Greece backs indigenous varieties

When it comes to promoting Greek wines abroad, the producers of Macedonia (see The right road to northern Greece) face many of the same dilemmas as those in the south of the country, in Portugal, Spain, Italy and many other parts of the world with a long vinous history and a fragmented industry. According to Stellios Boutaris, managing director and winemaker at Kir-Yianni in Naoussa, there are over 500 producers in Greece, producing less than 2 per cent of global production but more than 5,000 different wines, and exporting only about 100 of those wines.

One of the most...