Greek wine was described as one of the most important ambassadors of Greek production by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, who met today with officials of the Greek Winemakers’ Association and the Winemakers’ Union of Northern Greece, as part of his four-day tour in the Central Macedonia, accompanied by the YPAAT staff.

At the meeting, ways of supporting Greek wine production were examined, through the Rural Development Program (RDP) and the Recovery and Resilience Fund, while the update and redesign of the strategic plan for the promotion of Greek wine in international markets was discussed.

In Greece there are many family wine businesses that contribute to the development of wine tourism, strengthening local economies in the Greek region.

Today, approximately 1,400 wineries are active and the Greek vineyard extends over 600,000 acres, while its cultivation is focused on quality rather than intensive production, as pointed out by the president of the Association of Greek Winemakers, Yiannis Vogiatzis.

He added that around 160,000 families are engaged in the cultivation of vineyards, while he underlined that the most important advantage of Greek wine is the native varieties.

“The Greek wine production amounts to 212,000 tons, and this year it is expected to decrease by 30%, due to downy mildew,” he pointed out.

It is emphasized that the staff of the FSAAT, headed by Minister Lefteris Avgenakis, visited the Gerovasiliou Estate and was given a tour of the winery facilities.