Greece and the surrounding Eastern Mediterranean countries have an ancient wine-making history. There is evidence of vines being grown and wine being made in this area for at least 4000 years (Kolpan et al. 1996). Progress, however, has not always been easy. The rise of the Ottoman Empire prevented the development of the wine culture in Greece as many vineyards were destroyed and the land used for other purposes such as grazing and growing of other crops (Kolpan et al. 1996). While the wine-making continued (especially in Greece s many monasteries), quality had been compromised until 1969 with the revision of wine-legislation: Greece wanted to conform to EU standards wine production included, in order to apply for future membership (Cruise Club Holidays n.d.). Neighbouring Turkey is one of the world s largest producers of grapes but, for religious reasons (99 per cent of the country is Muslim), domestic consumption and production has remained at low levels (Bassler 1998), although the growth of international tourism to Turkey has led to greater exposure for its wines.

Over the last twenty years, the European Union has done much to raise the standards of Greek wine. Wine production in Greece has moved from primitive to modern wine-making techniques and has implemented an appellation control system, with about 12 per cent of Greek wines qualifying for appellation status from twenty-six wine regions. Growing interest in the Greek wine industry led to the organization of the first Thessaloniki International Wine competition...