Already world-famous for its breathtaking caldera views and sunsets, its architecture, local products and cuisine, amazing hotels and still-beating volcanic heart, Santorini has also built a strong brand name in the international wine market. Its aged vines, some as old as 400, unharmed by phylloxera louse which couldn’t survive in the volcanic soil, trained in …
By the 8th and 7th centuries BC, when the written works of Hesiod and the Homeric bards began to appear, wine had thoroughly permeated Greek culture and become a ubiquitous feature – a dietary staple, preferable to water, drunk at any time of day or night, with or without food. Greeks had learned to cut …
Some of the most essential pleasures or comforts in life can be traced so far back in human history that they seem to disappear in the mists of time. The cultivation and consumption of grapes and their juice is a prime example. Nevertheless, as archaeologists in collaboration with paleobotanists, have further extended and refined their …
The olive has come to gain a predominant place in people’s lives. Since antiquity, this tree has inspired and been immortalized by the works of poets, prose writers and artists who have dedicated lines of poetry, hymns, thought and concern. Since antiquity the olive has left its mark. On ancient coins and on modern Greek …
“A bush of long-leafed olive was growing within the court, strong and vigorous, and girth it was like a pillar. Round about this I built my chamber” (Homer, Odyssey) Uniquely precious, a gift from the gods to the human kind, the Olive tree appears in the prehistoric times and reigns on the Mediterranean soil conducive …
One of the most exciting uses of Chios mastiha is that in the field of cosmetics. Beauty products based on the precious resin have gained in popularity in the recent years. Mastic is highly-coveted since antiquity because of its therapeutic and cosmetic properties, a claim that is supported by contemporary scientific research. Consequently, the interest …
The mastiha tree is an evergreen shrub, belongs to the Anacardiaceae family gender Pistacia lentiscus L and grows in the Mediterranean countries. However, the tree Pistacia Lentiscus Var. Chia is a special variety that grows exclusively in the Southern part of Chios and offers the precious mastiha tears, renowned for their medicinal properties. Chios mastiha …
During the Ottoman occupation plantation and production of mastiha trees was developed. Prior to the Chios massacre in 1822, production was stable but following the destruction it halted. After 1832 permission was granted for the expatriated Chians to return home. Upon repatriation villagers started plantation again and by 1840 production levels escalated to those prior …
The History of Mastic The mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), also called “skinos”, grows all over the Mediterranean. However, the tree Pistacia Lentiscus Var. Chia is a special variety that grows only in the Southern part of Chios and mentions can be dated back to antiquity. Some of the oldest references for mastic are credited to …
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands situated in the North Aegean region. It is at the crossroads of West and East. From the magnificent mountains of the North to the protected valleys of the South, from the pristine shores of the West to the cosmopolitan resorts of the East, Chios arises from …