German man trying to popularize Greek wines on export market

As Greece’s economy struggles to come back to life, one German is doing his part to get things going. He’s long been a connoisseur of wine and eight years ago he moved to Greece to get involved in that country’s wine market. Now he’s trying to bring Greek wine to the world.On a windy plain 20 miles outside of Athens, Dimitris Georgas’ grape vines vie for space with suburban sprawl.
Some are about to bear fruit.
“They are ready. If we have some sun for two or three days – then pop,” he said.
Georgas’ family has been growing wine here for generations. His winery produces only about 50,000 bottles a year — reds, whites, and retsina — a Greek wine with pine resin added.
All of Georgas’ products are certified organic. He said his wines, and Greek wines in general, are special, kind of like the Greeks themselves.
“We are different because we think in a way, we act in a way, we drink in a way, we dance in a way,” Georgas said. “As long as we’re not afraid to communicate this quality to the outside world, to be authentic, we’ve got advantages.”
It’s been a hard time for Greeks and for the Greek economy. The European Union continues to wrangle over the final details of a second bailout for Greece. The country needs more money, not to mention some forgiveness from private banks, if it hopes to keep from defaulting. Greece has already agreed to strict austerity measures. The crisis generated a lot of resentment between Greece and its richer eurozone partners — especially Germany.
But not all Germans are down on Greece. German Markus Stolz is making a living here. Stolz spent years in London as a derivatives trader, but his passion was wine. Stolz’s wife is Greek, and they always dreamed of moving back to Greece.
Eight years ago, they did. Stolz said he started sampling Greek wines and he liked what he tasted.
“I also saw that with Greek wines, the quality was getting better and better year after year, and I wanted to do something professionally with wines, but didn’t know what to do,” he said. “I began to look at the export figures for Greek wines, and I thought there is something very, very wrong here.”
Stolz found that the vast majority of Greek wine was consumed in Greece. So three years ago, just before the Greek economic crisis hit, Stolz decided to give up high finance and set up shop as a Greek wine exporter.
He started by contacting wine merchants in his native Germany, and in Britain, where he had lived.
“I wrote about 100 letters, introducing myself, saying I will help you come together with Greek wineries, and the interest I received back was literally less than zero,” Stolz said.
He persisted. He started a blog on Greek wine, and he used Facebook and Twitter to spread the word. Stolz even got invited to the U.S. to be on Internet wine critic Gary Vaynerchuk’s web show.
Soon the Germans, among others, started to listen. So Stolz organized tastings in Germany. But last year, attitudes started to change, as Greeks and Germans began blaming each other for the eurozone debt troubles.
“I’ll give you an example,” said Stolz. “I had been working on a German wine merchant for one-and-a-half years, trying to get an appointment for Greek wines. I finally met him in November,” Stolz said. “We sat down, we tried the wines, he loved the wines. But before we broke off he said, ‘OK, Markus, you just have to tell me — how can I sell a Greek wine to a German now?’ ”
The bad blood between Germans and Greeks started to play out online, Stolz said.
“There had been lots of calls by Greeks who would send me emails or call me up and say ‘Markus, you have to make a political stance on your blog and tell the Germans off,'” he said. “At the same time, the same day sometimes, I’d get calls or emails from Germans saying ‘Markus, you have to tell the Greeks off.’ ”
Stolz tries not to get too depressed about it. From a business point of view, the American market is more promising anyway.
He said Greek wine-makers, and the government, should be marketing Greek wine in a big way right now — plus olive oil and cheese — as a way for Greece to find more markets for its products and boost the economy.
And he’s trying to get more winemakers here to think about exporting, especially now that the Greek domestic market has been squeezed hard by the debt crisis.
http://www.pri.org/stories/business/german-man-trying-to-popularize-greek-wines-on-export-market-8821.html

Although wines are widely available in most Asian countries, especially in Hong Kong which has eliminated import tariff on wines altogether, the availability of fine vintage wines is still very scarce. Most wine merchants offer big names, young vintages and cheaper wines for everyday consumption. Wine lovers and connoisseurs looking for something special often travel to Clark Pampanga Philippines to do their shopping at this Wine Shop in Manila.

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To avail of wine catering service of Yats Wine Cellars, just contact this wine supplier in Manila or Angeles Clark Philippines for a meeting to design a theme for the event. The venue for a wine event can be in the privacy of a home, the convenience of an office in Manila for example or in a clubhouse of a subdivision. Wine glasses and accessories necessary for wine service are included in the wine catering service. Moreover, interesting wine notes accompany the wine to help participants enjoy the event even more by learning a little bit about wine while enjoying the party. A wine steward will be present to serve the wine.

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Things to do in Clark Pampanga and Angeles City: do a little wine shopping at the famous wine shop outside of Manila called Clark Wine Center. Many people already know that one of the favorite places to visit in Pampanga Clark Freeport is the white building along M A Roxas highway of Clark which houses over 2000 selections of fine vintage wines. The Clark Wine Center is one of the places to visit, a tourist spot and a good shopping place for those staying in Angeles City, Subic or Clark Pampanga.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

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While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

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Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

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The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

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