Vineyards – Grapes – Wine

Wine had a very important place in the lives of the Ancient Greeks. Dionysus was the god of entertainment, of wine and of merriment. The grape harvest was a time of drinking and dancing with celebrations and ceremonies that lasted for many days, and were held in honor of Dionysus.

In the Old Testament Christ blessed the wine and it has since been used in the rituals of marriage and of Holy Communion. It has adorned the simplest of Greek tables to the finest aristocratic gatherings. In Greece there are hundreds of types of grape and many varieties of wine to satisfy even the most demanding of tastes.

Zakynthos due to its geographical position, its climate and its many hours of sunshine is one of the most suitable locations in the Mediterranean for the growing of grapes and the production of wine. There are four main winemakers on the island who produce many varieties of wine, Comoutos, Callinicos, Solomos and The Zakynthian Association. As well as the large estates there are also the small vineyards whose owners produce their own wine in a traditional family way taught to them by their forefathers and passed down through the generations. This is why you can find hundreds of different varieties of wine on the island.

Wine has been ‘prescribed’ by many a doctor over the ages and even today it is said that a glass of red wine with your meal can be a tonic for the heart. Many believe that the grape is the second most therapeutic essence after maternal milk and recommend a short-term diet consisting mainly of grapes to be an excellent form of detoxification. It is also believed that grapes can provide therapy for many ailments that cannot otherwise be cured by modern medicine. The first man to put these theories into practice was the father of medicine, Ippocrates.

There are three varieties of grape, those that are eaten as fruit, the type that is made into wine and the variety that is dried to produce currants, sultanas and raisins.

Programme :

• Visit local vineyards
  
• Visit traditional and modern winemakers
  
• Visit wine cellars and to the homes of villagers who produce their very own unique wine, a chance to sample varieties only produced in Zakynthos such as Avgoustiatis, Goustoulidi, and Verdea.