Epirus is one of the poorest regions in Greece and the European Union. Industry and intensive agriculture are concentrated around the capital Ioannina, where most of the population lives. With the Zitsa Denomination of Origin and the Metsovo country wine, commercial cultivation is concentrated in the regional district of Ioannina. The choice of grape varieties took into account the relatively early onset of autumn rains, which often prevents reliable ripening in October. In an average of four of the vintages in a decade, the Debina grape variety, widely grown in Epirus, does not reach full maturity. The Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc varieties achieve good results. Among the red grape varieties, the early ripening Bekari and Vlachiko play an important role. Together with Rhodes and the Amyndeo wine region in the Florina regional district (Macedonia), Epirus is one of the few regions in Greece with a tradition of producing sparkling wines. The offer ranges from inexpensive sparkling wines, through to sparkling wines produced by the Charmat method as well as wines produced by classic bottle fermentation. The range of flavours covers the entire spectrum from dry to sweet. The sparkling wines are mostly pale white, rarely rosé. However, the consumption of sparkling wine has hardly any tradition in Greece and is only drunk occasionally at important occasions such as a wedding. The market potential is therefore very limited.
