ERGON Agora

In the period from 1600 to the next century, households on Samos seem to combine viticulture with the cultivation of cereals, horticulture and various trees. During the following century (1700 to 1800) there are numerous testimonies, mainly from travelers, who record the most important productive activity of Samos, the cultivation of grapes. Muscat wine becomes a purely export item, since it was intended for sale to the French merchants of Smyrna.

According to historical sources, the capital of the island, Samos, owes its development to the economic and work activity that developed in the area of ​​the natural port “Vatheos”, due to the trade and distribution of wine since the 17th century. The Ottoman state, after 1770, imposes (after the acre tax and the tithe), a new tax on wine. In the period 1800 – 1850, the increase in the cultivation of vines and other marketable crops continues. In 1832 the island of Samos was declared a “Hegemony” with a Greek Ruler, appointed by the High Gate.

The following period, 1850 – 1912, is eventful and its events will continue to influence viticulture in various ways. This period is defined by a ten-year severe crisis in the agricultural production of Samos, which began with the harsh winter of 1849 – 1850 that froze and destroyed vineyards and trees. It continued with the appearance (after a year) of the disease known as powdery mildew, which reached its peak in 1854. The crisis seems to have ended five years later, as sulfur had previously been applied (1856) to treat of the vine disease but also the protection of the vineyards.

In 1870, the phylloxera insect appeared in France and destroyed millions of hectares of French vineyards. This leads to an increase in demand for Samian wines, which see a significant increase in sales and prices in 1880, with record ferry connections to the island of Samos! France’s wine producers, because of the well-known phylloxera problem, turned to importing ever larger quantities of Samian wine. In 1883 out of a total production of 99,300 stators, 62,000 were exported to France.

In 1888, a new and even bigger crisis begins in the Samian wine sector. The crisis is due both to the prices of wine and raisins, which are collapsing in the international markets, but mainly to the rapid spread of phylloxera which leads to the destruction of the Samian vineyards. In 1900 the few remaining vineyards in Samos were placed under the care of the “Hegemony”.

Gradually, after the disaster, the Samian vineyard was replanted using American subjects which were resistant to the disease. With these cuttings, all the muscats that had been saved were also grafted. In this vineyard, which continues to this day, the now grafted vines adapt again to the special and diverse soil and climate conditions of the island. This combination gives the special and versatile character of the “white microrogus muscat of Samos” that we know to this day.

Contemporary Samian winemaking comprises of UWC Samos and a significant number of small and medium-sized winemaking enterprises. Specifically, Samian wine industry consists of 6 wineries, 1 vineyard and 1 cooperative that produce many different wine labels. It is noted that several companies in the industry, such as Metaxa LIKNON, produce other alcoholic beverages too, such as cognac. These winemaking companies control significant shares of the domestic bottled wine market and distribute their products through wholesalers or by direct sales to Supermarkets and restaurants, covering the whole country through these extensive distribution networks. Additionally, some companies produce bulk and bottled wine which is available in the local market of the island, while others produce bottled wine of “limited production” with special characteristics, the distribution of which is usually carried out through specialized companies.

In recent years, the quality and reputation of bottled Samian wines has greatly improved, a fact that is confirmed by the continuous awards won by both UWC Samos and the wineries in international competitions. Many companies have made modernization investments, which are sometimes part of subsidized programs.

In addition, export orientation of Samos winemaking enterprises is strong. The main markets for Samian wines are France, Germany, Switzerland, China, Canada, etc. Both the UWC and the wineries of Samos have succeeded in promoting the uniqueness and high quality of Samos wine on the international market. This has resulted in promoting Samos wine in new markets and then recording an increase in demand of all varieties. Thus, with the right promotion and advertisement sales increase, profits are maximised, and there is commencement in or increase of exports and an increase in demand.

In antiquity the best way to transport large quantities of goods to distant destinations was the sea. The island of Samos had been well known since antiquity for its wines and for its ceramics, which it exported, while it imported textiles from the hinterland of Asia Minor, and, in general, was intensely active in transit trade. Samiots established sea routes to Egypt, Cyrene, Corinth, and the Black Sea. Commerce created a rift with its trade adversary, Miletus.

Historical reference in antiquity to the wines of Samos can be found in Hippocrates, Galen, and Theophrastus. Samos had safe and well-organised ports, while the Samaines biremes have been proven to have transported amphorae of Samos wine from Samos to various ports of the known world at the time.

It was thus unavoidable for Samiot wine, oil, and ceramics merchants to load their ships with their wares and travel the width and breadth of the Mediterranean.

The ports of Samos were full of ships that are capable of travelling overseas. Its sailors and merchants would go from Thrace to Phoenicia, from Libya to Spain, and to Naucratis in the Nile Delta, they would make their own colony and build a Heraion, a branch of the Samos sanctuary.

In fact, seafarer Colaeus, at around 630 B.C., reached southern England and dedicated an entire 25- to 30-metre sea-going ship to Hera.