluate wines from a winery he/she trades with. Priority is given to quality criteria and not to the quantity of award-winning wines. So the prize only goes to the 50 best wines and winners of individual categories. Only the wines that stood out and the number of total entries are announced.

Another important difference is the wish to strengthen the message of the competition. For this reason, it will be surrounded by a series of innovative actions both within Greece and abroad, and it will be accompanied by an e-book which will serve as a point of reference that will help publicize the event. Those wines that will not make it into the top 50 will be given detailed feedback about the tasting and this will be given separately for each wine.

Our ambition is for the 50 GGW to be the next step for Greek wine. What am I talking about? First, we talked about our varieties, Assyrtiko, Moschofilero, Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro and then about our unique terroir from Crete to Thrace. Now it's time to take the conversation a few steps further. Let's talk about our excellent wines, the great wines. Giving the world not one but 50 “great stories”. 50 Great Greek Wines then. Our effort is for these 50 wines to represent Greece abroad, and to give Greek wine a new boost each year. We would like them to take the 'discussion' about Greek wine further, to make them travel the world and to create a modern image for Greek wine. This will be a celebration that will assist Greek wine in creating a reliable, easy access route for every buyer and oenophile. 

Yiannis