The Greek Wine Federation today welcomed new regulations announced by the Greek Ministry of Health & Development regarding the offering of bulk wine to consumers in Greece. Restaurants, Tavernas etc. are now obligated to state the producer and the country of origin of the wine.
This is an extremely important development. Until now, the consumer had no access to this information, not being aware if the wine was of foreign or Greek origin, or perhaps a blend of both. The producer did not have to worry, as his name remained invisible. The new rules, if supervised properly, have serious potential to further enhance the reputation of Greek wine, and more importantly, at the broad base of the quality pyramid.
I have pointed out repeatedly how important the offering of quality Greek wine from the local gastronomy is for the millions of tourists who visit Greece every year. Today marks a significant first step in this direction. Kudos goes to the Greek Wine Federation who has constantly suggested the above measures to the relevant state authorities. Thank you, Konstantinos Lazarakis, MW, for alerting me to these changes.
Markus,
The bulk wine industry in Canada needs transparency as well. You never know what you are drinking at a restaurant when ordering the “house wine.”
Markus, just wanted to share that I agree this is indeed a big step forward. On my visit to Greece a few years back many wines were served without identity. Even if I loved them there was no story or bottle I could take home to share with friends. Or worst case, undrinkable wines impacted my overall perception of the countries offerings.
Had the same problem on a more recent visit to Croatia. From a marketing “conversion” perspective this visiting, captive audience is connected with your products in a moment where they are very open to enjoyment. While I realize getting individual restaurateurs to buy into the cause may be challenging one of the easiest ways to increase the prominence of local wine industries is to provide these customers the best experience you can offer…
Thank you, Jason. You absolutely nailed it and I could not agree more. I hope that these new rules will be enforced properly, as over time, this could reshape the local wine industry in a meaningful way.