English | Greek Wine World

By Aphrodite Panagiotalides

When Nico Manessis and I first talked about this article, I had it all laid out in my mind. I was to unite the two loves of my life, wine and fashion (my little lovie Urania is beyond compare), and talk about parallel lives, about fashion and wine as powerful partners in contemporary lifestyles and expressions of conspicuous consumption.

However, the economic crisis has since forced us to tighten our belts even more and I felt compelled to factor this into the equation. What are our ‘Responses to the Recession’? How do companies cope in the current economic crisis? Are tight-spending consumers now in charge or can companies still drive buying behaviour? Will the market polarise into a world of ultra-luxury products for the “haves” and super-inexpensive ones for the “have-nots”? How can we attempt to answer these questions, when entire economies collapse around us like dominoes?

18.05.2010

2009 Vintage Report

By Nico Manessis

There are glowing reports, on Alsace and Bordeaux. In Greece, it was a difficult vintage. Technicians are still scratching their heads. With no doubt, this year has thrown up formidable challenges in vineyard management. There were fewer regional patterns of uniformity. Suddenly, the already fragmented vineyard has become one of baffling changes. During my month-long autumn tour, a common thread emerged: ‘Sudden (weather) changes.’ In many ways, a strange year, with unusual weather upheaval. More than in any previous year, there was a larger period of cloud cover, which helped the aromatic varieties. North-western Greece was mildew-ridden, eventually ending with rotten grapes. Yet, for some pockets, especially on islands specialising in white wines, straight-talking producers said ‘unusual but good’. Broadly speaking, the year championed the most diligent farmers. Greediness, in red grapes especially, was punished. Those risk-takers triumphed who waited long enough to get ripe pips and the pH’s in ‘windows’ where it made sense to pick.

11.01.2010

Irrigation to produce high quality wines

By Stephanos Koundouras

Irrigation is the most controllable vineyard management technique in determining grape and wine quality under semi-arid conditions

Traditionally grapevine was a nonirrigated crop covering extended areas in semi-arid regions. However, the current climate changes (significant rise in average growth season temperature and evapotranspiration) have increased drought impacts on vine productivity and grape quality. On the other hand, it is well known that, to produce wines according to the quality specifications of today’s wine market (especially red ones), grapevine varieties have to be grown under environmental stress that most commonly implies a limitation of water availability in certain stages of vine growth cycle. Extensive research and practical experience over the last two decades in vineyards worldwide have shown that moderate water deficit increases berry quality potential (via shoot growth cessation, reduction of berry size, steady ripening process and stimulation of phenolic and aroma compound synthesis) and winery net profits (despite reducing yields in most cases). Moreover, irrigation remains the single most controllable factor in determining grape and wine quality (especially in areas where summer rainfall is scarce) and, thus, is a key factor in vineyard management for achieving both high quality standards and substantial economies in water resources.

9.10.2009

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New contribution by Nico now available in Greece at News Stand - Eleftheroudakis, Papasotiriou, Public, Fnac and selected International Bookshops