Greek wine and flavors is a Facebook group formed by Kosmas Theodorides, a bon vivant of gastronomy gatherings, sharing everyday stories.
It is being referred that the greatest stories are all the ones we haven’t lived yet but have first sauntered in the dream palaces of our minds. Therefore, as Lord Byron said, let us have wine, women, mirth and laughter, sermons and soda water the day after.
H.A: Greek wine and taste: Bringing together like-minded people about wine and gastronomy or fortunate coexistence of professionals and wine lovers alike
Kosmas Theodorides: A combination of both, possibly much more. On the one hand, it brings together people, who have enthusiasm for culinary flavors and their combinations with different wines. On the other hand, it has attracted the interest of a wide range of professionals in the field, from vintners and winemakers, liqueur store owners and wine students, to merchants, Chefs and restaurateurs. It is a disparate community, which nevertheless has managed to coexist harmoniously and I dare to say that they exchange ideas in a productive way.
H.A: The beginning of an idea from 2020 and its course until present….
Kosmas Theodorides: The idea of creation arose a winter evening during the quarantine period due to Covid outbreak. I discussed it with friends while drinking wine and within a few clicks I begun to form the group. I had an extensive experience with Facebook groups before and I expected to gather a handful of members. I didn’t realize that could reach such high numbers. However, it could not have initially taken off, been maintained and developed so adequately, without the assistance of the coordinators, who were either involved from scratch or joined later in the journey and have become the very soul of the team.
Members of the administration team are, I would say, the workers and unseen heroes of the backstage, who work and collaborate without being shined out out in the open. But, I am really grateful to these friends for their precious help and love. It is no coincidence that the moderators are people, whose opinion counts significantly in the field of wine and flavors.
H.A: Given the quality of the production of the Greek vineyard, how would you characterize the attitude of businesses in terms of extroversion?
Kosmas Theodorides: Greek wines have made real leaps and bounds in recent years. This is internationally recognized and acclaimed. If someone had told us that back in the 90s or even the 2000s that we would constantly and therefore won gold medals in international competitions or labels receiving over 90 or even over 95 points on the centenary scale by well-reputed international judges, I don’t think they would have many believed him. And yet, we are already at this point.
Wine businesses tackle with various issues, endemic to the Greek economy, however I think extroversion is not lacking, in its entirety. After all, it was more or less a one-way path during the years of the financial crisis and it is no coincidence that there are many companies that export the vast majority of their production. Wine mythical places such as Santorini, Naoussa, Amyntaio, Nemea, Drama, Crete, Chefalonia and Olympus are valuable assets of the diversity of Greek gastronomic destinations.
Naturally, there are also many, mainly of smaller size, that suffer from the known problems and for which satisfactory production and extroversion still remains a requirement.
H.A: The Greek wine and taste group has reached an astounding number of 33,000 members residing in every corner of the globe. Do you think that wine lovers abroad enjoy ‘comparative advantages’ in wine tasting (e.g. wine know how, varieties) compared to the corresponding public of consumers in Greece?
Kosmas Theodorides: I can say with certainty that wine lovers abroad generally enjoy a more sophisticated range, sometimes better and sometimes more sophisticated service in the field. On the other hand, these sophisticated services come with an inflated financial cost, which in our country still does not exist or is substantially lower. Wine tastings and even more culinary tastings combined with wine is something that has been picking up speed lately, we strongly support it and I am happy to see it further developing.
At the other end of the spectrum, I believe it is a commonplace that a 90+ bottle of wine in Greece can be bought at a fraction of the cost of a French or Italian equivalent, as long as one knows how to distinguish it. In this, I think the team has contributed to a superlative degree and has assisted many. As for the varieties, nowadays, we do not lack in variety and supply as the wineries are well informed, more than ever to be more precise. And if something is missing, with a few clicks you can order it from either Greek or international online markets.
H.A: How important is the price of a great wine and to what extent can discourage anyone from trying it?
Kosmas Theodorides: We should not underestimate how difficult it is for many people, especially after more than a decade of crises, to pay a hefty price for a bottle of wine.
On the other hand, in Greece, we are blessed to be able to enjoy wine boulders and wine unicorns, as we call the bottles of very high ratings, at very reasonable prices, not to say bargain prices, always based on comparative ratings. However, especially the so-called ‘iconic’ wines contain a large percentage of ‘vanity pricing’, reach the cost of a used or even a new car and are not for most of us products of frequent consumption. We are content, as I mentioned before, to ‘hunt’ and take delight in drinking wines of the corresponding rating range that are now also available in Greece at a much lower cost.
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