Grapes harvest in northern Greece smaller than expected

Considerably fewer grapes were harvested this year in Northern Greece.

This was announced by the Evangelos Tsantalis SA company, the largest wine producer in Greece. The vineyards of Mount Athos were particularly hard hit, only around half the grapes could be utilised for wine production. The weather conditions in northern Greece were problematic throughout 2007.

Extremely high temperatures were accompanied by severe drought. The heat led to a significant reduction in the volume of grapes harvested, with losses of up to 50% being no exception. There was quite a lot of rain during budding and shoot development, this damaged young shoots and further reduced the yield.

The lengthy drought led to premature ripening of the vines. Overall, the vintage produced red wines with tremendously intense colours, low acidity and a high alcohol content.

Grape volumes were down overall accross northern Greece. According to experts, the volume of the grape harvest has been reduced by around 20% in Maronia, Thraki, by 30§ in Chalkidiki, by 40% in Rapsani, and even by 50% on Mount Athos.

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