Sales of Greek wine treble

The inaugural Greek Wine Month reportedly resulted in a 277% year-on-year increase in the sales of wine from Greece in the UK.

This June saw the UK’s first Greek Wine Month, as organised by the Greek Wine Federation and Westbury Communications, with more than 40 retailers and 20 restaurants signing up to partake and promote the wines of the Mediterranean nation, from Assyrtiko to Xinomavro.

According to a press release from Westbury Communications, the month saw a 277% increase on sales of Greek wine compared to June last year, and a 207% increase compared to May 2024.

“Our retail teams have embraced the promotion by doing in-store tastings and focuses, engaging with our customers online, and through database emails,” suggested Amathus’ head of wine business development Ana Sapungiu MW.

“We see a lot of excitement coming out of Greece – and so the range will continue to evolve – and we are very proud to be working with some top producers,” Sapungiu added.

Apparently some retailers doubled the range of Greek wines they were stocking as part of the campaign, with a number of these off-trade outlets organising ticketed tastings during the month.

“After 18 months of focused efforts in the UK market with 44 participating wineries, we’ve seen a remarkable increase in interest for Greek wine,” said campaign director and oenologist Sofia Perpera. “Following this trend we launched the first ever Greek wine month throughout the UK and the initial results are very positive. Greece’s treasure trove of indigenous grapes and diverse terroir is producing wines with a true sense of place – a key attribute for the UK market.”

According to data from Trend Economy, in 2023 the UK was the fifth most valuable export destination for Greek wine, with a 7.03% share (equivalent to US$7.6 million/£5.9m), behind Cyprus (7.99%), Canada (8.74%), the USA (16.9%), and, in top spot, Germany, which has a 28% share (US$31m/£24m). The UK’s imports of Greek wine place it marginally ahead of France (6.66%).

The same data set also shows that, post-pandemic, the overall value of Greek wine exports has steadily increased, rising from US$100.2m in 2021, to US$104.2m the following year, and US$107.8m last year.

It would be fair to say that Greek wine is something of a trend in the UK on-trade, with one new restaurant opening in London focusing on the cuisine and oenological output of the country.