All wineries across Greece will be open to the public on Sunday in celebration of Wine Tourism Day, giving visitors the opportunity to see how wine is made and to taste different varieties of the beverage.
“European Wine Tourism Day” is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of November. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour vineyards and wineries, meet the winemakers, learn the stages of wine production, taste new and aged wines, and get information about the fresh wines from this year’s harvest.
Experts say this is the best time of year to visit a winery: The new wines are already in the tanks and the winemakers are relaxing after the frenzy of harvesting and preparing this year’s batches. They are ready to welcome wine lovers and guide them around the premises, talk to them about the condition of the crop and about the estimates for future production.
Last year, more than 6,000 people visited wineries in Northern Greece to learn more about the world of wine. Similar numbers visited wineries in the Peloponnese, Crete, and Central Greece.
Wine tourism is a trend that has grown rapidly in all wine-producing countries in recent years, and is often coupled with the gastronomy of the particular region. Wine tourism also supports wine producers, who have the opportunity to sell their wines directly to wine lovers.
In Italy, the world’s largest wine producer, 10 – 20 percent of sales are made directly from the wineries, while sales through wine tourism bring more overall revenue. It is estimated that for every euro a wine drinker spends on the drink, they will spend five euros for eating, visiting museums and buying gifts in the area where the winery is.
At the present, wine tourism is not as developed in Greece. However, customer demand is rising rapidly and there are efforts to boost wine tourism. Greek winemakers spend a certain percentage of their annual profit to develop wine tourism activities.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
