As data from both road accidents and police checks on motorists show, the excess consumption of alcohol among drivers remains a problem in Crete, and in the nation as a whole. A number of recent incidents reported both locally and elsewhere tell of inebriated drivers losing control of their vehicles and colliding with parked cars – usually and fortunately causing no more than material damage. A brief Google search on such incidents in Greece produced no less than six since the beginning of the year: three in Crete and three on the mainland.

As an aid to reducing alcohol consumption, local wines, rather than hard liquor such as whisky and gin, should be the drink of choice at Cretan celebrations, it was suggested at the OiNotika 26 Wine Fair organised by Wines of Crete at the KAM in Chania on 11th and 12th March. It is a proposal made more plausible by the development of the Cretan wine industry over the past 20 years, with major improvements in the quality and variety of the wines produced. Reporting on the OiNotika event, Haniotika Nea quoted the president of Wines of Crete, who described the organisation’s drive for responsible and discriminating consumption.

“Listen, eat and drink Cretan”
Asked about the recent trend for drinking large quantities of imported spirits such as whisky and gin at local events, the president of Wines of Crete, Stelios Zacharioudakis, said that the organisation’s first object is “to raise awareness among the local community and owners of catering establishments. The second is to propose that bottled Cretan wines are the drink of choice at Cretan celebrations.”

“We don’t want to prohibit the consumption of hard liquor such as whisky,” he said, “but to propose as an alternative the use of bottled Cretan wines from recognised brands. I believe that this will aid the cultural authenticity of the event. When we have the lyra as a leading participant, I don’t think that whisky has a place in our culture.”

For that reason, Wines of Crete has begun a campaign promoting the consumption of local wine, with the participation of artists such as Vasilis Skoulas*, under the slogan “Let’s listen, eat and drink Cretan” and with the lyra as its logo. “We have costed it out: it’s cheaper for organisers to provide two bottles of wine from the best brands accompanied by a platter of traditional products. The cost for four people is less than buying a bottle of whisky. In addition, wine creates a different, more relaxed and friendly atmosphere, contrary to hard liquor,” Mr Zacharioudakis concluded.

Asked about the exportation of Cretan wines, the president said that it is going well. “The Cretan grape varieties give wines of peak quality. Suffice it to say that the assessments received by Cretan wines at international competitions are impressive, and often better than for those from the major wine-producing regions. I am sure that all this development will continue.

“I can say, and this is very significant, that the sector’s professionals such as sommeliers and wine journalists are now following Cretan vineyards, and more than they did 10 years ago. And when I say they are following, I mean their development, their qualitative development, and they are inviting people to try them. That is to say that Cretan vineyards are being monitored for quality, and obviously that creates a great sense of responsibility for us as wine producers.”
(Haniotika Nea, 16/03/26)

*A native of Anogeia, Vasilis Skoulas is the island’s leading lyra player, who has taken a stand against excess at Cretan celebrations, notably announcing that he and his group will leave any function at which guns are produced and fired in the air.