The Wines of Distomo--Part 3

Wine making was a practice in Greece since perhaps 2000 BC. Also the importance of age

ing wine was understood and old wine was both valued and praised. A pre-Christian winery with clay storage jars discovered in 2007 in the northeast of the village (locality known as Βερβά that is considered as one of the best areas for growing grapes in the village because of its cool breezes and springs) can be seen in the two photos below. So, obviously there was considerable wine making activity in the area to warrant the operation of a commercial winery.

A prolonged battle for independence after almost 400 years of Ottoman occupation, two World Wars and a disastrous civil war didn't allow Greece to develop its wine industry. The wine making practices in the first half of the twentieth century were perhaps inferior even to those of ancient times. The country was preoccupied with more important things. It's not surprising then that the wine available prior to the 1960s was cheap and often poorly made, suitable only for local consumption and sold from the barrel. Although there have been huge improvements in all aspects of the wine industry since the 1980s, some old habits are hard to break. One of them is t

hat in local markets, such as my village, the bulk of the wine continues to be sold directly from the barrel and often in plastic 5-litter containers--something that could make even liberal oenophiles grinch. Now, you could transport wine in plastic jugs provided the wine is drunk the same day. More serious problem though is opening a barrel and drawing wine for weeks or even months depending on the size of the barrel. The minute the barrel is open and air enters its interior, the oxidation of the wine begins and it leads to its inevitable deterioration. It is heart breaking to taste fine wines in April and then experience their gradual decline. By early August they are not suitable to drink any longer. Oxygen and warmer temperatures have done their damage. It is interesting to note that this particular poor practice in winemaking was one of the key motivations that lead me to build a wine cellar and begin bottling wine in Distomo. (Visit Wine Preservation for more about how to properly store and age your wine)