New Wines Of Greece

After 1000 BC and following a period of decline (Greece’s so-called “dark ages”), in the early historic times (1050-700 BC), the Geometric period began when Greeks began moving towards the Aegean and the coast of Asia Minor. It was there that the first Greek colonies of Ionia were established and where, for the next 3,000 years, winegrowing was the main agricultural engagement and wine the main exported commodity. According to Homer, who lived in the 8^th century BC, the quantities of wine traded in the north Aegean between Lemnos, Thrace, and Troy were impressive and the sales of renowned wines such as Ikaria’s Pramnios and Ismarikos (or Maronitikos) hailing from Maronia, Thrace, remained brisk for centuries. But Greek mainland areas produced equally fine wines, such as Viotia, where Hesiod himself engaged in winegrowing of which he wrote in detail.
It was also during the early historic times, in the mid-8^th century BC, when the first city-states began to emerge, that  the need to explore the trading opportunities presented by new lands also arose, driving the Greek metropolises to colonization. Greek colonies appeared in the Black Sea and the western Mediterranean, with the settlers bringing to the Mediterranean coastline of western Europe their winegrowing tradition. Apart from Greek wines, the settlers would also bring along their grape varieties, thus establishing an early form of plant colonization.