Wine making

Wine is one of the utterly traditional Greek farming products, with a history of more than 3,500 years. Wine cultivation in the Prefecture of Ioannina, particularly in the cases of varieties destined to wine making, dates back to the 16th century.
The "ZITSA" wine cultivation area, which includes six communities, thanks to the tradition and reputation it had in wine making from old times, has been characterized as an area with "Appellation d' Origine de Qualite Superieure" wines. It is a privielege placing the region's wine among those of high quality.

The composition and relief of the terrain, the elevation between 600 and 700 meters, the wheather conditions and the uniqueness of the white variety of Debina grapes give to the renowed wine of the region a rich and fine aroma, a smooth and pleasant taste.

Modern wine-making techniques combined with tradition yield dry white wines and natural semi-sparkling and sparkling wines, gaining the preference of Greek and foreign consumers.

In addition to the local Debina variety, two other red varieties-the "Vlachico" and the "Bekari"- are also cultivated. The red to white grape ratio is approximately 9 to 1. In the last years, there has been an effort to plant vineyards with foreign varieties such as Cabernet Traminer, Chardonnary, etc.

In the Prefecture of Ioannina, there are three modern well organized wineries, producing local wines. There are also many small producers making their own local wine. Ioannina might not be a large wine producing area from the quantitative viewpoint, it however has the advantage of uniqueness, quality and the "ZITSA" name, a synonym foe excellent quality. The wines of the Prefecture of Ioannina are well worth the preference of wine lovers.