Discovering Pieria

By Olga Antoniadou

I have gone by so many times on my way to other places, but have only stopped here once, and I felt somewhat guilty about never taking the time to discover this part of Greece and the wineries in the area. Enveloped between Mt Olympus, the Pierian mountain range and the bay of Thermaikos to the east is the beautiful area of Pieria (in the north eastern part of Greece), marked by undulating hills, favourable growing conditions, and a climate that caresses the vines. Not much written about, as it is caught between its famous neighbours Naoussa and Rapsani, and is only now a young adult. Rather fertile (the producers I spoke to all green harvest), with small holdings and farmers who, in the past, grew vines and other produce. When I took a closer look, to my amazement, I discovered about fifteen wineries spread across the region. Most, officially became wine producers in the '90's. I noticed that many grow international varietals and rather more recently native Greek varieties and when I asked about this they all gave me a similar answer, “the region developed late, is still in search of an identity, had to find a road to market and the international varieties were more recognisable and fashionable at the start”.