Bringing quality Greek wines to the table

BOUTARI WINES I PROFILE

The award-winning Boutari wines emphasise the distinct character of the variety of grape in the region where they are grown. Dedication to detail, taste and quality are the foundations on which the family business is advancing and bringing Greek wine to greater acclaim. Profile by Andy Probert.

Launched in 1879, the family owned Boutari Winery has been on a journey of innovation, expansion and continual improvement in asserting its leading role in Greece and becoming an ambassador for Greek wine worldwide.

Yet, having won more than 600 awards, achieved multiple accolades for its core of 40 branded wines, and exports to 30 countries, there is still a sense of much work to do to assert Greek wine in the same league as Italian, French or New World wines.

Boutari was honoured in 2020 with the Winery of the Year award for the 19th time by Wine & Spirits, one of the most influential publications in the global wine sector, and

kept sixth place in the Hall of Fame of the top 10 wineries in the world. Boutari plans to promote the best of Greek wine is certainly advancing in the right direction.

Evolving wine business

“Our goal is to assert Greek wines, not just Boutari wines, so as to be visible on international wine lists of hotels, restaurants and bars. It remains a challenge and a great opportunity since Greek wine does not have its own section in global wine lists. Greek wine is still mixed in with other wines or is under Mediterranean wines.” asserted Commercial Director Marina Boutari, a fifthgeneration family member of the company founded by her great-great grandfather, John Boutaris.

Since its establishment in 1879 in Naoussa, Northern Greece, the company has set the foundations for the production of topquality wine and contributed significantly to the revival and development of indigenous Greek varieties.

In the 1960s, Boutari took a strategic decision to invest and focus on viticulture. In the late 1980s, Boutari expanded its operations, buying vineyards and establishing wineries in top Greek wine producing regions. It currently owns vineyards and wineries in Naoussa and Goumenissa in Macedonia, Mantinia in the Peloponnese, Crete and Santorini.

Additionally, the family embarked on its collaboration with the emblematic vinegrower Roxane Matsa in Attica. In 2004, Boutari acquired Skalani vineyard in Crete and renovated the estate’s winery. A year later, it became the first Greek winery to expand its operations outside Greece and acquire Domaine de Mayrac, a winery

BOUTARI WINES I PROFILE

surrounded by a 100-acre vineyard of organic cultivation in Southern France.

“All Boutari wineries give great emphasis on making quality wines with a distinct character that represents fully the potential of the variety they come from,” Marina Boutari added.

The arrival of Boutari’s winemakers to Santorini in the late 80s, and the first harvest at the winery in 1989, kickstarted the industry on the island. For the past 30 years, the company’s agronomists and winemakers have brought great experience and innovative thinking to Santorini’s viticultural community.

They set new quality standards for harvest and wine production, applied winemaking practices unknown on the island, and contributed directly to inspiring the local industry, where 20 winemakers now flourish.

Boutari’s Santorini wines are made from fruit that thrives in volcanic and sandy soils. The vines, which are 50 to 60 years old, lie close to the ground, pruned in a basket shape to protect the grapes, which grow in the centre. This cultivation method, called Kouloura, protects the grapes from the fierce Aegean winds while the vines absorb and maintain humidity from the dense night fog.

Pioneering winery

Staff select grapes by hand for optimum quality and cool them at 10°C before they are destemmed, crushed and pressed. Following different processes, the wines mature for six months in French oak barrels before bottling.

Ms Boutari said: “As one of the oldest Greek wineries, we are pioneers in many areas of winemaking. We produced the first red bottled Greek wine, Naoussa Boutari –still one of the best-selling reds – were among the first wineries to export our wines, and the only one with a presence in so many top winemaking regions.

Boutari has also been a pioneer in wine tourism – particularly in Santorini where it was the first winery to open its doors to the public to offer tours, tastings and art programs in its dazzling white dome, voted as one of the ten architectural wine wonders of the world.

Wine tourism and agrotourism is also present in Crete where the Scalani Hills Boutari Winery and Residences have been offering a unique wine-tourism experience in the vineyard.

“Wine tourism allows us to introduce tourists and wine enthusiasts to the world of Greek wine. We aim to offer them an experience that they will remember when they return to their country and hopefully taste again one of our products, either at home or when they come back to Greece,” commented Ms Boutari.

“More than 1,400 wineries operate in Greece today, and many produce top quality wines. The problem with Greek wine is not its quality but its fame. Greek wine doesn’t have the position it deserves in the world of wines. We need to work together and invest more in marketing. Boutari is proud to be one of the ambassadors of top-quality Greek wine.”

Award-winning quality

The quality of Boutari wine has drawn much praise from wine industry critics worldwide. In 2009, it was recognised as the top

BOUTARI WINES I PROFILE

European Winery of the Year by one of its most prestigious wine magazines, Wine Enthusiast.

In 2013, the outstanding Naoussa Boutari wine received the highest and most significant distinction in its long history when Wine Spectator ranked it among the 100 best wines in the world.

“Boutari is a reference point for Greek wine and a brand that is respected for its quality, taste and legacy,” Ms Boutari continued. “With a presence in all the main wine-growing areas of Greece, and producing wines from the four Ambassador grape varieties, Boutari has lifted its prominence.

“On average, we sell four million bottles annually, out of which around 25-30% (depending on the year) are exported. As far as distribution is concerned, wines are shipped to international distributors or to Greek wholesalers and are sold in all channels; supermarkets, wine shops, e-shops and the HORECA sector.”

Shedding a dated industry image

Ms Boutari said: “Making the Greek wines known around the globe is an ongoing and challenging process. During Covid-19, consumers tended to look for well-known brands that not only offer great value for money, but also a true representation of their region, and Boutari wines do exactly that.

“A big challenge for all quality Greek wines is and has been the Greek bulk wine sold in restaurants. Bulk, anonymous wine creates a bad image for Greek wine, domestically and internationally. Unfortunately, it still represents a large portion of the total Greek wine market share. It is a challenge that all wineries that produce excellent quality bottled wine need to face together.”

She added: “Boutari is synonymous to Greek wine making history: we have been in the business for generations and have a strong vision for Greek wine and Greek wine tourism.”

The drive for quality is through constant modernisation of viniculture equipment, using more energy-efficient ways, minimising fertilizers, and using packaging that is more environmentally friendly. The business is also planning, shortly, to reclaim CO2 from the fermentation process and use many by-products in different ways.

Ms Boutari added: “As far as branding is concerned, our goal is to always listen to consumers’ needs and create new brands to meet them. In 2019 we created a new corporate identity, we began rebranding a lot of our wines, and last but not least, we created a lot of new products. As a result, two years on, we now have a better, trendier, and more commercial portfolio.”

She concluded: “Commercially, our goal is to keep expanding both in Greece and abroad, with the aspiration to put Greek and Boutari wines on the map, on the table and in the minds of international consumers.”n www.boutari.gr