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The National Herald a b NOVEMBER 20 , 2010 www.thenationalherald.com 2 GREEK FOOD &WINE THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 20, 2010 The National Herald Hellas Import Brings in the Goods A weekly publication of the NATIONAL HERALD, INC. (ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ), But Greek Winemakers Drag Their Feet reporting the news and address - ing the issues of paramount interest to the Greek American By Constantine S. Sirigos This year his boldness and make it in the American mar - community TNH Staff Writer expertise has move him to make ket.” of the United States of America. a big splash this year with a He bemoans the fact that the icholas Mastorogian - product he named “My big fat winemakers seem to be focused Publisher-Editor nakis knows people. Greek wine.” He believes that on trying to penetrate the estab - Antonis H. Diamataris He earned his MA in the unique Greek wines should lished Greek restaurants, but NPsychology at Boston interest the American consumer. they must look beyond the eth - Assistant to Publisher, Advertising Veta H. Diamataris University working his way They are attractive, he says, be - nic markets, he said, because Papadopoulos through school as a bartender. cause the indigenous Greek he does not expect to see much Special Section Editor He also knows wines. He owned grapes are different from the growth in Greek gastronomy in Sylvia Klimaki a liquor store for many years usual suspects that are produced the U.S. despite the rise of the Production Manager and has built Hellas Import LTD, all over the world. Mediterranean diet. He de - Chrysoula Karametros the importing and distributing Mastorogiannakis’ aim is to scribed a situation were there company he founded in 1997 make it easer for Americans to are six importers trying to sell 37-10 30th Street, into the largest importer of discover and enjoy Greek wine to the top Greek restaurants in LIC, NY 11101-2614 Greek beer, wines and liquor in products given the confusion in Manhattan, saying “A restau - Tel: (718)784-5255, America. the States over the different va - rant can only absorb x number Fax: (718)472-0510, His dream is to convey his rieties of grapes and regions and of cases.” e-mail: knowledge and appreciation of wineries in Greece. He told TNH He travels to Greece five [email protected] Greek wines to his fellow Amer - that part of the problems with times a year, which is necessary Democritou 1 and Academias Sts, icans – not just Greek Americans selling Greek wines is that a lot due to the lack of know-how Athens, 10671, Greece and their restaurants. Unlike of the wines have not even been about the American market. He Tel: 011.30.210.3614.598, Fax: many dreams, his is built on a presented with English names has to meet frequently with his 011.30.210.3643.776, e-mail: real foundation: he told TNH he or descriptions. They are diffi - Greek contacts to brief them [email protected] has built an impressive network cult for Americans to pronounce about American realities, espe - of representatives throughout and he thought they needed a cially regarding marketing and Subscriptions by mail : 1 year $66.00, 6 months $33.00, 3 months $22.00, the 50 states which has helped easier and memorable name. distribution. 1 month $11.00 him capture almost 30% of GREEK WINE INDUSTRY A Hellas Import’s relationship Home delivery NY, NJ, CT: Greek import market in alco - METAPHOR FOR GREECE with the popular Mythos beer 1 year $88.00, 6 months $48.00, holic beverages. Clueless. That word came up began as a distributor in 1997. 3 months $33.00, 1 month $14.00 Mastorogiannakis was born a number of times when TNH They becaome the beers sole im - Home delivery New England States, Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland : and raised in Greece, but his spoke to Mastorogiannakis. De - porter in 2002. 1 year $109.00, 6 months $57.00, family did not have a back - spite that fact that the Greek Mastorogiannakis credits the 3 months $41.00, 1 month $18.00 ground in winemaking but he wine sector has been trans - beer maker’s owner Karlsberg On line subscription : Subscribers saw the potential for Greek formed in many ways over the with aprt o the brand’s success to the print edition: 1 year $34.95, 6 months $23.95, 3 months $14.95; wines in the American market past 30 years, benefiting from shocking given the fact that about their field. Many of in the U.S. bacause they under - Non subscribers : 1 year $45.95, and the shortcomings of the investment in modern winemak - Greece has been an EU member them were civil engineers, ar - stand the need for adequate 6 months $29.95, 3 months $18.95 other companies in the field at ing technology, Mastorogian - since 1982 but Mastorogian - chitects and hotel owners who marketing and advertising bud - the time. nakis is concerned that his ex - nakis pointed out that the Eu - have started wineries simply be - gets, requirements for success citement and optimism about ropean and American markets cause they were able to take the he says are lost on most Greek Greek wines will not be realized are very different. The errors he money given to them by the EU, producers. until the next generation of described however, seem to be but they don’t have the back - PRONOUNCE THIS Greek wine makers. “Presently at the most basic business level. ground, education and the For My big fat Greek wine, there are only a few winemakers He said a lot of the Greek wine - know-how to enter such a huge Hellas Import is advertising in that understand the dynamics makers are not taking into ac - market like the American mar - all the major wine publications off the American market. The count the economic situation ket that everyone is trying to and is providing stores with all majority are trying to make the that has made consumers very penetrate.” the necessary point of sale tools. American market adjust to their price-conscious. They are also He acknowledges the supe - “We are trying to market to the specifications instead of vice ignoring the competition. rior operations of a number of best of our abilities,” Mastoro - versa, ” a story many Greek “Wine Spectator has over firms, including Cambas, owned giannakis told TNH. American businesspersons are 500 wines that score over 90 by Butari winery, and Mythos, Mastorogiannakis created familiar with in the “Old points but sell for under 10 dol - who “know what’s going on,” the wine last year and it came Greece”. lars,” Mastorogiannakis told but he said the majority of them on the market in October 2010. Asked about changes that TNH, and he described Greek are amateurs. His intention was to create a might take place as a result of attempts to sell wines to restau - There are new Greek govern - high quality, affordable Greek the reforms that have been rants and liquor stores at well ment and EU initiatives, such as wine. Given the economic situ - made necessary by the Greek above what the market will KOA, an EU funded program ation in the U.S. it was deter - economic crisis and which have bear. “They try to sell a with the specific aim to assist mined that it was best to intro - been announced and promoted chardonay, but the American Greek winemakers in the U.S. duce it at $9.99 per bottle. Wine by Greek officials visiting the consumer has many choices export efforts, but Mastorogian - Enthusiast magazine is very en - U.S. from Prime Minister Papan - from much more prestigious nakis reports that much of the thusiatic: “This elegant, aro - dreou on down, he said “ I have wineries. They need to adjust EU funding is wasted or mis - matic white combines pear and heard of them but he has not their prices and their approach used. He said K.O.A will help, flowers with a crisp, citrusy lift. seen much in the way of con - and be fully aware of the mar - “but its not going to happen Good minerality and depth with crete changes, though he would kets.” overnight. This is its first year a slightly creamy mouthfeel. A be happy to speak to Greek offi - “I strongly believe that 90 and they must begin by educat - unique, pretty white that is a cials about new and new com - percent of the leading Greek ing the winemakers in Greece standout as a solo sip or with mercial and export initiatives. winemakers over the past 10 as to how they have to adapt lighter fare.,“ and gave it an 89 The lack of sophistication is years are clueless and what they have to learn to rating out of 100. THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 20, 2010 GREEK FOOD &WINE 3 4 GREEK FOOD &WINE THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 20, 2010 A Touch of Constantinople’s Spice Bites the Tongue By Sylvia Klimaki TNH Staff Writer TASTING HISTORY The movie took its name from the book A Touch of Spice, the epper is like the first comprehensive, unique, sun, hot. Mercury is book on the history of Constan - cayenne, that’s hot, tinople’s cuisine, which was de - “P too. Venus is cinna - veloped in the cosmopolitan city mon, sweet and bitter, like a and includes dietary traditions woman, and the earth, can you of 1,500 years. A complete jour - guess which spice the earth is? ney through the history and se - Salt. Everything comes to life un - crets of local food, through the der its influence,” Vasilis told his vivid descriptions of Soula Bozi grandson.