Greece: Vine varieties

Greece is a still underdeveloped source of indigenous, ancient grape varieties of which more than 300 have been identified. Many of them are used solely for the important table grape or dried-fruit industries, however, and many others are used in tiny quantities on a purely local basis. There is still considerable work to be undertaken in vine identification, not just in rediscovering classical varieties, but in discovering the relationships between Greek varieties and those grown elsewhere, in italy, cyprus, turkey, albania, montenegro, kosovo, croatia, and macedonia in particular. The success of varieties such as malagousia (virtually unheard of in 1993 but currently responsible for top-quality wines from no fewer than 30 producers), Vidiano, Limniona, Kydonitsa, and many more suggests it will take decades for Greek viticulture fully to capitalise on the full potential of its native grapes.