This year’s Greek wine production is showing a slight increase of 6.01 percent, according to data submitted by the Department of Vine, Wine, and Alcoholic Beverages to the European Commission.
This modest rise follows a historic 35.27 percent drop recorded in the 2023-2024 production period.
Greek wine production breakdown
A closer look at the latest data highlights several of the following defining trends in Greece’s wine production:
Non-Geographical Indication (GI) Wines: Production of wines without a Geographical Indication is notably set to increase by 10.66 percent. These wines currently constitute the majority of total production at 51.45 percent.
GI Wines: Wines with Geographical Indication (PDO and PGI) account for 35.29 percent of the total volume.
Long-term decline: Historical data dating back to 1990 show a continuous reduction in Greece’s total wine production. This phenomenon is attributed not only to the climate crisis but also to the abandonment of vineyards.
Underreported abandonment: According to the Central Cooperative Union of Greek Wine Products (KEOSOE), the officially reported abandoned vineyard area is underestimated, as many grape growers have switched to other crops without declaring the changes in the Viticultural Register.
Increased imports: The low volume of domestic production has led to a rise in wine imports, primarily low-priced wines from Italy, which negatively impacts the competitiveness and sustainability of the Greek wine sector.
The small scale of Greek viticulture
Stelios Boutaris, the recently elected president of the Greek Wine Association, provided a stark assessment of the sector’s size despite its recent strides in quality:
“We give the impression of being ‘big,’ which is reasonable considering the significant development steps that have been taken. However, if we look at the numbers and data, the truth is that the Greek vineyard is small (around 610 square kilometers, with a downward trend) and the size of its business is correspondingly small.”
The entire Greek vineyard is roughly one-fifth the size of Bordeaux alone (just one region of France). The entire turnover of Greek wine (domestic and international) is estimated to be less than €400 million (about $466 million), which is smaller than the turnover of a single major domestic company, the Athenian Brewery.
In addition to the issue of scale, the sector faces several structural and external challenges, including the fact that the average vineyard size is 4,000 square meters. The average age of winegrowers is 58, with limited youth renewal.
Boutaris has said the complicated and outdated wine legislation hinders modernization. In addition, he pointed out that, unlike countries such as Austria and Portugal, the Greek sector lacks strong self-financing mechanisms and is highly dependent on European co-funding for promotion abroad.
He also noted that new wine regions are emerging, such as Georgia, and even Great Britain, which now produces high-quality sparkling wines due to climate change.
Related: Winery in Mykonos Uses Classical Music to Transform Rocky Vines Into Fine Wine
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