Greece

The Greek vineyards

• 129,000 hectares
• Production in 2004: 4,295,000 hl on an average.
• 60 % of the production used for white wines.
• 40 % of the production used for red wines.
  
  

Main wine-growing regions:

• Peloponnese (60,400 ha)
• Crete (50,500 ha)
• Central Greece (28,850 ha)
• Macedonia and Trace (15,500 ha)
• Thessalie (8,700 ha)
• The Aegean Sea Islands (9,131 ha).
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Wine consumption

• 30 litres per year and per inhabitant.
• Limited niches for foreign wines because the Greeks consume local wines above all.
• The only niche: the sparkling wine market because Greek producers make very little sparkling wine.
  
  

Wine imports:

• 223,720 hl in 2004.
• Main suppliers: France and Italy. Especially for sparkling wines.
  
  

Wine exports:

• around 300,000 hl.
• Main countries for export: Germany, France and the United States. Local production exceeds domestic demand.
  
  

The sparkling wine market

• Limited production: around 600,000 to 700,000 cols of a cultivated area of 117.2 hectares. On the rise by around 20 % since 2003.
• Production zones: Rhodes, Peloponnese, Epire and Macedonia. The main Greek producer of sparkling wines: CAIR Rhodes SA.
• Total consumption of sparkling wines in 2005: 481,500 cols.
• Market dominated by six producers.
• Sale of local sparkling wines progressing during the year end and at the time of exceptional events.
• The evolution of the sparkling wine market will be done by GMS, with the sale of French wines at reasonable prices and of good quality.
• Importat of sparkling wines: 15,838 hectolitres in 2004, out of which 4,925 hectolitres coming from France.
  
  Source: ELetter Vinimarket 9/8/2004 and Economic Mission of Athens - February 2006