I just marked my calendar with 3 red X’s for the 3 days 19th until 21st February 2010. On each of these days I presented Greek wines to different audiences in Germany. For the first time since I started promoting Greek wines abroad 13 months ago, there was no need for me to initiate interest, nor did I have to “convince” people about the quality of the wines.
On the 19th I had an appointment with one of the larger German wine merchants. Last year I mostly had meetings with wine merchants where I encountered a fair amount of prejudice. This time around, there was actually a real sense of excitement from the merchant to discover something new.
The next day I presented a number of Greek wines to 30+ members of a wine club. The high level of interest and engagement impressed me. The event lasted for more than 4 hours and I was very touched by rounds of applause afterwards.
Finally, on the third day I had the chance to taste Greek wines with a large wine importer who is also a real wine connoisseur. I encountered only open-mindedness and a real focus on the products. All five wines presented showed well, and two left a real mark and received high praise.
These last few days were a real indication that the “old” attitudes towards Greek wines are starting to change. I am truly delighted by these developments, although I am well aware that a lot more effort is needed to keep this positive momentum going.
Would love to see the list of wines presented although I have a fair idea judging by previous posts… Keep up the great work!!!
Kosta, during these three days I showed wines from Manousakis, Pavlidis, Dalamara, Allagiannis and Palivou, but not all of them together. Different events called for a variety of wines.
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